#sophie seita

[garadinervi]

The Minutes of the Hildegard von Bingen Society for Gardening Companions, Vol. 1, Spring 2022

Editor: Sophie Seita

Designer: Yael Ort-Dinoor

Contributors: Lucía Hinojosa Gaxiola & Lee Ann Brown, Jenny Chamarette, Taey Iohe, J.R. Carpenter, Taraneh Mosadegh, Tuna Erdem & Seda Ergul (Istanbul Queer Art Collective) with Sophie Seita, Ghazal Mosadeq, Youngsook Choi, Erin Robinsong, Sophie Seita & Naomi Woo, Yael Ort-Dinoor

Print: Newspaper Club, Glasgow

[idkaguyorsomething]

Best companion does not necessarily mean they have to get along with the Doctor the most, challenging each other in interesting ways could also count.

Explain in the tags who you voted for, with which incarnation, and why!

[drawdownbooks]

Amalgam 4 — Collapse

Amalgam #4 points toward the inextricably intertwined relationships between typography, language, and power. In doing so, it assembles a series of essays, anecdotal notes, conversations, and artworks that engage with, hint at, or revolve around the theme of collapse.

From collapse of language syntax, to collapse of semantics, barriers between languages, and language itself, this collection reverberates the material and immaterial conditions, formations, reproduction, and dissemination of power through language and typography. A series of revolutionary headdresses; the auditory and polemic bonds between the letters X, ח, and خ; the interiorities of illegibility; the downfall of the ancient Silk Road patterns; the West Asian Goddesses; an asemic grief; a deliberately missing language; a hearty stutter; and an Aleph that wore a hat to school.

Contributors in this issue include Adrien Flores, JJJJJerome Ellis, Klara du Plessis, Sophie Seita, Luis Camnitzer, Slavs and Tatars, Mimi Ọnụọha, Minh Nguyen, Maia Ruth Lee, Mashinka Firunts Hakopian, Helina Metaferia, Paul Soulellis, Carlos Motta, Lucy I. Zimmerman, Kameelah Janan Rasheed, Paul Benzon, Morehshin Allahyari, Anahita Razmi, J. Dakota Brown, Shabahang Tayyari, Mahan Moalemi, Dennis Grauel, Sasha Wilmoth, Thy Hà, and Alec Mapes-Frances

Designed and edited by Pouya Ahmadi

Published by Amalgam, 2023

Softcover, 200 pages, b&w, 6.5 × 9 inches

Available from Draw Down (online): https://draw-down.com/products/amalgam-4-collapse and from Pouya at this weekend's Boston Art Book Fair!

[kitchen-light]

From the very beginning, I knew that language was not to be found at home. Language was never in when I called. She wrote me joyously clumsy dispatches. One such note said Kochanie, the Polish word for darling. Then Gift, the German word for poison. Then the English word irritated, which doesn’t mean German irri­tiert (confused)—oh, false friends. These dispatches carried stamps in which I was multiply mirrored and hidden, a kind of redoubling that had to do with the invisible movement from Ost to Post-. Or with the fact that my inherited language was also the language of the Stasi, the East German secret police. Or with the fact that it was the language that my grandmother taught to Polish children as a young teacher in Silesia.

Uljana Wolf, from her essay “Hidden Words | Searching for meaning in a rubber stamp”, translated by Sophie Seita, published in The Yale Review, September 1, 2022

[unsaidcontemplations]

UNVEILING STUDIO GHIBLI

A Tale of Discovery and Delight

Until recently, Studio Ghibli was a complete mystery to me. I had no idea about their films or enchanting universe they created. It was only through a dear friend’s recommendation that I stumbled upon this magical world. They’ve a bunch of films 23, to be exact. Intrigued by the prospect of exploring new realms of storytelling, I began watching their films one by one. Each movie took me to a different world with cool characters and great stories, they made me feel all sorts of emotions. Now, I’m excited to share my top 5 favourite movies out of 10 I’ve watched so far. There’s “Grave of the Fireflies,” a touching story. Then there’s “Howl’s Moving Castle,” a fun journey. “When Marnie Was There” is mysterious and touching. “Ponyo” is a cute underwater adventure. And of course, there’s “Spirited Away,” is a story of mysterious world of spirits.

