Magical Realism in West African Fiction (Routledge Research in Postcolonial Literatures)

This study contextualizes magical realism within current debates and theories of postcoloniality and examines the fiction of three of its West African pioneers: Syl Cheney-Coker of Sierra Leone, Ben Okri of Nigeria and Kojo Laing of Ghana. Brenda Cooper explores the distinct elements of the genre in a West African context, and in relation to: * a range of global expressions of magical realism, from the work of Gabriel Garcia Marquez to that of Salman Rushdie * wider contemporary trends in African writing, with particular attention to how the realism of authors such as Chinua Achebe and Wole Soyinka has been connected with nationalist agendas. This is a fascinating and important work for all those working on African literature, magical realism, or postcoloniality.

Magical Realism in West African Fiction: Seeing with a third eye (Routledge Research in Postcolonial Literatures)

Literature & Fiction

COOPER, BRENDA

History & Criticism

Routledge

Product Description A radically simple and universally flattering system for getting dressed, from the Emmy Award–winning stylist who turned Fran Drescher of The Nanny into a fashion icon“Brenda’s capsule wardrobe system is a lifesaver. I will never look at my clothes the same way again!”—Fran Drescher, star and co-creator of The Nanny Using your existing clothes plus a splash of something new, The Silhouette Solution provides a method that transforms how you’ll view your wardrobe, your style, and ultimately, yourself. With just four tops, four bottoms, and a few pairs of shoes, Brenda Cooper shows you how to create the foundation for a fabulously functional wardrobe. Regardless of your age, size, body type, or budget, you’ll have a set of modern, versatile, mix-and-match pieces that work for every occasion of your life. Learn how to effortlessly: • Coordinate comfortable, stylish outfits• Discover your true style ID• Accept your body with loving kindness• Reinvent your wardrobe• Know exactly what to shop for• And enjoy a newfound fashion freedomWith The Silhouette Solution’s strategy, you’ll get out the door in a fraction of the time, feeling beautiful and at home in your body. That kind of empowerment is always in style! Review “Brenda Cooper has style, flair, and humor, and she is an incredible teacher and mentor, urging me to try new ideas. She says that style is simple and with the right guidance you can feel really good about yourself, and, yes, because of her, I do have style.”—Jamie Lee Curtis“Brenda is simply an original. Listen to her! Heed her advice!”—Rita Moreno“Brenda didn’t just change my clothes. She changed my life.”—Chonda Pierce About the Author Brenda Cooper is an Emmy Award–winning fashion stylist, costume designer, color expert, and inspirational image coach. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. IntroductionThe Silhouette Solution was born out of necessity. When I landed the job as head costume designer and stylist for The Nanny in 1993, it became my responsibility to create the entire look of the show. This meant I had to come up with 40 to 50 outfits every week for the lead, Fran Drescher, as well as for all the supporting actors and guest stars. Delighted as I was to be a part of this fantastic series, there were many challenges. We had an extremely slim budget (to put it mildly), as the show was not yet a proven success. Our production schedule seemed to move at the speed of light, allowing only three and a half days each week to shop the whole of Los Angeles and New York in search of the right clothes for each character. Once I had the appropriate pieces, every item had to be refitted perfectly for each personality and body type, coordinated into complete outfits, and often redesigned and embellished for each cast member. I had to figure out a way to create an endless variety of stylish, fun, and distinct outfits that took minimal time to put together and could be done on the cheap. To find the solution, I looked to my past. As a young girl growing up in England, I was captivated by the movies I watched with my mother on Sunday afternoons. It was the simple, sleek, and unique stylings of Academy Award–winning costume designer Edith Head that caught my attention in particular. The stars she dressed always looked timeless and elegant, whether they were wearing a nightgown or an evening gown. Inspired by this chic simplicity, I set out to strategically gather a group of garments that I knew from experience were timeless and universally flattering: four terrific tops, four beautiful bottoms, four flat shoes, and four heels. These practical and complimentary pieces form the basic canvas for dozens of outfits that can be repurposed and accessorized to ultimately make each woman look completely original. Actors I worked with were thrilled to avoid the exhaustive hours of trying on endless racks of clothes to find the right look. Shape and fit were no lo

