Sanjay Sipahimalani
@sansip.bsky.social
Books, etc.
“Sometimes, I, too, sought expression. I know now that my gods grant me no more than allusion or mention”: Borges
“Sometimes, I, too, sought expression. I know now that my gods grant me no more than allusion or mention”: Borges
To paraphrase Browning, I think the reach of the Booker Prize winning title exceeded its grasp.
November 11, 2025 at 6:09 AM
To paraphrase Browning, I think the reach of the Booker Prize winning title exceeded its grasp.
“This was what the world did: press in on you with its bad-news this and so-sad that, snatch away what little time you had to see to your own affairs, fill your head with pictures you wished you’d never seen.”
- Nalini Jones, ‘The Unbroken Coast’
- Nalini Jones, ‘The Unbroken Coast’
November 11, 2025 at 3:47 AM
“This was what the world did: press in on you with its bad-news this and so-sad that, snatch away what little time you had to see to your own affairs, fill your head with pictures you wished you’d never seen.”
- Nalini Jones, ‘The Unbroken Coast’
- Nalini Jones, ‘The Unbroken Coast’
Ntsika Dapo learns from Mahmood Mamdani: the lines dividing citizen from stranger can be traced back to the way empire organised identity and labor.
africasacountry.com/2025/11/the-...
africasacountry.com/2025/11/the-...
The invention of foreigners
From indirect rule to Operation Dudula, the lines dividing citizen from stranger trace back to the way empire organized identity and labor.
africasacountry.com
November 11, 2025 at 3:46 AM
Ntsika Dapo learns from Mahmood Mamdani: the lines dividing citizen from stranger can be traced back to the way empire organised identity and labor.
africasacountry.com/2025/11/the-...
africasacountry.com/2025/11/the-...
As we wait for the 2025 Booker Prize winner to be announced later today, here’s my look back at Ruth Prawer Jhabvala’s 'Heat and Dust', which won the prize 50 years ago. Would it have been published today?
scroll.in/article/1087...
scroll.in/article/1087...
‘Heat and Dust’ at 50: The ideas of India in Ruth Prawer Jhabvala’s Booker Prize-winning novel
Is the book more about India or about the author in India?
scroll.in
November 10, 2025 at 3:54 AM
As we wait for the 2025 Booker Prize winner to be announced later today, here’s my look back at Ruth Prawer Jhabvala’s 'Heat and Dust', which won the prize 50 years ago. Would it have been published today?
scroll.in/article/1087...
scroll.in/article/1087...
Every now and then, there are reports on the decrepit state of George Orwell’s birthplace. Here’s the latest: “in a state of utter disrepair, with a rusting iron gate, a front yard overrun by weeds, partially collapsed roofs, cracked plaster, and the rooms full of faecal matter.”
November 10, 2025 at 2:24 AM
Every now and then, there are reports on the decrepit state of George Orwell’s birthplace. Here’s the latest: “in a state of utter disrepair, with a rusting iron gate, a front yard overrun by weeds, partially collapsed roofs, cracked plaster, and the rooms full of faecal matter.”
The dapper youth in a fedora outside the Louvre? He’s a teenage fan of Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot who just happened to be at a real crime scene. “I like to be chic. I go to school like this.”
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Louvre heist: 'Fedora man' in viral picture revealed as local teenager
The mystery youth in the photo turns out to be Pedro Elias Garzon Delvaux, a 15-year-old detective fan.
www.bbc.com
November 10, 2025 at 2:23 AM
The dapper youth in a fedora outside the Louvre? He’s a teenage fan of Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot who just happened to be at a real crime scene. “I like to be chic. I go to school like this.”
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Also worth remembering Rosalind Franklin, whose work on DNA was crucial to the discovery of its structure.
November 8, 2025 at 4:46 AM
Also worth remembering Rosalind Franklin, whose work on DNA was crucial to the discovery of its structure.
Sunil Amrith: "Who gets left out if we frame climate justice entirely in nation-state terms? Where does that leave communities who are exceptionally vulnerable precisely because they have been marginalised in the countries where they live?"
November 8, 2025 at 4:40 AM
Sunil Amrith: "Who gets left out if we frame climate justice entirely in nation-state terms? Where does that leave communities who are exceptionally vulnerable precisely because they have been marginalised in the countries where they live?"
Alas, alack: Amazon is introducing an AI-powered translation service.
(Via the Literary Saloon.)
www.aboutamazon.com/news/books-a...
(Via the Literary Saloon.)
www.aboutamazon.com/news/books-a...
Amazon introduces Kindle Translate, an AI-powered translation service for authors to reach global readers
The service translates between English and Spanish, and from German to English, expanding opportunities for Kindle Direct Publishing authors.
www.aboutamazon.com
November 7, 2025 at 3:51 AM
Alas, alack: Amazon is introducing an AI-powered translation service.
(Via the Literary Saloon.)
www.aboutamazon.com/news/books-a...
(Via the Literary Saloon.)
www.aboutamazon.com/news/books-a...
Socialism for the rich, capitalism for the poor.
November 7, 2025 at 1:59 AM
Socialism for the rich, capitalism for the poor.
Guess which cover is designed for readers in India and which one is meant for those in the West.
November 6, 2025 at 3:52 AM
Guess which cover is designed for readers in India and which one is meant for those in the West.
