Product Description:
#2730 World Literature - Derek Walcott: Pantomime (Run time 26 min.) DVD $89.95
This short adaptation of a play by Trinidad's foremost black writer is a metaphorical exploration of relations between black and white in the postcolonial world. The plot concerns a retired white actor and his black factotum; presumably they will perform a pantomime version of Robinson Crusoe, but roles become reversed, much to the white man's bewilderment and discomfort. (26 minutes)
#2846 World Literature - Nadine Gordimer: A Chip of Glass Ruby"" (Run time 20 min.) DVD $89.95
The celebrated South African writer describes her short story about the relationship of a Muslim Indian couple in South Africa in the 1950s. With clips from the film version of the story, the author describes how she writes and why she wrote this particular story, and comments on the role of writing in the social and political context of South Africa. (20 minutes)
#5028 World Literature - On Being a Liberal White South African: Nadine Gordimer (Run time 30 min.) DVD $89.95
Born and raised in South Africa, Nadine Gordimer is one of her country's most prolific writers. In her novels, short stories, and essays, she confronts the turbulent political reality of South Africa as it engulfs the people who live there. In this program with Bill Moyers, Gordimer discusses growing up as a white South African under apartheid, the causes of the tensions and violence between blacks in South Africa, and her views on the future of South Africa. Says Gordimer on the effects of apartheid: "These habits become engrained ... I think there is a great deal of unlearning to be done in South Africa." (30 minutes)
#7771 World Literature - Vladimir Nabokov (Run time 53 min.) DVD $89.95
Relatives, friends, and professional associates examine the life and works of the Russian-born novelist and critic. Nabokov, who began his literary career as a poet, is perhaps best known for his controversial novel, Lolita, and an irreverent critical work on Nikolai Gogol. Writing extensively in both Russian and English, his intricate, stylish literary effects and unorthodox structure are apparent in works including Pale Fire and The Gift. Excerpts from these and other novels reinforce the core thesis of his entire body of fiction: the problem of art itself, presented in various figurative disguises. A BBC Production. (53 minutes)
#35950 World Literature - Bill Moyers on Faith & Reason: Colin McGinn (Run time 26 min.) DVD $89.95
Does science have a monopoly on reason? Not at all, says philosopher and novelist Colin McGinn-reason is the foundation of morality as well. Bill Moyers talks with the author of The Mysterious Flame: Conscious Minds in a Material World and Ethics, Evil, and Fiction about his adoption of atheism, his views on the practicalities of religious tolerance, and his belief that rational scrutiny and criticism must coexist with religious freedom. (26 minutes)
#35952 World Literature - Bill Moyers on Faith & Reason: Will Power (Run time 25 min.) DVD $89.95
Writer, actor, and rapper Will Power brings unique characters and thought-provoking scenarios to life in his vividly staged performances-including The Seven, his hip-hop adaptation of Aeschylus' Seven Against Thebes. Bill Moyers interviews Power about his creative process, focusing on his ability to "flip" an ancient Greek drama into a highly charged, completely contemporary work-one that has meaning for audiences of all ages and backgrounds. (25 minutes)
#35954 World Literature - Bill Moyers on Faith & Reason: David Grossman (Run time 32 min.) DVD $89.95
In works such as Someone to Run With and Death as a Way of Life, David Grossman has movingly depicted the realities of living in the Holy Land. Bill Moyers converses with Grossman about his most recent work, The Lion's Honey-a retelling of the Biblical story of Samson with parallels to today's Middle East conflicts and the mind-set of those who inflict violence in the name of faith. (32 minutes)
#35955 World Literature - Bill Moyers on Faith & Reason: Richard Rodriguez (Run time 31 min.) DVD $89.95
Richard Rodriguez-the author of Hunger of Memory and Days of Obligation: An Argument with My Mexican Father-has expressed provocative views on diversity and its relationship to identity. Bill Moyers talks with Rodriguez about spirituality, mortality, and growing up among mixed influences-including a Catholic family and community often at odds with Protestant-dominated mainstream America. (31 minutes)
#35957 World Literature - Bill Moyers on Faith & Reason: Margaret Atwood (Run time 35 min.) DVD $89.95
Can spirituality, compassion, and emotional honesty survive in the face of oppression and religious fundamentalism? Canadian author Margaret Atwood, author of such classics as The Handmaid's Tale, The Edible Woman, and The Blind Assassin, speaks to Bill Moyers about agnosticism, the hunger for meaning, and the distinction between belief and knowledge. (35 minutes)
#6174 World Literature - Salman Rushdie (Run time 29 min.) DVD $99.95
Salman Rushdie's novel The Satanic Verses caused an uproar in the Islamic world when it was published in 1989. Iran announced a fatwa, or death sentence, against the author and Rushdie has been living in hiding ever since. In this interview, Salman Rushdie provides a rare personal insight into his work and his life, and speaks openly about the fatwa, his survival, the murder of his Japanese publisher, and assaults on other publishers. He also discusses his book The Moor's Last Sigh, which has not escaped controversy either and has been banned by Islamic fundamentalists. (29 minutes)
#6276 World Literature - Dante's Inferno (Run time 90 min.) DVD $99.95
This ambitious program, produced by the award-winning film director Peter Greenaway and internationally known artist Tom Phillips, brings to life the first eight cantos of Dante's Inferno. Featuring a cast that includes Sir John Gielgud as Virgil, the cantos are not conventionally dramatized. Instead, the feeling of Dante's poem is conveyed through juxtaposed imagery that conjures up a contemporary vision of hell, and its meaning is deciphered by eminent scholars in visual sidebars who interpret Dante's metaphors and symbolism. This program makes Dante accessible to the MTV generation. Caution to viewers: program contains nudity. (8 segments, 11 minutes each, color)
#7300 World Literature - August Strindberg: Miss Julie (Run time 100 min.) DVD $99.95
