Before I became an intensely creative person I was intensely obsessed with something else: books! I was a reading girl and books was my passion! As I’m not creating any new notebooks, softies or sweaters right now I’m finding my way back to the books. Novels – I’ve missed you!
Recently I listened to a long and intense (!) audio book called Män som hatar kvinnor. It’s a detective story by a Swedish author who died before the three books in this series was published. What a tragedy to not know how intensely read your books will become… The series is hugely popular, in Sweden more so than Dan Brown’s book was! The book is about a journalist who gets involved with a murder investigation that has remained unsolved for nearly four decades! He gets help from a thin and very special hacker girl called Lisbeth! I ♥ this character because she is like nothing else I’ve ever read about! So full of anger, resentment and strength yet you can’t help but feel you want to become her friend! Or as she is described on the backside of the book: a misunderstood genius…
The first book is now translated to several languages (German included) and it’s called The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
I haven’t been to the movies for months, but I was watching this very cool documentary on television… I wanted to talk a bit about it because I thought you’d be interested too?! It’s called The Cats of Mirikatiani and it’s about a Japanese artist that lived on the streets of New York.
I knitted a few rows on a pair of socks that I have had on my needles for a couple of months while watching, and I was fascinated by this guy! This movie deserves a post of it’s own but so many things in my life does… There are only so many days and so much writing time so this is it. Anyway, the documentary is about this old man, Jimmy Mirikitani, his art and how the film producer Linda Hattendorf found him on the street (where he lives), buys art from him and then finally is able to help him find an apartment of his own. I loved this movie so much! On the film’s site I read that Jimmy Mirikitani celebrated his 88th birthday in June 2008! He is still being healthy and making lots of art to this day. It makes me happy to know, and the fact that you can send him an e-mail is fantastic too (the magic of the internet strikes once again): He does not have a computer and does not answer his phone, but we will print the letters and get them to him as often as possible. I ♥ that so much! It makes me wanna cry.
Lanterns in VietNam. Only photo I have online that is from that trip (2003) so I thought I’d show it today.
Mirikitani reminded me of an artist I meat in VietNam when I was there. I don’t remember how it happened, but I was in his house and had tea, Van Vliet I think, while his wife arranged flowers on the floor. I bought a yellow brochure book (made on a copy machine) featuring his poems in Vietnamese and English. He played chess and had a beret on if I recall correctly. I have beautiful photos from his house somewhere, that too would be a great post here, telling the story about how creativity blossoms in old men – everywhere!
More Japanese art; my desktop wallpaper right now is that wonderful painting that Hokusai made in the 1820s [desktop background via Trish]! The painting is called The Great Wave off Kanagawa (神奈川沖浪裏)!
Inspiration today: Hokusai, Mirikitani, Stieg Larsson! And we’ve been to Japan, Vietnam, New York and Sweden…
What inspirations have you met recently? Make a list of your Recent Inspiration and let me know!
Even more book recommendations from iHanna!
would I be completely missing the point if I said that my favorite part of this post was the beautiful photo of the lanterns!?
Who would I be to tell you what to see, read, do or experience? Lanterns are magic.
wonderful recommendations! thank you! i’ve put that book series on my library list :^)
It’s so funny: I was obsessed with books before art, too! And I LOVE Scandinavian literature. Thank you for this recommendation!
Hanna, every time I read your blog, and I’m feeling down, I am inspired to run to the drafting table and pick up the pen, the paintbrush, anything, and just get to work.
This lantern photo just makes my mouth water! Delicious!
Jag l?ste Stieg Larsson serien f?rra ?ret precis innan jag skulle ?ka utomlands i ett halv?r. Det var precis i juldagarna och jag var ju sj?lvklart tvungen att hinna klart innan jag ?kte. S? medan julst?ket p?gick i huset, satt jag i ett soffh?rn och str?ckl?ste de tv? sista b?ckerna. S? bra! L?ngtar nu efter filmatiseringen som v?l kommer till v?ren, ?ven om jag ?r lite r?dd att bli besviken p? den. Man skapar sig ju sina egna bilder av allt.
Thanks for sharing the book information … I can’t wait to read it for myself!
Your blog is a real find. Thanks for the vote of confidence, and adding me to your links. What a fantastic source they are!
responding only to the colorful lanterns that delight me here.
If you can only have one photo to remember a trip, your lantern photo is a sublime choice. Amazing color.
(you have a beautiful blog!)
Found your blog while making a search for a decent version of Hokusai’s Great wave.
Thank you for sharing, and the article was definitely an interesting read. I will be watching the recommended movie soon.
“Before I became a intensely creative person I was intensely obsessed with something else: books! I was a reading girl and books was my passion!”…. One would think that with all of those books you have read, you would know that the proper grammar would be “an intensely” and “books were”….. No big deal tho