"Art Deco is more than a style—it is a language of elegance, rhythm and balance that has spoken to generations across a century."
www.theartnewspaper.com/2025/11/05/a...
www.theartnewspaper.com/2025/11/05/a...
A centenary of style: why Art Deco's market appeal is evergreen
Celebratory exhibitions, fairs and events around the world are giving the Modernist style fresh momentum
www.theartnewspaper.com
November 6, 2025 at 3:43 AM
"Art Deco is more than a style—it is a language of elegance, rhythm and balance that has spoken to generations across a century."
www.theartnewspaper.com/2025/11/05/a...
www.theartnewspaper.com/2025/11/05/a...
Re-upping the dedication of Mahmood Mamdani's 2020 book, 'Neither Settler nor Native'.
November 5, 2025 at 5:04 AM
Re-upping the dedication of Mahmood Mamdani's 2020 book, 'Neither Settler nor Native'.
“Authoritarianism, religious extremism, and violent nationalism are so embedded in global society today, like a toxic smog that is everywhere.” Sonia Faleiro on her new book, ‘The Robe and the Sword’.
tricycle.org/article/the-...
tricycle.org/article/the-...
‘The Robe and the Sword’
Journalist, writer, and activist Sonia Faleiro on the role of colonialism in countries grappling with religious extremism
tricycle.org
November 5, 2025 at 4:03 AM
“Authoritarianism, religious extremism, and violent nationalism are so embedded in global society today, like a toxic smog that is everywhere.” Sonia Faleiro on her new book, ‘The Robe and the Sword’.
tricycle.org/article/the-...
tricycle.org/article/the-...
The meltdown begins…
November 5, 2025 at 3:40 AM
The meltdown begins…
"The three things to look for are resolution, quality and length." How to spot an AI-generated video (for now).
www.bbc.com/future/artic...
www.bbc.com/future/artic...
The number one sign you're watching an AI video
Your social media feed is being taken over by AI video slop. But for now, there's still one big red flag that can help you spot the fakes.
www.bbc.com
November 5, 2025 at 3:40 AM
"The three things to look for are resolution, quality and length." How to spot an AI-generated video (for now).
www.bbc.com/future/artic...
www.bbc.com/future/artic...
Oh no, who will they give the next Nobel Peace Prize to now?
November 4, 2025 at 11:37 AM
Oh no, who will they give the next Nobel Peace Prize to now?
Releasing later this month—looking forward to reading.
November 4, 2025 at 4:15 AM
Releasing later this month—looking forward to reading.
“In five or 10 years, they’ll be able to do all the jobs and there will be none left for us.” It's unsung, underpaid labour that's embodied in technology designed to make labour obsolete.
www.latimes.com/business/sto...
www.latimes.com/business/sto...
Inside the race to train AI robots how to act human in the real world
Humanoid robot training is booming around the world. Tech companies are rushing to build the robots for a market projected to reach $38 billion within the next decade.
www.latimes.com
November 4, 2025 at 4:08 AM
“In five or 10 years, they’ll be able to do all the jobs and there will be none left for us.” It's unsung, underpaid labour that's embodied in technology designed to make labour obsolete.
www.latimes.com/business/sto...
www.latimes.com/business/sto...
Yoga as a competitive sport? Such a bad idea.
November 4, 2025 at 3:04 AM
Yoga as a competitive sport? Such a bad idea.
“Sometimes the world reads like a Salman Rushdie novel. The fact that a ban [on the Satanic Verses] is reversed because they couldn’t find the original document banning it — it’s beautiful.”
November 2, 2025 at 3:54 AM
“Sometimes the world reads like a Salman Rushdie novel. The fact that a ban [on the Satanic Verses] is reversed because they couldn’t find the original document banning it — it’s beautiful.”
“In a fair system, these brilliant Dalit artists would have had the world eating out of their hands but they’ve gone unnoticed and excluded.”
November 2, 2025 at 3:53 AM
“In a fair system, these brilliant Dalit artists would have had the world eating out of their hands but they’ve gone unnoticed and excluded.”
Walter Ong, Neil Postman, Elizabeth Eisenstein: what Naomi Alderman recommends you read to understand the information age.
observer.co.uk/culture/book...
observer.co.uk/culture/book...
What to read to understand the information age
From the printing press to the triumph of video: three books on how media revolutions have shaped us
observer.co.uk
November 1, 2025 at 4:00 AM
Walter Ong, Neil Postman, Elizabeth Eisenstein: what Naomi Alderman recommends you read to understand the information age.
observer.co.uk/culture/book...
observer.co.uk/culture/book...
Since its publication in 1818, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein has served as "a projection screen for the dangers and limits of science...Once it was genetic manipulation, then nuclear energy, and now artificial intelligence."
english.elpais.com/culture/2025...
english.elpais.com/culture/2025...
Frankenstein reborn: The monster that launched science fiction is more relevant than ever in the age of AI
Films and books are bringing back Mary Shelley’s creature, now reflected in modern fears such as humanoid robots, extreme scientific experiments, and the most dangerous technologies
english.elpais.com
November 1, 2025 at 3:56 AM
Since its publication in 1818, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein has served as "a projection screen for the dangers and limits of science...Once it was genetic manipulation, then nuclear energy, and now artificial intelligence."
english.elpais.com/culture/2025...
english.elpais.com/culture/2025...