1. Grave of the Fireflies:

“Grave of the Fireflies” from Studio Ghibli portrays the direct and indirect effect of war and teaches us the importance of life and food. It is a moving story that takes place in Japan during World War II, which shows us the problems and difficult journey of two siblings, Seita (Elder Brother) and Setsuko (Younger Sister), as they endure the challenges of war and hunger. It is about a family of four mother, father, brother and a younger sister. Their father goes to the war, after some days the village gets struck by an air raid in which their mother gets caught in an airstrike, she battles for her life as the airstrikes continued, but with limited access to medical support and facilities she dies. This shows us the direct effects of war. On the other hand, without a home the siblings try to find a way to survive amidst the turmoil and devastation of the war. They go to their relative’s home, but their relatives are not kind, they take the belongings of their mother sell them for some rice and keeps all of it for herself and treats them so lowly. Seita eventually realises and leaves that place along with her sister. Despite hunger and hopelessness, the elder brother Seita does everything he can to care and fill his sister Setsuko’s stomach. But their situation becomes increasingly desperate and worse. The sister gets sicks because of poisoned lake water and dies one day. The brother who was hoping for his father’s return gets to know that his father is no more loses all his hopes and eventually dies because of hunger and shelter. This shows us the indirect effects of war. This war takes the lives of 4 peoples in 4 different ways. The movie shows us the tragic consequences and impact of war on the normal innocent people, emphasizing the strength of the human spirit in the midst of suffering and hunger. I highly recommend this movie as it teaches us to be grateful for each and every small thing in our life.

2. Howl’s Moving Castle:

“Howl’s Moving Castle” from Studio Ghibli quickly became my all-time favourite. It was absolutely stunning and captivating, like a true masterpiece. It has its own charm and beauty with a stylish wizard (Howl), a witty fire demon (Calcifer), a young apprentice of Howl (Markl) and a girl under a curse to age rapidly (Sophie), all residing in a magical moving castle which can transport them to other kingdoms and world. Howl, the main character, is truly fascinating as he navigates between preventing a war and battling his own inner demons. He has the ability to transform into different animals. The storyline was so unique and enchanting, bleeding magic, fantasy, and a bit of romance seamlessly. I highly recommend this film to anyone who hasn’t experienced the magic of Studio Ghibli before.

3. When Marnie was there:

“When Marnie was there” tells the story of a 12-year-old young girl Anna, who is shy and insecure about her looks. She considers herself as an outcast among her associates. Soon she learns about her foster parents and gets to know that they are getting paid to take care of her. She feels even more insecure about this by questioning herself that they truly loved her or not. After that she’s sent to live with relatives in the countryside to improve her health, Anna discovers an abandoned mansion near the swamp. There, she meets Marnie, a mysterious girl who becomes her first true friend. As their bond deepens, Anna uncovers secrets about Marnie’s past and her own family history, leading to a journey of self-discovery and healing. This touching film teaches important lessons about friendship, acceptance, and the power of love. Through Anna’s experiences, we get reminded of how connections with others can transform us and how unexpected relationships can heal us. This movie encourages us to reflect on our own lives and relationships, encouraging us to accept and offer support to those in need. With its stunning animation, heartfelt storyline, and wonderful messages, “When Marnie Was There” resonates with audiences of all ages, reminding us to value the connections we make and to remain open to finding friendship and healing. I recommend this film to everyone as watching this film is more than just entertainment.

4. Ponyo:

“Ponyo” is a tale of cute underwater adventure, friendship and the power of love. The story follows Sosuke, young boy who lives on an oceanside cliff discovers a Goldfish and names it Ponyo and traps it inside a jar. Later Ponyo magically transforms into a human girl and becomes friends with Sosuke, as this happens the balance of the Ocean gets disrupted and disaster occurs. They both set out on a wonderful journey to restore the balance of the Ocean. This film teaches us about empathy, kindness, and taking care of our environment nature. With its eye-catching animation, wonderful characters and beautiful storyline “Ponyo” is a movie that will touch the hearts of both small children and adults as well. It reminds us to embrace the magic of childhood, appreciate the beauty of they nature and cherish the bonds of friendship. I would happily recommend this movie to others especially for children and those who loves tale, as this is more than just a movie- it’s a delightful adventure that will leave you with a smile on your faces and warmth in your heart.