Prolific Swedish playwright August Strindberg wrote over 70 plays in his lifetime, most obsessively preoccupied with the "battle of the sexes." In this BBC production, Michael Simpson directs Strindberg's classic tragedy of class and sexual warfare. The neurotic, aristocratic daughter (Janet McTeer) of a count breaks off her engagement to her irresolute fiance. Despondent and bored, she idly occupies her time with her father's virile valet, Jean (Patrick Malahide), who not only seduces her, but begins to exercise Rasputin-like power over her life. As with most Strindberg works, the female character is unfashionably presented as manipulative and controlling, despite her ultimate demise by her own hand. (1 hour 40 minutes)
#10031 World Literature - Fyodor Dostoevsky: Crime and Punishment (Run time 59 min.) DVD $99.95
Considered the first modern novel, Crime and Punishment is both a compelling psychodrama and an unrelenting examination of modern humankind. This program skillfully interweaves riveting dramatizations of Fyodor Dostoevsky's masterpiece with Notes from the Underground and the autobiographical Memoirs from the House of the Dead. Penetrating observations are provided by Professor John Jones, of Oxford University, who scrutinizes the merciless introspection inherent in these works. (59 minutes)
#10033 World Literature - Henrik Ibsen: The Master Playwright (Run time 58 min.) DVD $99.95
This program, narrated by Ibsen biographer Michael Meyer, charts the development of Henrik Ibsen's style over four periods: his early years of failure; his epic dramas; his sociological plays, such as A Doll's House, Ghosts, and Rosmersholm; and his final plays, including Hedda Gabler, The Master Builder, and Little Eyolf, in which he dealt with the dark interior of the human soul. Televised productions and theater excerpts showcase Ibsen's works, while writers John Mortimer and D. M. Thomas and psychologist Anthony Storr consider their complexity and treatment of daring themes such as women's rights, venereal disease, and parental responsibility. (58 minutes)
#10037 World Literature - Luigi Pirandello: In Search of an Author (Run time 59 min.) DVD $99.95
In 1925 Luigi Pirandello brought his troupe to England as part of a worldwide tour. This program re-creates one day in London as "The Einstein of the Theater" watches his plays and, away from the footlights, confronts the paradoxical nature of his life. Portions of Six Characters in Search of an Author; Henry IV; Right You Are, If You Think You Are; and The Rules of the Game are meticulously staged, using actors' accounts, period descriptions, and Pirandello's own comments. Plus, biographical notes written by Pirandello himself provide a new angle on the inner torment that animates his work, while playwright Julian Mitchell and novelist Leonardo Sciascia critically analyze the action as it unfolds. (60 minutes)
#11200 World Literature - Daniil Kharms' The Old Woman (Run time 62 min.) DVD $99.95
Until recently, the serious works of Russian avant-garde writer Daniil Kharms-his absurdist pieces, the ones laced with irony and steeped in trenchant wit-were known only to the Soviet Union's literary underground. This production, reset in modern-day America, is the first film adaptation of Kharms' novella The Old Woman, a dark comedy about a man trying to get rid of a dead body. (62 minutes, b&w and color)
#30743 World Literature - Metamorphosis (Run time 51 min.) DVD $99.95
For Gregor Samsa, the ill-fated protagonist of Franz Kafka's novel Metamorphosis, home is where the horror is. Filmed in Kafka's native Prague and narrated by actor Jeff Goldblum, this program blends creative reenactments with expert commentary to explore how Kafka's prescient masterpiece about a man turned into an insect shattered notions of the happy family and anticipated the darkness descending on Europe. The autobiographical aspects of the novel are richly documented, as are modern-day examples of what is now called Kafkaesque. A Discovery University Production. (51 minutes)
#4053 World Literature - Ibsen: Hedda Gabler (Run time 78 min.) DVD $129.95
Diana Rigg is the manipulative Hedda, who will not or cannot conform to what society considers "normal" for a woman. The arrival of an ex-lover on the scene gives her the opportunity to determine someone else's fate-but of course that is not what Ibsen was writing about. With Denis Lill and Philip Bond, in the adaptation by John Osborne. (78 minutes)
#10049 World Literature - David Malouf: An Imaginary Life (Run time 56 min.) DVD $129.95
He is a complex and lyrical poet-novelist whose work, rich in imagery and association, evokes a present in which the past is always just below the surface. In this tantalizing introduction to the fiction and poetry of David Malouf, filmed in 1997, the award-winning writer talks with great humanity about his life and career, focusing on how he relates to the world he so vividly describes. Readings by Oscar-winning actor Geoffrey Rush are skillfully interwoven with archival and specially shot footage of the places and experiences that have shaped Malouf's unique literary vision. (56 minutes)
#11419 World Literature - The Thousand and One Nights: A Historical Perspective (Run time 27 min.) DVD $129.95
Encompassing fairy tales, romances, legends, fables, parables, and anecdotes, The Thousand and One Nights is a composite of popular oral stories that developed over several centuries, mainly during the Empire of the Caliphate. This program scrutinizes the wonderfully audacious tale of Scheherazade and what it tells the attentive reader about the dreams of Arab men and women during the empire's golden age. Recurring themes such as a hunger for adventure and a desire to be free from tradition are explored, as well as a conception of power that glorifies self-control and disparages violence. (Portions in French with English subtitles, 27 minutes)
#11998 World Literature - Marcel Proust: A Writer's Life (Run time 60 min.) DVD $129.95
Deftly blending the personal and the historical, this program is an illuminating and accessible introduction to the life and work of Marcel Proust, whose novel Remembrance of Things Past changed the face of literature. Interviews with writers Dame Iris Murdoch, Shelby Foote, and writer-critic Roger Shattuck highlight the magnitude of Proust's accomplishment, while dramatizations of key scenes from Proust's life combine with rare archival footage to place his personal struggle in a historical context. The film was co-produced by William C. Carter, author of the critically acclaimed Proust biography. Archival interviews include Jean Cocteau, Francois Mauriac, and Celeste Albaret, Proust's long-time friend and assistant. (60 minutes)
#12001 World Literature - Jean Genet (Run time 59 min.) DVD $129.95
