Martin Puchner

O mundo da escrita nos conduz a uma viagem maravilhosa pelo tempo e pelo globo, por meio de dezesseis textos fundamentais, selecionados dentre 4 mil anos de literatura mundial. É assim que conhecemos a sra. Murasaki, autora do primeiro grande romance da história universal; as aventuras de Miguel de Cervantes ao enfrentar piratas ― tanto os que atuam no mar como os literários ―; e os artesãos da linguagem do épico oral Sundiata na África Ocidental. Também aprendemos como Goethe descobriu a literatura mundial na Sicília, passamos mil e uma noites com Sherazade, acompanhamos a difusão do Manifesto Comunista e a batalha dos livros na América espanhola.… (més)

Harvard professor and native German Martin Puchner discusses Rotwelsch, a centuries-old Central European sociolect, or “secret language” spoken by people outside the boundaries of polite society such as beggars, vagrants, and criminals. Based on German, but infused with quasi-Yiddish and Hebrew vocabulary, this language was also associated with Jews, although they were by no means the only speakers.

Puchner’s family of academics and archivists had its own connections to Rotwelsch. His grandfather was a Nazi Party member who advocated stamping out the language and its speakers as a means of purifying Germany. His father and uncle shared a fascination with Rotwelsch as well, but their efforts were geared toward its preservation, rather than its destruction.

As he researches stories related to his family and Rotwelsch, Puchner uncovers long-buried secrets. This book is as much a family story as a story about a language. I liked the parts about the language more than the parts about the family members, none of whom really come alive as characters. Still, I recommend this book to those interested in sociolinguistics.… (més)

Whether you are looking at your screen, a paper or an advert in the underground almost all we see around us has words in some form or other. Even the TV news has a ticker tape of other headlines now running underneath the presenter. This technology of the written word has shaped cultures through the ages as much as cultures have shaped language and the written world.

Beginning with Alexander and his pillow book, Puchner takes us from the first marks pressed into clay, the invention of vellum, paper and inks that were first made into codex's or books as we now call them. Most importantly though was the stories, messages and words that were written on them. These words and works of literature from the epic classics to the political tracts and the religious texts, they have shaped the way people think, cause revolutions and inspired people to fight for the causes they believe in.

A lie can run round the world before the truth has got its boots on. ― Terry Pratchett

That power of language is still with us today, as can be seen from modern day politics… This is an interesting book and Puchner has done pretty well to distil the vast magnitude of world literature and the effects that it has had around the world and bring it in between the covers of this book. It has a really helpful timeline at the beginning with locations where each chapter of our literary journey was started and the text is enhanced with images of some of the books he mentions in the text. It is an enjoyable read, the only flaw being that it cannot go into too much depth to make the book manageable, however, there is a large reference section though for those that want to discover more about our shared literary legacy.… (més)