5. Spirited Away:

“Spirited Away” is a captivating story about bravery, courage and power of kindness. This story follows Chichiro, a young girl and her parents who recently shift to new city and get lost in the way which ends them up in a mysterious world of spirits. Chichiro’s parents gets turned into pigs and she end up alone in that world of spirits. There she meets a boy Haku who is also a human like her, he saves her from the other spirits their and tells her a way to restore her parents back as humans. He tells her the world of spirits is rules by an evil witch Yubaba, if she can join their as one of the workers and wins the trust of Yubaba she can transform her parents back as humans. But he says that it is highly risky because Yubaba is so evil she can turn Chichiro into a spirit if she’s of no use to her. As Chichiro navigates through this mysterious realm and works at a bath house of spirits, she discovers her inner strength and learns valuable lessons about friendship and empathy. It reminds us of the importance of staying true to ourselves, even when faced with challenges. It’s an unforgettable journey that will capture your imagination and touch your heart. With its twist plot and wonderful theme, it is an absolute must-watch.

To sum it up, my encounter with Studio Ghibli has been a transformative journey filled with wonder and delight. From Just knowing nothing about their films to now being captivated by their wonderful stories, I am happy that my friend recommendation opened the door to this magical world. I have eagerly shared my experience with Studio Ghibli, hoping that it helps others discover this beautiful journey as well.

[Image Source: Pinterest]

[riviuphim]

Phim hoạt hình Nhật Bản hay nhất

Những bộ phim hoạt hình Nhật Bản luôn là những bộ phim gắn liền với tuổi thơ trẻ em và nhận được thu hút từ người lớn vì nhiều bộ phim có thông điệp vô cùng ý nghĩa. Phim hoạt hình được ưu thích vì có hình ảnh tươi mới, đáng yêu. Hôm nay Riviu Phim sẽ tổng hợp Top 45 bộ phim hoạt hình Nhật Bản hay nhất hiện nay. Hãy cùng chúng tôi tìm hiểu nhé

#phimhoathinhnhatban #hoathinhnhatban #phimhoathinhnhat

Phim hoạt hình Nhật Bản: Ngôi mộ đom đóm

Grave Of The Fireflies là bộ anime nổi tiếng được dựa theo cuốn tiểu thuyết cùng tên của tác giả Nosaka Akiyuki. Bộ phim hoạt hình Nhật Bản này được đặt trong bối cảnh ở giai đoạn cuối của Chiến tranh thế giới 2 tại Nhật Bản.

Câu chuyện kể lại về tình anh em của hai đứa trẻ mồ côi Seita và em gái Setsuko đây thương xót và cảm động. Hai anh em đã mất mẹ sau cuộc thả bom dữ dội của không quân Mỹ vào thành phố nơi gia đình họ đang sinh sống Kobe trong khi cha của hai đứa trẻ này đang chiến đấu cho Hải quân hoàng gia Nhật. Seita và Setsuko phải ở nhờ nhà họ hàng và cuộc sống vật lộn để tồn tại giữa nạn đói và sự thờ ơ đến nhẫn tâm của những người xung quanh.

Grave Of The Fireflies không chỉ phản ánh về lòng tự trọng mà trên hết là về tinh thần phản chiến của những người dân Nhật Bản qua số phận hai đứa trẻ.

Hoạt hình Nhật Bản: Howl’s Moving Castle

Mặc dù không phải là tác phẩm xuất sắc nhất của Miyazaki nhưng ‘Howl’s moving castle’ vẫn xứng đáng lọt vào danh sách. Bản thân hình tượng tòa lâu đài biết bay thực sự là một niềm tự hào của ông.

Đó là hình ảnh tượng trưng cho sự kết hợp giữa thiên nhiên và thế giới công nghệ hiện đại, và đây cũng là nơi nhân vật chính Sophie tìm ra cách hóa giải cho lời nguyền đã khiến cô trở thành một bà lão.