One of the most influential writers of the 20th century, Jean Genet spent the greater part of his early life in poverty or prison. Filmed in 1985 shortly before the author's death, this program contains a rare and extended subtitled interview with the man whose plays revolutionized postwar theater and whose novels and film, Chantes d'Amour, describe with startling directness and lyricism the world of pimps, prostitutes, thieves, down-and-outs, and, above all, homosexual love. Scenes from performances of his plays, along with documentary footage and readings, supplement Genet's own commentary on his many years in France's reformatories and prisons and his writing philosophy. (60 minutes)
#29168 World Literature - Julio Cortazar: Argentina's Iconoclast (Run time 29 min.) DVD $129.95
Novelist and short-story writer Julio Cortazar was a master of experimental literature. In this program, Cortazar's preoccupation with 20th-century life and his rejection of its values is placed in historical context and examined as a theme in his works. In particular his masterpiece, Rayuela, is examined. Archival material and interviews with contemporaries bring to life the times that shaped Cortazar's oeuvre and ensured its enduring legacy. (Spanish with English subtitles, 28 minutes)
#29169 World Literature - Pablo Neruda: Chile's Master Poet (Run time 28 min.) DVD $129.95
The life and work of Pablo Neruda-Nobel Laureate, statesman, renowned poet-both reflect and embody the events that shaped the 20th century. Born in Chile, he fled as a political refugee in 1948, not to return until 1952. Through archival material, Neruda's writings, and interviews with family, friends, and scholars, this program presents Neruda's life and the times that molded it. (Spanish with English subtitles, 28 minutes)
#29170 World Literature - Gabriela Mistral: Focused on Love (Run time 28 min.) DVD $129.95
Recognized from an early age as a poet of remarkable ability, the writer who was to become known as Gabriela Mistral was the first Latin American woman to be awarded the prestigious Nobel Prize, in 1945. Composed of archival footage and commentary from scholars and friends who discuss the personal events that affected her life and infused her work with its themes of tragic love and unfulfilled maternal love, this program provides an in-depth portrait of one of Latin America's most gifted poets. (Spanish with English subtitles, 28 minutes)
#29171 World Literature - Octavio Paz: Mexico's Muse (Run time 29 min.) DVD $129.95
Poet, writer, editor, diplomat, and Nobel Laureate, Octavio Paz is among the best-known Latin American literary figures. This program examines the influences of Marxism, Buddhism, and Hinduism, along with Existentialism and Surrealism, throughout his work. Archival material and commentary from friends, family, and scholars provide a comprehensive portrait of this extraordinary man and his work. (Spanish with English subtitles, 28 minutes)
#29172 World Literature - Jose Marti: Cuba's Herald (Run time 28 min.) DVD $129.95
A Cuban patriot who expressed his views in his poetry and essays, Jose Marti lived many years in exile from Cuba, in Spain and Venezuela. This program traces 19th-century Latin American history through the life of one of its best-known commentators. Archival material, readings from his works and journals, and commentary by scholars and historians provide an overview of Marti and the era that he so greatly influenced by his actions and his writings. (Spanish with English subtitles, 28 minutes)
#29174 World Literature - Carlos Fuentes: At Home in the Americas (Run time 28 min.) DVD $129.95
The writings of Carlos Fuentes-a Mexican novelist and playwright who combines a deep awareness of history and national identity with experimental narrative techniques to develop his themes-have had a powerful effect on contemporary Latin American literature. In this program, Fuentes, the son of a diplomat, discusses subjects such as the influence of politics on his life, his deep feelings for Mexico, and his writing career, which has brought him international acclaim. (Spanish with English subtitles, 28 minutes)
#29175 World Literature - Isabel Allende: Possessed by Her Art (Run time 28 min.) DVD $129.95
From her first novel, which evolved from a letter to her grandfather, to her most recent works, Isabel Allende has frequently made use of magic realism and her expertise as a journalist to explore the harsh political realities of South America, the role of women in Latin America, and her own life experiences. In this program, Allende elaborates on her years in Chile, Venezuela, and the United States; the importance of spiritualism in her creative process; and other subjects. (Spanish with English subtitles, 28 minutes)
#29176 World Literature - Mario Benedetti: Writing and Revolution (Run time 28 min.) DVD $129.95
Recognized as one of Uruguay's most perceptive writers, Mario Benedetti was also deeply involved in Latin American politics during the 1960s and 70s. In this program, Benedetti reflects on topics such as his life both at home and in Cuba, his crisis of political consciousness, and his diverse oeuvre, which includes novels, short stories, poems, and essays. (Spanish with English subtitles, 28 minutes)
#29177 World Literature - Mario Vargas Llosa: In Love with Peru (Run time 28 min.) DVD $129.95
The writings of Mario Vargas Llosa-penetrating studies of Peruvian life-demonstrate the author's lifelong commitment to social change. In this program, Vargas Llosa, winner of the Cervantes Prize and widely regarded as Peru's most interesting novelist, offers insights into his beloved homeland, his life abroad, his unsuccessful bid for the presidency, and other topics. (Spanish with English subtitles, 28 minutes)
#29178 World Literature - Marcela Serrano: A New Voice (Run time 28 min.) DVD $129.95
Marcela Serrano's first novel won the Literary Prize in Santiago and her second book won the Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz prize, awarded to the best Hispano-American novel written by a woman. In this program, Marcela Serrano-clearly on the upward path to international renown-assesses the diverse concerns that have influenced her life and her work, including the elimination of apartheid and the importance of creating genuine and loving relationships. (Spanish with English subtitles, 28 minutes)
#29347 World Literature - Derek Walcott: The Poetry of Place (Run time 53 min.) DVD $129.95
Hailed as one of the finest living poets writing in English, Derek Walcott grew up on an island where French, French patois, and Creole are also spoken. Filmed on St. Lucia, Walcott's birthplace and the wellspring of his poetic vision, this program presents the biography of a major figure in contemporary literature. The poet talks about his childhood and education, his influences and techniques, and how he actually started out as a painter. Matched with beautifully filmed segments of the island and its people, Walcott reads selections of his poetry, including passages from his epic Omeros. (54 minutes)
