10/10/2009

Available for over a year

Writing Sequels This week Christopher Robin came home to the Hundred Acre Wood after 80 years. Yes, the first authorised sequel to the Winnie-the-Pooh books has been published by a new author. It's a bit of a publishing phenomenon at the moment - the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, A Little Princess, and Dracula have all come back to life this autumn. But why? Eoin Colfer, the best-seller author who was commissioned to continue Douglas Adams's best selling series Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and the Winnie the Pooh expert Brian Sibley discuss the art of the sequel. Books: Return to the Hundred Acre Wood - by David Benedictus, with decorations in the style of EH Shepard by Mark Burgess And Another Thing - by Eoin Colfer is the 6th in the HitchHiker's Guide series Wishing for Tomorrow - by Hilary McKay is the continuation of Frances Hodson Burnett's A Little Princess Dracula: The Un-Dead - by Dacre Stoker Controversies photographic exhibition An exhibition of photographs called 'controverses' has begun in Brussels and true to its name, it has caused ripples of confusion and consternation. It looks at the many ways in which photographs can be controversial - war photos, the sexualisation of children, the depiction of misery, even the pressures of the anti-smoking lobby are all dealt with. We speak to the show's curator and hear what visitors to the exhibition thought of it. Chielo Zona Eze Imagine an African afterlife where God puts the Zimbabwean president on trial. The judges are long-dead heroes of African culture and politics. The witnesses are ordinary Zimbabweans. What do they say? How will he defend himself and what will be the verdict? This is the scenario of Chielo Zona Eze's new novel The Trial of Robert Mugabe. Find out more on The Strand. Jewel Power The former first woman Secretary of State Madeleine Albright talks to Bidisha about her new book 'Read My Pins - Stories from a Diplomat's Jewel Box' and the accompanying exhibition of her jewellery at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York. Nobel Literary Laureate The Strand investigates this year's Nobel Literary Laureate. Van Gogh Vincent Van Gogh's letters have long been prized as some of the most valuable documents in the world of art. Now a ground breaking historic publication Vincent van Gogh: the Letters. Six volumes bring together his entire correspondence along with his sketches and notes to reveal a complete picture of the artist and writer. And on Friday the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam celebrates with a new exhibition dedicated to the project. Leo Jansen, Hans Luijten and Nienke Bakker (eds), Vincent van Gogh: the Letters. The Complete Illustrated and Annotated Edition (Thames & Hudson), six volumes and a CD with complete text versions in French and Dutch, 2,180 pp, £325 until 31 December; thereafter £395 (hb) ISBN 9780500238653 'Van Gogh's Letters: The Artist Speaks', October 9 2009-January 3 2010, Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam; www.vangoghmuseum.nl 'The Real van Gogh: The Artist and his Letters', Royal Academy of Arts, London, January 23-April 18 2010; www.royalacademy.org.uk Remembering Nusrat It's been a wonderful co-operative piece of work to fuse together the 'to the beat' perfection required for a 75 piece symphony orchestra to function properly and the extemporising tradition of nine Qawwalli singers paying tribute to the life and work of Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Mark Coles talks to City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra conductor Michael Seal and to Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Nusrat's nephew, successor and Qawwalli singer. That's 'Remembering Nusrat' on The Strand.