Bộ phim hoạt hình Nhật Bản này muốn gửi tới thông điệp về lòng thủy chung và sự đoàn kết đồng lòng sẽ chiến thắng được mọi thế lực xấu xa dù mạnh mẽ đến nhường nào.

 Phim hoạt hình Nhật: Spirited Away

Spirited Away là một trong những Anime Nhật Bản rất hay của hãng phim hoạt hình Ghibli. Bộ phim này được đạo diễn và biên kịch bởi Miyazaki Hayao.

Nhờ sức hấp dẫn của mình thì cho đến tận ngày nay bộ phim được lọt vào trong top 50 những bộ phim hay nhất thế giới đáng xem ở tuổi 14. Hơn nữa, bộ phim còn được BFI bình chọn là một trong những bộ phim hoạt hình đem lại doanh thu cao nhất tại Mỹ.

Nội dung bộ phim hoạt hình Nhật Bản này kể về việc cô gái Chihiro đi chơi cùng cha mẹ và bị lạc vào thế giới của những linh hồn. Ở đây, ba mẹ của cô đã bị phải một lời nguyền và trở thành heo.

Vì thế, cô gái đã phải ở lại làm việc đồng thời tìm cách giải cứu ba mẹ của mình. Trong hành trình tìm cách giải cứu cha mẹ thì cô đã gặp được nhiều người bạn và nhiều chuyện kỳ lạ khác nhau. Trong đó, mỗi câu chuyện nhỏ thì lại dạy cho mọi người một câu chuyện riêng.

[starstruckrps]

Lakedale

2017-presente.

Streaming: Prime.

Status: renovada para uma sexta temporada.

A pequena e tranquila cidade de Lakedale fica de cabeça para baixo quando é atingida pela misteriosa morte de Jake Blossom, um garoto popular do ensino médio e membro da família mais poderosa da cidade. Um grupo de estudantes do Ensino Médio se reúne para desvendar o mistério da morte de Jake, mas acabam descobrindo ainda mais segredos que estão enterrados profundamente na superfície da cidade, pois Lakedale não é tão inocente como parece.

CURIOSIDADES:

Lakedale é a série mais zoada da internet — mas não sem motivos. Bom, por onde começar? Talvez pelo fato de nenhum ator ter menos de vinte e sete anos atualmente, e mesmo assim, continuarem interpretando adolescentes do Ensino Médio.

O roteiro da série não faz sentido para quem vê de fora e nem para quem a acompanha desde o início! Desde a segunda temporada, os moradores de Lakedale vêm lidando com os acontecimentos mais absurdos que você pode imaginar. Lakedale, que deveria ser uma série de mistério, consegue misturar todos os gêneros e tropes da ficção possíveis. Há episódios musicais, viagens no tempo, magia, guerras, seitas religiosas e até invasões alienígenas!

No último episódio da quinta temporada, o personagem principal, Artie, apareceu montado num dinossauro.

Apesar dos absurdos, parece que ninguém do elenco realmente leva a sério o enredo da série e, portanto, se divertem gravando as cenas sem sentido — eles estão sempre postando no Instagram e no TikTok vídeos uns dos outros em clima de descontração.

ELENCO: MUSE como Cherry Blossom, SOPHIE ATTAWAY como Vera Lodge, MUSE como Artie Andrews, MUSE como Bethany Cooper, MUSE como Mughead Jones, MUSE como Jake Blossom, MUSE como Tori Topaz, MUSE como Ken Keller, MUSE como Gregg Mantle…

EQUIPE: MUSE como diretor, MUSE como produtor, MUSE como roteirista, MUSE como cenógrafo, UPT (players podem aplicar para a posição desejada dentro da equipe mesmo que não esteja citada aqui).

OOC:

Todos os atores deverão ter +27.

[smallpressdistribution]

Border Lyrics

"...within the playground of the multilingual lyric, which crosses borders with the flick of a code-switch, the hierarchies around gender and nation-states enforced by a monolithic approach to language may be temporarily dismantled." 

Subsisters and Paraguayan Sea, two recent SPD titles in translation, reviewed by Henk Rossouw at Boston Review! 