#34875 World Literature - Alexander Pushkin (Run time 26 min.) DVD $129.95
Arguably Russia's greatest poet, Alexander Pushkin established a literary tradition that was fully European yet distinctively Russian in character. This program tells the tale of a brief life that was itself worthy of fiction. Incorporating footage of Pushkin's lodgings, accoutrements, and environs as well as period artwork and architecture, it follows Pushkin from the Imperial Lyceum at Tsarskoye Selo, where his literary career began, to the field of honor where, in a duel at age 38, it was cut short. A fine introduction to the author of Ruslan and Ludmila, Eugene Onegin, and Boris Godunov. (26 minutes)
#34876 World Literature - Boris Pasternak (Run time 25 min.) DVD $129.95
The life of Boris Pasternak-crowned by a Nobel Prize he dared not accept-is a story of success soured by political oppression. Drawing on previously unavailable footage, this program parts what was the Iron Curtain to profile the renowned author, from his early achievements as an upcoming avant-garde poet to the humiliations and threats heaped upon him, late in life, as a result of writing the internationally acclaimed novel Dr. Zhivago. Archival interviews with contemporaries and film clips of Pasternak himself provide insights into the world of a talented writer stifled by Socialist Realism and nearly destroyed by his own masterpiece. (25 minutes)
#35413 World Literature - Pre-Columbian Literature (Run time 45 min.) DVD $129.95
The history and social structures of Latin America's native peoples were neither simple nor peaceful before the arrival of Europeans. Wars were fought, empires were created and destroyed, and-as this program illustrates-narrative tapestries of fact and fiction were woven in the process. Underscoring the linguistic sophistication that flourished for thousands of years in the region, the program addresses the proliferation of Nahuatl and Quechua literature, the codices and quipu of Mayan and Incan societies, and other ancient forms of written and oral communication. Although mythical accounts-including the Popol Vuh, the Chilam Balam, the Apu Ollantay, and the Runa yndio-are analyzed on several levels, they are most notably linked with the agendas of pre-Columbian social hierarchies. An FFH&S/Tranquilo Production. (45 minutes)
#35414 World Literature - Conquest and Colony (Run time 46 min.) DVD $129.95
To the European imagination, America was a tabula rasa, a virgin territory. As this program describes, narrative art forms were essential to making sense of this exotic Eden and the possibilities it offered. New Spain became a place for re-creating myths and legends of the Western literary canon, for transforming poetry, prose, and epic literature. The diaries of Columbus, Bartolome de las Casas' History of the Indies, Bernal Diaz' True History of the Conquest of New Spain, and Bernardino de Sahagun's Florentine Codex are explored along with works from indigenous authors of the early colonial period-such as Ixtlilxochitl (History of the Chichimec Nation), Munoz Camargo (History of Tlaxcala), and Alvarado Tezozomoc (Mexicayotl Chronicle). An FFH&S/Tranquilo Production. (46 minutes)
#35415 World Literature - Politicians and Revolutionaries (Run time 50 min.) DVD $129.95
The Era of Revolution severed political ties between Latin America and the Old World-but cultural independence was another matter. This program explains how the region's literature began to come into its own, relying on models and themes imported from Spain while establishing a dialogue with other literary traditions and aesthetic movements. Through the work of Jose Joaquin Fernandez de Lizardi, Esteban Echeverria, Bartolome Hidalgo, Mariano Melga, Jose Marti, Cirilo Villaverde, and other writers, viewers will become familiar with the "literature of independence" particular to Latin America-one that threads together the old and the new, the alien and the indigenous, to form its own unique creations. An FFH&S/Tranquilo Production. (50 minutes)
#35416 World Literature - From Romanticism to Realism (Run time 51 min.) DVD $129.95
The 19th century brought tumultuous political change to Central and South America. This program shows how the cultural crucible of the region fused and realigned aesthetic movements considered sacrosanct in Europe-specifically, Romanticism, Realism, and Naturalism. In an eclectic matching game that became typical of Latin American literature, Realist and historical novels existed cheek-and-jowl with Romantic poetry, Romantic novels competed with the anecdotes of Ricardo Palma, and newspaper serials vied for attention with costumbrismo-a genre that depicted everyday manners and customs. Jicotencal, Jorge Isaacs' Maria, and Gertrudis Gomez de Avellaneda's Guatimozin, Last Emperor of Mexico are among the works discussed. An FFH&S/Tranquilo Production. (51 minutes)
#35417 World Literature - Modernismo (Run time 51 min.) DVD $129.95
It was an aesthetic movement with an ambitious program: linguistic innovation as a means of liberation from Romanticism and Neoclassicism, and as a way to clarify Latin American identity. As this program explains, Modernismo coincided with a burst of interest in stories and accounts that were tied to the creation of independent nation states. Viewers will discover valuable insights regarding this cultural tidal wave and the ways in which it transformed the novel, lyrical poetry, and nonfiction prose into highly original shapes. The achievements of Ruben Dario, Jose Marti, Manuel Gutierrez Najera, Jose Asuncion Silva, and other seminal writers are examined, along with the external influences of the Symbolists and the Parnassian Poets. An FFH&S/Tranquilo Production. (51 minutes)
#35418 World Literature - Regionalism and Indigenism (Run time 46 min.) DVD $129.95
The literature of Latin America has always defied homogeneity-and the first decades of the 20th century were no exception. This program studies artistic responses to Modernismo that accompanied a deepening appreciation of local cultural currents forming across the region-currents that, however disparate, were flowing into a shared identity. The forces that paved the way for a new avant-garde, replacing traditional means of discourse with a fractured and anxiety-ridden worldview, are analyzed. The concept of novelas de la tierra or "novels of the land" is addressed, as are the writings of Alcides Arguedas, Horacio Quiroga, Jose Eustasio Rivera, Romulo Gallegos, Martin Luis Guzman, Gregorio Lopez Fuentes, Rafael Munoz, Nelly Campobello, and numerous others. An FFH&S/Tranquilo Production. (46 minutes)
#35419 World Literature - The Avant-Garde of the 1920s (Run time 50 min.) DVD $129.95