The Silhouette Solution: Using What You Have to Get the Look You Want

Reference

Clarkson/Potter

Building Harlequin's Moon

The first interstellar starship, John Glenn, fled a Solar System populated by rogue AIs and machine/human hybrids, threatened by too much nanotechnology, and rife with political dangers. The John Glenn's crew intended to terraform the nearly pristine planet Ymir, in hopes of creating a utopian society that would limit intelligent technology. But by some miscalculation they have landed in another solar system and must shape the gas giant planet Harlequin's moon, Selene, into a new, temporary home. Their only hope of ever reaching Ymir is to rebuild their store of antimatter by terraforming the moon. Gabriel, the head terraformer, must lead this nearly impossible task, with all the wrong materials: the wrong ships and tools, and too few resources. His primary tools are the uneducated and nearly-illiterate children of the original colonists, born and bred to build Harlequin's moon into an antimatter factory. Rachel Vanowen is one of these children. Basically a slave girl, she must do whatever the terraforming Council tells her. She knows that Council monitors her actions from a circling vessel above Selene's atmosphere, and is responsible for everything Rachel and her people know, as well as all the skills, food, and knowledge they have ever received. With no concept of the future and a life defined with duty, how will the children of Selene ever survive once the Council is through terraforming and have abandoned Selene for its ultimate goal of Ymir?

Science Fiction & Fantasy

Niven,Larry

Science Fiction

Tor Books

The colony planet Fremont is joyous, riotous, and very wild. Its grasses can cut your arms and legs to ribbons, the rinds of its precious fruit can skewer your thumbs, and some of the predators are bigger than humans. Meteors fall from the sky and volcanoes erupt. Fremont is verdant, rich, beautiful, and dangerous. Fremont's single town, Artistos, perches on a cliff below rugged mountains. Below Artistos lie the Grass Plains, which lead down to the sea. And in the middle of the Grass Plains, a single silver spaceship lies quiet and motionless. The seasons do not dull it, nor do the winds scratch it---and the fearful citizens of Aristos won't go near it. Chelo Lee, her brother Joseph, and four other young children have been abandoned on the colony planet. Unfortunate events have left them orphaned in a human colony that abhors genetic engineering--and these six young people are genetically enhanced. With no one to turn to, Chelo and the others must now learn how to use their distinct skills to make this unwelcome planet home, or find a way off it. They have few tools--an old crazy woman who wonders the edges of town, spouting out cryptic messages; their appreciation and affection for each other; a good dose of curiosity; and that abandoned silver space ship that sits locked and alone in the middle of the vast grass plain …

The Silver Ship and the Sea

United States

The colony planet of Fremont was supposed to be free of all genetically altered beings--a new home for a pure race. So when Chelo and her brother Joseph, along with two other genetically altered teenagers, were abandoned on Fremont, they were not welcome. They vowed to get off the planet by any means necessary. Joseph and the others managed to escape, but Chelo was left behind with her new found love, forced to live underground. Joseph and the others find that their homeworld is full of vengeance. Believing that the people of Fremont killed the teenaged castaways, they sent a technologically advanced mercenary team to Fremont to eliminate the entire planet's population. With the help of Joseph's father, the youngsters head back to Fremont to try to save Chelo.

Reading the Wind

Joseph has succeeded in rescuing his sister, Chelo, from a pitched battle on the colony planet Fremont. Now he and Chelo and the love of his life, Alicia, and all of their extended family, are finally returning home. Halfway there, a probe intercepts them, sending them new coordinates and a message from Joseph’s enigmatic supporter and teacher, Marcus. 
War is brewing.
Joseph is wanted for escaping to save Chelo. To stay safe, Joseph must bring his family and friends to the renowned planet of Lopali, where men and women can fly, and peace and freedom abound. Or do they? Alicia has always wanted to fly, but the modifications that give humans wings kill as often as they work.
Joseph must learn to actually change humans, to free the fliers of a tyranny that has enslaved them, since their species was born. If he can do this, the fliers have agreed to help him stop the war. But it’s not as easy as it seems.