[loissays]

BLOG POST #2: Ghibli-fied

The Kingdom of Studio Ghibli

Studio Ghibli is one of the renowned and acclaimed film studios that was founded in 1985. It is known for the high quality of its filmmaking and artistry. For my blog’s second entry, I will be talking about some of Studio Ghibli’s films that captivated my heart.

Growing up, I used to watch animated films that are usually from Disney or Studio Ghibli. But hey! I am today years old when I found out that Studio Ghibli and Disney have a partnership. Anyway, as stated earlier, I will be talking about three motion pictures from Studio Ghibli that I treat as my comfort films. These are:

1. Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)

“Sophie has an uneventful life at her late father's hat shop, but all that changes when she befriends wizard Howl, who lives in a magical flying castle. However, the evil Witch of Waste takes issue with their budding relationship and casts a spell on young Sophie, which ages her prematurely. Now Howl must use all his magical talents to battle the jealous hag and return Sophie to her former youth and beauty.” (IMDB)

This movie captured my heart in many ways. Every time I rewatch this movie, Howl Jenkins Pendragon makes me fall in love with him again and again. Howl and Sophie made me think of destiny, youth, courage, and of course—love.

2. Spirited Away (2001)

“10-year-old Chihiro and her parents stumble upon a seemingly abandoned amusement park. After her mother and father are turned into giant pigs, Chihiro meets the mysterious Haku, who explains that the park is a resort for supernatural beings who need a break from their time spent in the earthly realm and that she must work there to free herself and her parents.” (IMDB)

This film is beautiful, yet sad. Chihiro and Haku had so much potential together, yet they just can be together. The story encompasses the importance of family, sacrifices, and courage. It taught its audience about accepting their responsibilities and taking over their direction in life as they grow up. Indeed, it is a very nice film that you can watch together with your family and loved ones.

3. Grave of the Fireflies (1988)

“A devastating meditation on the human cost of war, this animated tale follows Seita, a teenager charged with the care of his younger sister, Setsuko, after an American firebombing during World War II separates the two children from their parents. Their tale of survival is as heartbreaking as it is true to life. The siblings rely completely on each other and struggle against all odds to stay together and stay alive.” (IMDB)

Heart-wrenching, yet heartwarming. Words are not enough to express how I love and adore this film. After I first watched it, I spent bawling my eyes out for days. Even so, it did not stop me to love it. This movie holds a very dear place in my heart and my whole well-being. It touched me to my core, I swear. It taught its audience the value of life; it made me appreciate the small moments in life I spend with my loved ones. It reminded me that even if life throws us in the most hopeless moments, we are still capable of experiencing joy and wonders.

These movies play a huge role in my childhood, and I bet they do for you too. Even so, if you haven’t watched these films yet, I highly recommend you to watch them even for once (if maybe only once). Howl’s Moving Castle, Spirited Away, and Grave of the Fireflies have different storylines, but these three films have the same ability: to enthrall and mesmerize their audience in very much different ways.

[gausspdf]

GPDF235 : Sophie Seita : Les Bijoux Indiscrets, or, Paper Tigers

Sophie Seita

Les Bijoux Indiscrets, or, Paper Tigers

2017

PDF

[garadinervi]

Uljana Wolf, Subsisters: Selected Poems, Translated by Sophie Seita, Belladonna*, Brooklyn, New York, 2017. Design: Other Forms

[jojiship]

Studio Ghibli Films: Thoughts & Rankings

I have been binging Studio Ghibli (and other anime films) since May. I saw a lot of people in Youtube rank them and I decided to do it as well. While I don’t have a camera to record myself, I decided to post my ranking of its films. First of all, I want to say that this is quite a subjective ranking and it’s personal. These are my opinions and of course, everyone can have opinions of their own. Second of all, I think all of these films have their good sides, but there are ones that I enjoyed and there are ones I didn’t enjoy. Either way, I recommend people to watch all of these films. You won’t regret watching most of them.

This post ranks the films from the 5th to 1st. Obviously, there will be spoilers ahead, so you’ve been warned.