After the horrors of World War I, Latin American writing turned away from what many saw as ornamental and frivolous experimentation. This program studies the so-called "criticism of Modernismo within Modernismo" in which language reached back to a simpler, more intimate, less urban-centered framework. Investigating the work of several poets and authors of the period-including Enrique Gonzalez Martinez, Julio Herrera y Reissig, Maria Eugenia Vaz, Leopoldo Lugones, Delmira Agustini, Ramon Lopez Velarde, and Cesar Vallejo-the program reveals complex dynamics of nationalism and cosmopolitanism, Western literature and indigenous voices, and the spirit of breaking with the past and of belonging to an artistic tradition. An FFH&S/Tranquilo Production. (50 minutes)
#35420 World Literature - Narrating Modernity: Writers of the Mid-20th Century (Run time 50 min.) DVD $129.95
The mid-20th century was an era of large-scale and often tragically violent political shifts which completely changed the face of Latin American life-and art. As this program demonstrates, the rise of military dictatorships and authoritarian regimes forced a reassessment of issues that had been problematic since Latin American countries gained their independence. These dilemmas brought intense pressure on social institutions and energized the works of Jorge Luis Borges, Octavio Paz, Pablo Neruda, Roberto Arlt, Cesar Vallejo, Alejo Carpentier, Silvina Ocampo, and Juan Carlos Onetti. The significance of the Rio de la Plata region and Angel Rama's concept of narrative transculturation also inform the discussion. An FFH&S/Tranquilo Production. (50 minutes)
#35421 World Literature - The Latin American Boom (Run time 51 min.) DVD $129.95
By the 1960s, Latin America's avant-garde movements had matured into a range of literary styles that were firmly entrenched in the cultural landscape. At the same time, there emerged a new and distinctive accent to Latin American literature that was no less authentic than its forebears. This program surveys the artistic phenomenon, manifested most notably in magical realism, that came to be known as the Latin American Boom. Examining the role of journalism and the ways in which various authors stylized their reporting in the service of artistic goals, the program looks at the work of Alejo Carpentier, Augusto Roa Bastos, Julio Cortazar, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Juan Carlos Onetti, Jose Donoso, Miguel Angel Asturias, and Juan Rulfo. Some language may be offensive. An FFH&S/Tranquilo Production. (50 minutes)
#35422 World Literature - After the Boom (Run time 50 min.) DVD $129.95
As the 1970s progressed, the political climate in Latin America became increasingly dark, with no end in sight to the proliferation of brutal dictatorships. This program analyzes the cultural impact of those developments and the tensions which gave Latin American literature of the period its energy and resonance. With insight into the challenges of writing in the face of tyranny, the program explores the work of authors from the Southern Cone region and offers perspectives on Carlos Monsivais, Elena Poniatowska, Rodolfo Walsh, Miguel Gutierrez, Oswaldo Reynoso, Julio Cortazar, Hector Tizon, and Diamela Eltit. The emergence of the urban cronica is discussed in depth. Some language may be offensive. An FFH&S/Tranquilo Production. (50 minutes)
#35423 World Literature - Brazilian Literature: The First 500 Years (Run time 48 min.) DVD $129.95
Unified by the Portuguese language, the literature of Brazil represents the cultural synthesis of three distinct influences: indigenous peoples, European emigres, and Africans brought to the New World as slaves. This program reflects on those influences as it examines the first five centuries of recorded Brazilian writing. With an overview of ancient folklore and verse, the program highlights connections between Brazilian and Baroque traditions; it also studies the importance of Neoclassicism and Romanticism, Realism and Naturalism, and Parnassianism and Symbolism. Works by Claudio Manuel da Costa, Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis, Alberto de Oliveira, Raimundo Correia, Olavo Bilac, Euclides da Cunha, and others are featured. An FFH&S/Tranquilo Production. (48 minutes)
#35424 World Literature - Brazilian Literature: The 20th Century (Run time 53 min.) DVD $129.95
In the first decades of the 20th century, Brazilian avant-garde literature came into its own. This program examines the awakening of Modernismo and subsequent movements in Brazilian letters, from Sao Paulo's Week of Modern Art in 1922 to the politically focused milieu of the 1970s. Outlining historical events that helped shape the country's multifaceted culture, the program explores the writings of Graciliano Ramos, Jose Lins do Rego, Augusto Meyer, Carlos Drummond de Andrade, Jorge Amado, Erico Verissimo, Clarice Lispector, and Nelida Pinon, and others. It also looks at the Brazilian literature of today as it struggles to create new styles and forms that can do justice to its turbulent history. An FFH&S/Tranquilo Production. (53 minutes)
#35948 World Literature - Bill Moyers on Faith & Reason: Salman Rushdie (Run time 57 min.) DVD $129.95
Painfully familiar with the clash of personal and religious expression, Salman Rushdie can now be seen as a literary sentinel regarding the rise of Islamic extremism. In this program, Bill Moyers talks with the author of Shame, The Satanic Verses, and Shalimar the Clown about the impact of 9/11, about tension between moderate and radical Islam, and about the need to hold the line on fundamentalism even when it leads to personal risk. A reading by Rushdie from The Satanic Verses is also included. (57 minutes)
#35959 World Literature - Bill Moyers on Faith & Reason: Pema Chodron (Run time 54 min.) DVD $129.95
One of North America's most prominent practitioners of Buddhist monasticism, Ani Pema Chodron has written extensively on Buddhist principles in the context of everyday living. Bill Moyers talks with the author of When Things Fall Apart, The Places That Scare You, and No Time to Lose about ideas and teachings that have special significance for western Buddhists-and will resonate with non-Buddhists as well. (53 minutes)
#5196 World Literature - Marina Tsvetayeva (Run time 56 min.) DVD $149.95
Marina Tsvetayeva was one of the great poets of the 20th century and a contemporary of Akhmatova, Pasternak, Mandelstam, and Mayakovsky. She lived through World War I, the Revolution, the Civil War, and the Moscow Famine, and then in exile in Germany, Czechoslovakia, France, and internal exile back in the Soviet Union. Determined to remain apolitical, she became a victim of her convictions. Her husband became an NKVD agent in Paris and her daughter a staunch Communist. She was shunned by the Russian emigre community. Despite her famous affairs, she was devoted to her husband and followed him back to Russia where she was sent into internal exile and committed suicide at the age of 49. This docudrama includes archival footage of the times and places that provided the backdrop of her life; readings in Russian and English of her poems, diaries, and letters; dramatized scenes; and interviews with key writers, biographers, and translators of her work. (56 minutes)
