The Slow Impacts Of Literature And Gaining Knowledge

Karl Ove Knausgaard: “I’m not thinking of how long it takes to read a book but of how long its effects can be felt, and of the strange phenomenon that even literature written in other times, on the basis of assumptions radically different to our own and, occasionally, hugely alien to us, can continue to speak to us—and, not only that, but can tell us something about who we are, something that we would not have seen otherwise, or would have seen differently.” – The New Yorker

After Three Years In Prison, Turkish Author Ahmet Altan Is Freed

“The 69-year-old [author of I Will Never See the World Again] was arrested in 2016 with his brother, the economist and journalist Mehmet Altan, on allegations of spreading ‘subliminal messages announcing a military coup’ on television. Alongside journalist Nazlı Ilıcak, the Altan brothers were charged with attempting to overthrow constitutional order, interfering with the work of the national assembly and the government.” – The Guardian

Voters In Charlotte Reject Sales Tax Hike To Fund Arts And Education

For the second time in five years, voters in North Carolina’s largest city and surrounding Mecklenburg County defeated a proposal to raise the sales tax locally by a one-fourth of a percentage point, to a total of 7.5%. The additional tax had been expected to raise roughly $50 million annually, to be shared between the city’s arts (45%), parks (34%), and education (16%), with 5% for arts and parks in the county’s other towns. – Qcitymetro (Charlotte)