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Hi Friends
Welcome to the second issue of the Cultural Reads Newsletter.
A bi-weekly book, music, and movie recommendation from different countries all around the world.
This week covers Brazil, Spain, and Bosnia.
The Alchemist is one of the world’s most popular bestsellers. Although I don’t believe Paolo Coehlo is very popular among Brazilians (readers, please correct me if I’m wrong), he’s a unique person and a widely acclaimed author.
This book came to me at the right time and place, and his message struck a chord. In short, it’s about following your heart, trusting your intuition, and having the courage to do so.
Many people know Paco de Lucía (allegedly the best Spanish flamenco guitarist), but not everyone knows Vicente Amigo.
Vicente is a fantastic guitar player who frequently collaborates with other musicians but keeps his songs simple, elegant, and largely instrumental.
My family and I visited two of his concerts, in Amsterdam and Barcelona (funnily enough on the same date with a 2-year difference) and I would recommend everyone to do the same.
His most popular song is Y Será Verdad.
Quo Vadis Aida is an oscar-nominated movie by Bosnian director Jasmila Zbani. The film was released in 2020 and tells the story of a Bosnian translator (played by a Serbian) in the Dutch UN camp during the Srebrenica massacre.
The release led to many controversies in the Netherlands, Serbia, and Bosnia, which means the director did a good job igniting a discussion and forcing people to learn about this part of history.
If you’re interested in more background about the breakup of Yugoslavia, check out this documentary and this book.
For a (Dutch) documentary about the UN soldiers, go here
