Happy Tuesday All,
And welcome to the Cultural Reads Newsletter! A bi-weekly book, music, and movie recommendation from different countries all around the world.
For previous newsletter editions, check out the archive.
In this week’s newsletter: Burkina Faso, South Korea, Chile & China
Let’s admit it, Korean movies are hot.
That’s why Netflix doubled its Korean film budget this year.
If you don’t know what to watch next, check out these 10 best Korean movies of all time!
Imagine you’re a young doctor in the Spanish civil war (1936-1939).
You expect to die young.
You definitely don’t expect to turn 103 after being friends with the famous poet Pablo Neruda and Chilean president Allende.
This is what happened to Victor Dalmau, however, the protagonist of A Long Petal of the Sea.
Isabel Allende’s incredible new novel encompasses Dalmau’s life, from fleeing Spain to being exiled again after Chile’s military coup in 1973 that killed president Allende (the author’s uncle).
If you want more info about Chilean history, I’d highly recommend the movies NO (about the referendum against dictator Pinochet) and Neruda.
Do you need some new international songs?
Check out the 200worldalbums playlist.
Victor Déme is an artist from Burkina Fasso with a troubled life.
His family disapproved of his music career, and he had to start over after a failed label deal.
He finally released his first album at the age of 46 and his second album two years later but died at 53 due to Malaria.
His world hit Djon Maya (and the French remix) is his life lesson:
“Don’t look down on your neighbor because he doesn’t have the same means as you, as tomorrow you might need him.”
Shadow is a unique martial arts movie by the legendary Chinese director Yimou Zhang.
In the Chinese kingdoms 200AD, an emperor leads his region peacefully.
What he doesn’t know is that his army officer is training a doppelganger to seduce him into initiating a war.
Zhang skillfully uses shades of grey, giving the movie an unprecedented black-and-white look. As the plot thickens and the tension rises, a splash of red appears, transforming the film into a modern-day Chinese canvas.
You can watch the movie on Amazon Prime.
Do you want to tell a story but are unsure where to start?
How do you transform life’s mess into a structured narrative?
Try using the fairytale framework and fill in the blanks:
You’ll find that most stories fit this model.
Show Your Work – Austin Kleon
