The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

National Theatre Live will broadcast another great play! To watch Simon Stephen's acclaimed adaptation of Mark Haddon's best-seller, join us next Wednesday (6.18.2014) at Cinéma Odyssée.

Symbols and Signs by Vladimir Nabokov

SYMBOLS AND SIGNS

by

Vladimir Nabokov

For the fourth time in as many years, they were confronted with the problem of what birthday present to take to a young man who was incurably deranged in his mind. Desires he had none. Man-made objects were to him either hives of evil, vibrant with a malignant activity that he alone could perceive, or gross comforts for which no use could be found in his abstract world. After eliminating a number of articles that might offend him or frighten him (anything in the gadget line, for instance, was taboo), his parents chose a dainty and innocent trifle—a basket with ten different fruit jellies in ten little jars.

The Fault in Our Stars

If you are a fan of John Green's The Fault is Our Stars, you are impatiently waiting for the movie. Watch the press conference with the cast and the writer:

Part Two

We Real Cool

Gwendolyn Brooks (1917 - 2000)

                   THE POOL PLAYERS. 
                   SEVEN AT THE GOLDEN SHOVEL.



We real cool. We
Left school. We

That is the penguin!

From: http://lookwhatidrawed.blogspot.fr/2012/04/penguin-penguin-my-kingdom-for-penguin.html

Beat the Bard

Beat the Bard! Shakespeare's characters fight it out in our interactive game. Could Richard III handle Hamlet in a punch-up? Is Benedikt more fanciable than Beatrice? Is Falstaff craftier than Cleopatra? Celebrate Shakespeare's 450th birthday by pitting his characters against each other.





http://www.theguardian.com/stage/ng-interactive/2014/apr/23/beat-the-bard-shakespeares-characters-fight-it-out-in-our-interactive-game?CMP=fb_gu

From: Leaves of Grass

Do I contradict myself?
Very well then, I contradict myself, 
I am large, I contain multitudes.

                                                 Song of Myself (Part 51)
                                                 Walt Whitman






                                                   

Shakespeare's Master Class; Laurie and Fry

War Horse

 

Cinema Odyssée of Strasbourg is broadcasting War Horse live from the National Theatre in London.

 

The National Theatre’s internationally acclaimed production of War Horse, will be broadcast live from London’s West End to the cinema Odysée in Strasbourg on Wednesday 16th of April, 2014. Many students and teachers of the school will be there to watch, so don't miss it. It will most certainly be really great!

The play got great reviews:

"So exhilarating that it makes you rejoice to be alive." 

                                                             The Times

"Genius isn’t too strong a word to describe this astonishing production. "

                                                             Daily Telegraph

"The theatre event of the decade!" 

                                                            Sunday Times

"A landmark theatre event. Thrilling!"  

                                                             Time Magazine

"Theatrical magic!"

                                                            New York Times

For more information visit the site of National Theatre Live. And don't hesitate to book your place at cinéma Odysée even if you have already watched Steven Spielberg's movie starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Tom Hiddleston. The play is going to be a different experience:

Short Short Stories

The shortest story ever told was written by a young Ernest Hemingway on a napkin. Hemingway claimed that he could write a complete story in six words. His colleagues each bet 10$ against the claim. Needless to say, he won:

                           For sale. Baby shoes. Never worn.

From: http://www.egodialogues.com/2012/the-shortest-story-ever-told/

Here's another very short story. A little longer than Hemingway's but it certainly doesn't lack in impact:

http://www.egodialogues.com/2013/a-short-short-story/

For more stories, click on the following link:

Fifty Word Short Stories 

Anna’s Letter to Alexei Aleksandrovich

Task: Write a monologue for a literary character who did not get the chance to voice his/ her thoughts in the literary piece.



This essay was modeled on Tolstoy's Anna Karenina. For a short summary. click on 'Read More' at the end of the essay.

Anna’s Letter to Alexei Aleksandrovich

By

Anastasija Pop-Arsova

The light of love shined on my book called life; cleared the way to heaven’s gate, but then vanished in the dark. They say love is something worth the struggle and once you find it, it warms up your heart; takes you to the sea of eternal happiness and rest. But once this love really strikes your heart, you can see that it slays in ways you cannot even imagine. Once you find love, it will not leave you alone; you can try escaping from it, but in the end you will be drawn by the sound of its calling. Then you will blindly follow its call until you find yourself tied to a wheel.

I did find love, but I needed to give away love in order to have it. Alexei Aleksandrovich, I am not writing this letter to you to justify my acts and beg for forgiveness once again. I am writing this, hoping that you will understand and leave my son with a picture of the mother I am.

You did not let your son kiss his mother goodbye. I begged you for forgiveness once, looked you in the eyes and lied, just so I can see my dear Sergei. For once someone made me feel as strong as a lioness. He was my little cub and I was his protector, his mother. But what is a lioness if she cannot roar for her cub, what is a mother if she cannot tell a bedtime story? Alexei Aleksandrovich, I took away your pride, but you took away my life. I replaced you with true love and you pushed me into a pit from which I cannot get out. True love, I could not escape, but what you did was in your will and whiteout doubt, it filled the hole I made in your heart. You gave my son an image of a dead mother, so I decided to disappear and leave him with peace in his heart. Regardless of how much I wanted to see him, I left, so my son can live a happy life and his happiness matters to me more than mine.