5. Princess Mononoke (1997) – I would watch the animation of the nature in this film for hours in loop. It’s so wonderful, beautiful and breathtaking. Whether it’s animating the lake, the forest or even just the trees, I was in awe of it. It truly makes you appreciate it and again, Studio Ghibli shows you how much they love nature themselves. Now, let’s talk about the film. The film was amazing. The best word for it is amazing. The plot was so different and yet so captivating. There wasn’t a moment in this film where I was bored and where I felt it dragged along. Seeing this battle between humans and nature was what I had to see. When I was a kid, I didn’t appreciate this film as much, but now, it’s definitely one of my favourite films and in my top five of Studio Ghibli films. All the characters were incredibly well written, especially Ashitaka, San and Lady Eboshi. I love how there was no villain in this film. Yes, Lady Eboshi and her people were ruining the forest, but they were also trying to live their lives and grow as a community. I loved how everyone played a part in the village, the men, the woman and even the disables, had roles. You don’t see this in many films and I like that Princess Mononoke showed us that. The boars and the wolves were interesting to see as well. The bond that San had with her family and how she hated humans because of how she was raised. The ending was great. I liked that Ashitaka decided to stay and help with Irontown rather than go with San like some people expected him to. The only thing that truly bothered me was the face of the Forest Spirit. It haunted me for days which prove how much it creeped me out. If someone told me that the face of the Forest Spirit was their sleep paralysis demon, I would believe them in the spot.

4. My Neighbor Totoro (1988) - The first Studio Ghibli film that I’ve seen is My Neighbor Totoro. It’s the kind of film that reminds me of my childhood and it’s the one that gives me a nostalgic feeling. I love it so much that it’s definitely the film of Studio Ghibli that I’ve seen the most. It has this charm that should be more prevalent in other animated films, especially films for kids. Every scene is truly like magic. Whether it’s the umbrella scene at the bus stop, or the scene where the tree grows, or even the scene with the cat bus and the girls. Satsuki and Mei are enjoyable, vibrant and interesting characters. The bond between them reminds me a lot of my bond with my older sister. You can definitely say that I was a lot like Mei as a little kid (Yes, I did get lost one time and made my whole family, especially my sister lose their mind). Again, this film embraces the beauty of being a child. It shows the curiosity, the innocence, the energy and the imagination that most kids possess at that age. Totoro is such an interesting character design and it’s no surprise that it’s the logo of Studio Ghibli. My Neighbor Totoro speaks to my inner child and reminds me of the good old days. It’s a film that I’ll recommend to everyone, but especially young kids. Also, it’s the Studio Ghibli film that makes me smile through the whole of it. If I’m feeling sad or if I’m not in a good mood, I watch My Neighbor Totoro and it never fails to make me feel better.

3. Spirited Away (2001) – Objectively, I think Spirited Away is the best film that Studio Ghibli has ever produced. Personally, it’s the third, but that doesn’t mean it’s worse than the second and first. It’s a matter of preference that I have. Again, I watched this film as a kid and I did enjoy it a lot. I always called it one of the best animated films. I rewatched it in May after years of not watching it and I loved it just as much as I did when I was a kid if not more. Miyazaki created an unforgettable film with an astounding plot, amazing characters and an exciting world building. Chihiro is your typical kid. She can be whiny and scared just as every kid is her age. The growth that she goes through the film was amazing. Watching her work hard and her progress was such a good watch. You could see her struggle with cleaning at first, but soon enough, she got the hang of it. Also, as much as I love the film, I couldn’t help but think that her parents were a bit dumb. Like my parents wouldn’t have done any of the things her parents did. My dad wouldn’t have sped like that in such a dangerous road and they definitely would have turned around after coming close to the temple. Either way, I’m glad that they screwed up though because it gave me this film. The other characters like Haku, Yubaba, Zeniba, Lin and many others were brilliant. Out of all this, I enjoyed Haku the most. The way he helped Chihiro was so nice and their whole bond was fascinating to see on screen. The guests in the bathhouse were designed so well and were just so good. I don’t have any words to describe the scenes with No Face or the spirit of the polluted river because they are out of this world. No wonder this film won an Oscar for best animated film. The details, the story, the animation, the characters, the soundtrack and the world building all deserve an Oscar of their own. 