Wings of Creation (The Silver Ship)

The first interstellar starship, John Glenn, fled a Solar System populated by rogue AIs and machine/human hybrids, threatened by too much nanotechnology and rife with political dangers. The John Glenn's crew intended to terraform the nearly pristine planet Ymir, in hopes of creating a utopian society that will limit intelligent technology. But by some miscalculation they have landed in another solar system, and extremely low on the antimatter needed to continue to Ymir, they must shape the nearby planet Harlequin's moon, Selene, into a new, temporary home. Their only hope of ever reaching Ymir is to rebuild their store of antimatter through decades of terraforming the moon. Gabriel, the head terraformer, must lead this nearly impossible task, with all the wrong materials. His primary tools are the uneducated and nearly illiterate children of the original colonists, born and bred to build Harlequin's moon into a virtual antimatter factory. With no concept of the future and with life defined as duty, one girl, Rachel Vanowen, begins to ask herself the question: what will become of the children of Selene once the terraforming is complete.

Contemporary

Tor Science Fiction

The colony planet Fremont is joyous, riotous, and very wild.  Its grasses can cut your arms and legs to ribbons, the rinds of its precious fruit can skewer your thumbs, and some of the predators are bigger than humans.  Meteors fall from the sky and volcanoes erupt.  Fremont is verdant, rich, beautiful, and dangerous.  Fremont’s single town, Artistos, perches on a cliff below rugged mountains.  Below Artistos lie the Grass Plains, which lead down to the sea.  And in the middle of the Grass Plains, a single silver spaceship lies quiet and motionless.  The seasons do not dull it, nor do the winds scratch it---and the fearful citizens of Artistos won't go near it.  Chelo Lee, her brother Joseph, and four other young children have been abandoned on the colony planet. Unfortunate events have left them orphaned in a human colony that abhors genetic engineering--and these six young people are genetically enhanced.  With no one to turn to, Chelo and the others must now learn how to use their distinct skills to make this unwelcome planet home, or find a way off it. They have few tools--an old crazy woman who wonders the edges of town, spouting out cryptic messages; their appreciation and affection for each other; a good dose of curiosity; and that abandoned silver space ship that sits locked and alone in the middle of the vast grass plain …

The colony planet of Fremont was supposed to be free of all genetically altered beings--a new home for a pure race. So when Chelo and her brother Joseph, along with two other genetically altered teenagers, were abandoned on Fremont, they were not welcome. They vowed to get off the planet by any means necessary. Joseph and the others managed to escape, but Chelo was left behind with her new found love, forced to live underground. As Joseph and the others return home, they find that their planet is full of vengeance. Believing that the people of Fremont killed the teenaged castaways, they sent a technologically advanced mercenary team back to Fremont to eliminate the entire planet's population. With the help of Joseph's father, they head back to Fremont to try to save Chelo. Though the numbers are in their favor, the mercenaries' technology is eons ahead. As the team begins leveling the cities of Fremont, Joseph and his father know that Chelo's demise is lurking, and must rally their enemies, the people of Fremont, if they hope to save her.

Reading the Wind (The Silver Ship)

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by COOPER, BRENDA. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by COOPER, BRENDA

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by COOPER, BRENDA. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Magical Realism in West African Fiction: Seeing with a third eye (Routledge Research in Postcolonial Literatures)

Magical Realism in West African Fiction (Routledge Research in Postcolonial Literatures)

The Silhouette Solution: Using What You Have to Get the Look You Want

Building Harlequin's Moon

The Silver Ship and the Sea

Reading the Wind

Wings of Creation (The Silver Ship)

Building Harlequin's Moon

The Silver Ship and the Sea

Reading the Wind (The Silver Ship)