You, Alexei Aleksandrovich, blamed me because I have fallen for a man that gives me real love while you were leaving me dine alone every second night; you blamed me for choosing a man who follows me in a train from Moscow to St Petersburg while you were cracking your fingers thinking of ways to please your Mother Russia, instead of your wife!

Alexei Vronski loved me like no one ever would. But every story comes to an end sooner or later; too bad mine ended too soon. The more I loved him, the less he loved me and slowly he stopped seeing the heaven beside him.

When we first met, he could not give me peace; he did not know any… now I am the one who cannot give him peace, so he left. Now he would probably get married to that woman, his mother convinced him to.

A boy passed by, he looks a lot like Alexei, I shall tell him when we see each other… but wait, no, no I wont. He is never coming back. He will not be there for me to tell him.

I am telling you my sad story Alexei Aleksandrovich, so I can at least feed your soul now when I have nothing left.

I shall be going now, the train is about to leave. The old man is even closer. I heard his hammer for the last time now… we both know what that means. Why not turn out the light, when there is nothing more to be seen?

Do not forget to kiss my Sergei goodnight.

(Puts the letter in the mailbox and slowly walks in front of the train with a slight smile on her face.)

-       Not a word, not a gesture of yours will I ever forget, or will I?

-       (gets run over by a train and dies)

Gregor, If Only You Had Spoken!

Task: Write a monologue for a literary character who did not get the chance to voice his/ her thoughts in the literary piece.

This essay was modeled on Kafka's Methamorphoses. For a short summary, click on the 'Read More' at the end of the essay.

Gregor, If Only You Had Spoken!

By

Myriam Sbeiti



  

‘Metamorphose’, by Franz Kafka, is the story of Gregor, who once wakes up to find himself slowly transforming into a cockroach. He does not take action immediately and by the time he wants to explain to his family what is happening, he cannot communicate anymore. This leads to his family gradually alienating him and despising him until he starves himself to escape his misery. Had he spoken with them from the start, his family might have been more understanding...

“Mother! Father! I cannot unlock the door. Something is happening to me, I am not sure what exactly, but I cannot move. What? The inspector is coming? Oh no, I cannot go to work; I am already having trouble getting out of bed! Why will you not come in? I know it is locked; I always lock the door before going to sleep. And if I could unlock it, I would. Do not be scared! I do not think I can contaminate you. Please come in; I need you right now; I am even having trouble speaking. Words are harder and harder to pronounce; soon you will not understand a word I say. At least agree to come in, even for a second. If you feel the sight of me is too repulsive to bear, then you shall hear no more of me. Is that a collision I hear? You are trying to open the door! Hurrah! You have not given up on me! Come, come to me! Family is all that matters you know. If I have you on my side, I need nothing else. You are in! Hello father, hello mother, hello sister. Come help me, quickly! I am stuck on my back, if I could just get myself upright again, maybe I could feel human again. Why do you all stand there? What is it? Have you seen a ghost? Is it the sight of me? You reel at the sight of me, do you not? Sister, do not cry. These tears are uncalled for! I am still the same. Mother! Father! I am still Gregor, your son. It is just same old me. Nothing has changed, do you not see? My appearance may have worsened, but what are appearances? What matters is what is in the heart, is it not? Are those not the same words you pronounced the other day, sister? Yet now you stare at my legs with such a horrified grimace, as if everything you value in me was gone, as if you only knew me from my physical appearance. Is that what you know of me then? Is that all Gregor represents to you? A human-looking son that brings home money once a month? Can you not see past my glistening black body? Well I am here now. Come closer, I will not bite. I may be ugly but I am not mean. Yes, that’s it. You take such hesitant steps, as if you fear me. Do you fear me, mother? You nod. But I see the love in your eyes. You understand, do you not? You feel that this odious, revolting creature waving its legs around is your son. After all, if you close your eyes and listen only to my words, can you not visualize me instead of the insect?    

Do it, I beg you. Just try; just close your eyes for a second. Listen to my voice. Do you hear this? It is not exactly as you remember it. I can feel my tongue becoming heavier and words are running into each other. Soon, I will not be able to pronounce a single word. But concentrate on what I say. I am Gregor, your son and your brother. Every morning I get up, have breakfast and take the train at 7:30 am. I have never been late once. Except today. But today is particular day. Today, I am not myself. Well, I am not quite myself. The odd turnout of events has already rid me of my physical identity; don’t take away my family one. You are all I have left to remind me of who I am. If you leave, I will truly become a cockroach. All that was Gregor about me will be gone. I need you now more than ever, to remind me of my true identity. Yes, that’s it. Come closer to me. Keep your eyes closed. Your touch... You do not understand, your touch is like a marvelous reminder of my previous life. And my skin is smooth, is it not? With your eyes closed, it is almost pleasant. Father, I can tell you are not convinced. But they will convince you... The women... They are... always... more sensitive... to this kind.... of situation... The words... I knew... this... would happen... Please... do not... leave me.