2. Grave of the Fireflies (1988) - I don’t think I’ve ever cried with any film, book or series as much as I cried with this. Even when it ended and I had turned my TV off, I was crying. It’s one of the saddest films I’ve ever watched and truly, the saddest film Studio Ghibli has ever made. It touched my heart immediately when it started and it ended up ripping it at the end. I knew that it wasn’t going to have a happy ending, the beginning tells you that it’s going to end quite sadly. Yet I was taken back by the scenes, especially the last scenes. The story of Seita and Setsuko is a story that many kids have experienced in war. In most war films, we are shown battles, we are shown armies, soldiers etc., but not in this film. In this film, we saw the personal history of siblings trying to survive war and bombings. Seeing Setsuko hallucinating was heartbreaking and it was in that moment when I started to cry. When Seita said that she never woke up after that, I couldn’t control myself. Funeral scenes have been hard for me to watch lately, but not a single funeral scene has broken my heart like the one in this film. The scene where Home Sweet Home played in the background left me speechless and I still don’t know how to explain how I feel with that scene. Grave of the Fireflies is a film that is all too real and it made my whole body hurt at the end. Although it's ranked second in my list, it’s the one who I’ll probably rewatch the least out of all Studio Ghibli. Takahata is truly an incredible director and this film proves that better than any other film of his.

1. Whisper of the Heart (1995) – Talented. Inspiring. Brilliant. Relatable. Amazing. Show-stopping. Spectacular. Never the same. Totally unique. Whisper of the Heart is undoubtedly the best Studio Ghibli film I’ve watched. I enjoyed everything about it to the last details. I didn’t even stop the film to get water even though I was thirsty as hell. That’s how much I loved the film. I never related to characters as much as I related to Shizuku and Seiji. I write and I used to play the violin when I was younger. While I stopped, I still enjoy every story that has something to do with violins. Shizuku was such a normal character that spoke so much to me and to everyone I recommended this film to. Many of us have been in her position where we didn’t know what we’re going to do in the future. While Shizuku had many interests, you could see that she was stuck. I liked that she was inspired by Seiji to see if she could be good at something and she learned that she did have some sort of talent for writing. But just like Seiji’s grandfather, Shiro said about polishing her talent. I think many people, especially people who paint, draw, sing, compose, write and build, should listen to his words. They shouldn’t expect perfection at their first try and that they should give it time and hard work for their skills to become amazing. When I first started to write, I needed to hear Shiro’s words. This film is such a beautiful coming of age story that I think everyone should see no matter the age. Now, let’s go to the romance of the film. Hands down, Shizuku and Seiji are the best romance in Studio Ghibli films. While I love Howl and Sophie and Jiro and Naoko, it’s Shizuku and Seiji that won my heart. They had such a good romantic journey. Their scenes were just astoundingly beautiful, especially the one in the end. When I saw him by the tree, I started to giggle and I always screamed. It was just incredible to watch. Every interaction they had made me love them more. I repeat, the best Studio Ghibli couple. When I finished the film, I wanted to find a guy like Seiji. Too bad we were in lockdown and I was unable to find him. The use of Country Roads was amazing. I always loved the song and now, it’s one of my favourite. What upsets me about this film is the death of its director. If Kondo hadn’t tragically passed away in 1998, I think he would have given us other amazing films like Whisper of the Heart. I can say that this movie whispered in my heart and I’ll never forget it.

[kitchen-light]

When I came across Dictee in New York a few years ago, it was like receiving a dispatch, a linguistic memo I didn’t understand. It stayed with me, this dispatch, because (I now realize) as a German poet writing mostly in the language I was raised in, I was and am always in search of paths that lead me away: away from the sorts of understanding that I’ve inherited; away from my ways of think­ing as an East-, perhaps post-East-, perhaps multi-German writer; away from the categories of estrangement and non-estrangement in my life, which has long swung like a pendulum between New York and Berlin. For me, being a multilingual writer means that words are always inscribed with ghost-words. Cha’s work was par­ticularly relevant to my experience of multilayered cultural and lin­guistic self-estrangement.

Uljana Wolf, from her essay “Hidden Words | Searching for meaning in a rubber stamp”, translated by Sophie Seita, published in The Yale Review,  September 1, 2022

[uglyducklingpresse]

On May 9, 2018 we were happy to take part in the “I see, said the blind man” event at Anita Rogers Gallery — an evening of readings and discussion with John Yau, Sophie Seita, Diana Hamilton, James Hoff, Christopher Stackhouse, Matvei Yankelevich, and Barry Schwabsky.