#5871 World Literature - Chekhov (Run time 53 min.) DVD $149.95
A superb Russian film documentary of the life and loves, the thoughts and works, the great themes and the little individual lights and shadows that made Chekhov the man and the artist. Set in Moscow in 1914-ten years after Chekhov's death, long enough to provide some perspective on his greatness, close enough for memories to have remained fresh-the program gives us Chekhov through the eyes of those who worked with him and loved him, using superb Russian documentary footage to make both the playwright and his time come to vivid life. (Russian with English subtitles, 53 minutes)
#6953 World Literature - Alan Paton: A Profile (Run time 55 min.) DVD $149.95
After years of apartheid, open elections were finally held in South Africa in the 1980s. Alan Paton, anti-apartheid activist and author of the internationally acclaimed novel, Cry the Beloved Country, played a major role in freeing his nation from the yoke of institutionalized prejudice. Here, the author discusses the influences which inspired him to write the novel, and uses passages from it and other works to trace his path from apartheid supporter to anti-apartheid crusader. Paton's own words and those of family and friends reveal the personality of the man who helped launch South Africa's Liberal Party. (55 minutes)
#7757 World Literature - Faust: The Man and the Legend (Run time 29 min.) DVD $149.95
The historical Dr. Faust, and the legends that have arisen around him thanks to the writings of Marlowe, Lessing, and Goethe, are the subject of this fascinating program. The real Faust-excommunicated as a heretic-is presented as a victim of the political and religious tensions of his day. In a medieval world that believed in the corporeal presence of the Devil, the accusation that Faust was in league with Mephistopheles seems strangely reasonable. Faust's mysterious death is seen as contributing to the subsequent legends that developed surrounding his character. Viewers gain a sense of Europe before the Enlightenment, and of the legendary figure who continues to symbolize humankind's quest for scientific knowledge. A Deutsche Welle Production. (29 minutes, color)
#10047 World Literature - V. S. Naipaul: The Enigma of Writing (Run time 53 min.) DVD $149.95
In this program, novelist V. S. Naipaul, winner of the 2001 Nobel Prize in Literature, explores the relationship between a writer and his work, offering insights into his life, his career, and his subtly incisive novel/memoir The Enigma of Arrival. In particular, he contrasts the inspiration of living in the English countryside with the Caribbean, Indian, and African influences that dominate his earlier writings. Excerpts from Miguel Street, A House for Mr. Biswas, and other books-read by actor Roshan Seth and by Naipaul himself-round out this engaging interview. (53 minutes)
#10056 World Literature - Yukio Mishima: Samurai Writer (Run time 54 min.) DVD $149.95
Ridiculed by some, admired by others, and ignored by no one, Yukio Mishima has remained a paradox in both life and death. This vintage program combines extensive archival footage of Mishima; interviews with colleagues, including his biographer, Henry Scott Stokes, and two of his translators; and readings by actor John Hurt to portray Japan's immensely popular novelist, playwright, actor, and patriot of the extreme right. Obsessed with the act of hara-kiri and torn between Japanese tradition and the Westernization of his culture, Mishima's final statement, made in the prime of his life, is a subject of ongoing debate. (55 minutes)
#10071 World Literature - R. K. Narayan: India's Chekhov (Run time 52 min.) DVD $149.95
The stories of R. K. Narayan embody the indescribable charm of learning about a new country by living among the locals. In this interview, Narayan introduces Malgudi, the fictional setting for his novels. Amid images of Mysore-his beloved hometown and model for Malgudi-he shares the details of his life, his approach to writing, and his friendship with Graham Greene. Readings by actor Madhav Sharma underscore the way in which humor is artfully mingled with an underlying sense of sadness in stories such as Swami and Friends, The Bachelor of Arts, and The English Teacher. (52 minutes)
#10073 World Literature - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn: In Love with Mother Russia (Run time 49 min.) DVD $149.95
"I could not have invented my life better than it invented itself.... All I had to do was take possession of it to write about it." So says Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, a Nobel Laureate who has lived the terrible hardships of his landmark novels. In this gripping program, key figures such as Andrei Vassilievsky, the editor of Novy Mir; Nikita Struve, the first publisher of The Gulag Archipelago; and Solzhenitsyn himself, in a rare interview, discuss the events that have both stimulated and shaped a perilous lifetime of writing. Extracts from Archipelago and The Oak and the Calf drive home the harsh realities of life in the U.S.S.R. during the Stalin and Brezhnev regimes. (49 minutes)
#10096 World Literature - Margaret Atwood: The Robber Bride (Run time 53 min.) DVD $149.95
"Where have all the Lady Macbeths gone?" wondered Margaret Atwood. Her answer came in the form of Zienia, the predatory protagonist of The Robber Bride. In this interview, Canada's preeminent novelist, poet, and critic discusses topics such as how she became a writer and how the women's movement, World War II, and her home city of Toronto have influenced her writing. Excerpts from The Robber Bride-her witty recasting of the Grimms' tale "The Robber Bridegroom"-and Cat's Eye, read by actress Nadia Cameron, showcase the incisive and poetic nature of Atwood's prose. (53 minutes)
#10201 World Literature - Saramago: The Novel of His Life (Run time 50 min.) DVD $149.95
Reflecting on learning that he had won the 1998 Nobel Prize for Literature, Jose Saramago said, "I never felt more alone in my entire life as in that moment. A feeling of solitude that was absolute, absolute, absolute..." In this intimate program-filmed on location in Portugal, the Canary Islands, and Spain-Saramago; his wife, journalist Pilar del Rio; and others analyze the life and work of the preeminent Portuguese writer while capturing the hectic period prior to the Nobel award ceremony-days filled with banquets and book signings, tours and tributes, and, not surprisingly, great fatigue balanced by Saramago's characteristic good humor. (50 minutes)
