Do Not Say We Have Nothing

By Madeleine Thien was today’s subject in Global Literature. It sounds like a fantastic read. At some point, I really need to start reading the books for the class as I’m getting further and further behind.
I’ve been working intently on a report on proxy voting, which means at night my eyes are too tired to read. It will be over soon and maybe I can develop a reading habit then.
In the meantime, I thoroughly enjoy the lectures in the class. The lead instructor, Tess Maguinness, has a wonderful way of relating foreign literature to Irish culture. For instance, today’s book is about three generations of a Chinese family surviving the various revolutions, purges, counter purges that mark Chinese history. The family members contribute to a book which is written in code and captures their family history, as its members are dispersed to labour camps or prisons or the Chinese diaspora.
Calligraphy is central to the plot. Tess went on a wonderful tangent about how important handwriting was to her mother and how she received cards at Christmas time: “Would you look at the cut of that?” says Tess in a lovely Irish brogue. “It looks like a hen ran across the page."
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