This event celebrated UDP’s facsimile edition The Blind Man and was held in tandem with the exhibition, The Divine Joke, curated by Barry Schwabsky, inspired by a Mina Loy piece originally published in The Blind Man (issue #1) in 1917: “The Artist is jolly and quite irresponsible. Art is The Divine Joke, and any Public, and any Artist can see a nice, easy, simple joke, such as the sun; but only artists and serious critics can look at a grayish stickiness on smooth canvas.”

[martinbakero]

This Thursday 17th june @zoeskoulding & Daniel Eltringham are delighted to host Language is a Virus in virtual Bangor/Sheffield to present the Chilean Variant of the language virus, showing and discussing recent and specially recorded performances along with Martín Gubbins, Pia Sommer and Anamaría Briede. Register here for free: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/language-is-a-virus-the-chilean-variant-tickets-151796221585 Meanwhile you can catch up on the past year here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=UUasW7il45Phtbc7HaPeq0cg with Felipe & Martín's curation of wonderful performances from Heike Fiedler, Dirk Huelstrunk, Montenegro Fisher, Rhys Trimble, Ghazal Mosadeq, Carlos Soto Román, Federico Eisner, Edwin Torres, Rocío Ceró, Jörg Piringer, Scott Thurston, Camilla Nelson, Maja Jantar, Eduard Escoffet, Chris Paul, Alejandra Del Río Lohan, Zuzana Husarova, Sophie Seita, Hannah Silva, Urayoán Noel, Stephen Mooney, Jèssica Pujol, Aodhán McCardle, Cia Rinne and many more, still ringing in my ears! AND if you're in Bangor you can also see Thursday's performances at full volume in real life (but without discussion) as part of the opening of METAMORFFOSIS at Bangor University on Monday June 21st https://metamorffosis.jimdosite.com/programme/ booking essential. (à Bangor, Gwynedd) https://www.instagram.com/p/CQI9IlIoK5Q/?utm_medium=tumblr

[suspected-spinozist]

Clara, is there a poem or poetic prose passage translated into English that you really admire? Something that is probably very subtle or hard to translate, but the translator did a brilliant job nonetheless?

Three things: 

1.I love the whole institution of Elizabethan/Jacobean translation, but largely because it’s so willing to adapt the original into the English idiom. This leads to some beautiful poetry that often doesn’t have all that much in common with the original.  The exception is the old testament of the King James Bible. It’s not particularly philologically accurate - very few Christians knew Hebrew in 1611, and most of them were living in Germany - but there’s something about the weight and the movement of the language that it captures, and that almost all modern translations lack. The poetic books are generally weaker than the prose books, but Song of Songs, which is particularly beautiful. (All that said, I do adore Philip Sidney’s metrical psalms). 

2. Like everyone else, I enjoyed C.K. Scott Moncrieff’s Remembrance of Things Past. But when I was reading about him afterwards, the thing that really struck me was a prose translation a few lines of Ovid’s Metamorphoses he wrote for an exam, age 13: 

Everything is changed but nothing perishes. The spirit wanders, going hence, thither, coming thence, hither and takes possession of any limbs it pleases. With equal ease it goes from beasts into human bodies and from us into beasts, nor in any length of time does it fail. And as wax is easily moulded in new shapes, nor remains as it had been before, nor keeps the same form, but yet is itself the same; so do I teach that the soul is ever the same, but migrates into different shapes.

This was years ago, but it’s stuck with me. 

3. And something I can actually comment on with some authority: I recently attended a reading by the contemporary German poet Uljana Wolf. She does really really interesting work between English and German, with sound, semantics, false friends - very tricky, playful, complicated stuff. Anyway, her English translator, Sophie Seita, is just brilliant. She manages to capture that play of sounds and invert it. Wolf often incorporates English text into her German poems, and Seita somehow manages to reverse those multilingual puns. She’s wonderful. 

As a bonus, I’ve got an edition of Isaac Babel’s Odessa Tales that I just love, but the book’s in Los Angeles and I can’t for the life of me remember the translator’s name.