#10202 World Literature - Henrik Ibsen: Sphinx-Who Are You? (Run time 53 min.) DVD $149.95
Henrik Ibsen scrutinized and interpreted human hearts and minds in such a manner as to prompt Sigmund Freud to create a typology based on the dramatist's principal characters. Yet the evidence of Ibsen's life argues that he himself lived with a dual nature that went largely unreconciled. This program seeks to understand the man known as "The Sphinx" by tracing his travels, examining excerpts from his writings, and studying his detailed instructions for the performance of his contemporary dramas. (53 minutes)
#11789 World Literature - Immortal Ibsen (Run time 51 min.) DVD $149.95
Second only to Shakespeare, Henrik Ibsen is the most-performed playwright in the world. This program, as much a tribute to the art of theater as to the immortal Ibsen, reveals a perennial fascination with Norway's master playwright. Excerpts from A Doll's House, Peer Gynt, and other productions captured on film in the United States, Canada, Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Serbia, Iran, China, Argentina, and Venezuela are included, as well as interviews with renowned actor Earl Hyman and other notable interpreters of Ibsen's plays. (51 minutes)
#12002 World Literature - Jacques Lacan (Run time 63 min.) DVD $149.95
Psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, and heir to Sigmund Freud, Jacques Lacan wrote and lectured from 1953 to 1979, initiating a sweeping resurgence of psychoanalysis in France and throughout the world. In this program, Lacan's remarkable career is traced and his importance highlighted by references to the works of philosophers Jacques Derrida and Christian Jambet. Psychoanalysts Jean-Bertrand Pontalis, Juliet Mitchell, and Mario Belo comment on Lacan's exceptional analyses of such topics as the western family, the contradictions of love, and the illusions of the French Revolution. (63 minutes)English
#12003 World Literature - Jacques Lacan (French) (Run time 63 min.) DVD $149.95
Psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, and heir to Sigmund Freud, Jacques Lacan wrote and lectured from 1953 to 1979, initiating a sweeping resurgence of psychoanalysis in France and throughout the world. In this program, Lacan's remarkable career is traced and his importance highlighted by references to the works of philosophers Jacques Derrida and Christian Jambet. Psychoanalysts Jean-Bertrand Pontalis, Juliet Mitchell, and Mario Belo comment on Lacan's exceptional analyses of such topics as the western family, the contradictions of love, and the illusions of the French Revolution. (63 minutes)French
#29349 World Literature - Amos Oz (Run time 53 min.) DVD $149.95
Admiringly called "a kind of Zionist Orwell" by Newsweek, Amos Oz is arguably the best-known Israeli intellectual in the world. This program profiles the controversial Oz through a mix of monologue, interview, and biography, revealing his acute understanding of family life and fanaticism. Economical in his use of language, Oz depicts the people of Israel, the country's political tribulations, and the region's history-steeped landscape with astonishing clarity and insight. (53 minutes)
#29751 World Literature - Miguel de Cervantes (Run time 43 min.) DVD $149.95
Using drawings, paintings, letters, maps, and footage of notable landmarks, this program presents the adventures and tribulations of Miguel de Cervantes, arguably the best-known figure in Spanish literary history. In addition to Don Quixote, one of the most influential and widely read classics in Western literature, the program also introduces Cervantes' Novelas Ejemplares, a group of short stories that he claimed were the first to be written in Castilian. (Spanish with English subtitles, 43 minutes)
#29793 World Literature - Federico Garcia Lorca (Run time 54 min.) DVD $149.95
Initially trained as a classical pianist, Lorca became one of Spain's greatest poets and dramatists. This program weaves archival footage with dozens of photos and manuscripts to examine his work, his influences, and his friendships with other luminaries, including Luis Bunuel, Salvador Dali, and Pablo Neruda. Such poetic works as Llanto por Ignacio Sanchez Mejias, Poema del Cante Jondo, and Romancero Gitano are discussed in the context of their creation, as well as the plays La Zapatera Prodigiosa, Bodas de Sangre, Yerma, and La Casa de Bernarda Alba. The roles of Yerma and Bernarda are closely examined, as well as Lorca's tragic muse Margarita Xirgu, for whom these parts were written. The program concludes with his murder by the Nationalists in his native Granada. (Spanish with English subtitles, 53 minutes)
#29985 World Literature - The Divine Comedy: Visions of Violence and Beauty (Run time 60 min.) DVD $149.95
Two of Italy's greatest artists are eternally linked, one genius having paid homage to another. Two hundred years after Dante Alighieri wrote The Divine Comedy, Sandro Botticelli illustrated the classic with a series of exquisite drawings crafted at the height of his career. In this program, translator Mark Musa, art historians, clergy, and other experts guide viewers through Botticelli's exquisite portrayal of Dante's Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso, images that have had a lasting impact on the collective imagination of Western civilization. This program surveys Dante's epic and the 92 surviving illustrations to provide an unparalleled tour of two masterpieces of literature and art. (60 minutes)
#30017 World Literature - Paulo Coelho: The Alchemist of Words (Run time 48 min.) DVD $149.95
With sales of more than 32 million books in 51 languages, Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho is one of the most widely read authors in the world. This program captures Coelho's story through conversations with the award-winning writer and those who know and admire him. Coelho's use of a symbolic language, designed to transcend the intellect to speak directly to the heart, is discussed along with colorful incidents spanning his life, from his youthful involvement with the hippie movement to his emergence as a world-class author. In addition, The Alchemist, a number one bestseller in 29 countries, and some of his more recent writings are examined. (48 minutes)
#32652 World Literature - Anthology of Contemporary Indian Writing (Run time 93 min.) DVD $149.95
This program spotlights a diverse group of Indian writers invited to participate in the Belles Etrangeres, a French literary festival. Featured authors include award-winning Bengali novelist and social activist Mahasweta Devi; Kannada novelist U. R. Ananthamurthy, former president of the Sahitya Akademi; Hindi stylist Krishna Baldev Vaid; Malayalam writer M. Mukundan; Marathi Dalit writer Narendra Jadhav; Hindi poet Udayan Vajpeyi; Gujarati memoirist and novelist Esther David; English-language novelists Shashi Tharoor, Anita Rau Badami, Upamanyu Chatterjee, and Shauna Singh Baldwin; and the author-illustrator duo Anushka Ravishankar and Pulak Biswas. Not available in French-speaking Canada. (93 minutes)
#32844 World Literature - Haiku: In Basho's Footsteps (Run time 45 min.) DVD $149.95
More than three centuries ago, the seminal haiku poet Matsuo Basho traveled Japan in a spiritual quest for enlightenment. In this down-to-earth program, haiku enthusiasts from around the world including award-winning haiku poet and English teacher Visnja McMaster and haiku translator Judit Vihar, professor of Japanese studies at Eotvos Lorand University, follow in the master's footsteps as they open themselves to the haiku moment at the very places where Basho himself found inspiration. Excerpts from Basho's impressions of his journey, The Narrow Road to the Deep North, are included, as are haiku written by the trip participants. The therapeutic value of haiku-writing for traumatized children and adults is also addressed. (45 minutes)
#35688 World Literature - The Song of Roland (Run time 73 min.) DVD $149.95
Compiled in the 11th century, The Song of Roland is perhaps the world's most famous portrait of early European chivalry, piousness, and militarism. This beautifully produced program offers an abridged English version of the battlefield epic, combining richly textured medieval and Renaissance art images with scholarly summaries and interpretations of the work's major sections. Acknowledging the poem's historical inaccuracies, the video nevertheless underscores its importance for later European listeners: specifically, as a rallying cry mobilizing Christian forces to embark on the Crusades. An Old French recital of the song's first six lines begins the program. (73 minutes)
#35994 World Literature - Dante: Visions of the Inferno (Run time 74 min.) DVD $149.95
Drawing upon the insights of numerous international scholars-and illustrating crucial passages with stunning animation sequences-this program guides viewers through the Inferno of Dante's Divine Comedy. With detailed analysis of the poet's descent into Hell and navigation through its various levels, the program interprets Dante's motives for embarking on such a journey, explains his relationship and interaction with both Virgil and Beatrice, and describes the complex mixture of morality and humanism within the work-embodied in Dante's attitude toward those who inhabit the realms of the dead. (Portions in Italian and French with English subtitles, 74 minutes)
#4047 World Literature - Ibsen: Ghosts (Run time 90 min.) DVD $159.95
Ibsen endures, because the strangling effects of convention are as recognizable today as when he first shocked his bourgeois audiences with plays that revealed how destructive are the impulses beneath the facade of propriety. For years, Mrs. Alving has, for appearance's sake, endured a loveless marriage to a dissolute and drunken man. She even sent her only son away from home so that he would not be corrupted by his father. But despite (or, ironically, perhaps because of) her efforts, the ghosts of the past are resurrected as her son reappears, the obvious heir to his father's sins and excesses. With Dorothy Tutin, Richard Pasco, and Ronald Fraser. (90 minutes)
#38968 World Literature - The Five Follies of Don Quixote (Run time 114 min.) DVD $199.95
With compelling dramatizations filmed at authentic Spanish locations, this program explores the farcical structure of Don Quixote as well as the parallels between Cervantes' magnum opus and his own unusual life. Studying the richness of meaning and moral commentary associated with the would-be knight-errant, the program highlights the universality of Cervantes' narrative-while evoking contrasts with our own age and its vastly different take on idealism, honesty, and individuality. Organized thematically, the film guides viewers through five distinct "follies"-Friendship, Reason, Liberty, Love, and Adventure-closely tied to the character of Don Quixote and, interestingly, his creator. Not available in French-speaking Canada. (Portions in Spanish with English subtitles, 113 minutes)
#7318 World Literature - Samuel Beckett: As the Story Was Told (Run time 106 min.) DVD $259.95
The life of Irish novelist, poet, and playwright Samuel Beckett is profiled in this two-part documentary: from his Dublin childhood, to his days in Paris, associating with Picasso and Chagall, to old age. Excerpts from a performance of the semiautobiographical Krapp's Last Tape and previously unpublished letters tell the story, along with the remembrances of Beckett's lifelong friend and publisher, Jerome Lindon, relatives, and others who knew him. This is a rare glimpse into the reclusive world of this literary giant, whose most famous work, Waiting for Godot, evokes with unnerving precision the cosmic despair and isolation of modern humankind. A BBC Production. (1 hour 46 minutes)
#32484 World Literature - German Masters: The Uber Series (Run time min.) DVD $909.65
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Heinrich Heine, and Hermann Hesse-three of Germany's greatest writers. This classic series offers an in-depth look at their lives and literary legacy. Filmed entirely on location, the programs combine letters, memoirs, rare manuscripts, paintings, and photographs with readings and excerpts from each author's best-known works. A Deutsche Welle Production. 7-part series, 27-30 minutes each.
#35412 World Literature - Fire & Ink: The Legacy of Latin American Literature (Run time min.) DVD $1689.35
Myth, magical realism, hard-edged realism, fantasy-the literature of Latin America encompasses all these forms, and more. This 13-part series guides viewers chronologically and thematically through the region's varied genres and narrative styles, linking them to centuries of warfare, colonization, and national struggles for independence and identity. Excerpts from influential works are plentiful, while detailed commentary is provided by an impressive array of scholars-including Eduardo Galeano, celebrated Uruguayan journalist; Sergio Pitol, Mexican writer and Cervantes Prize recipient; Doris Summer, professor of Romance Languages and Literature at Harvard University; and Jose Rabasa, professor of Spanish and Portuguese at the University of California, Berkeley. An FFH&S/Tranquilo Production. 13-part series, 50 minutes each.
