aaron hamburger

Friday, August 07, 2009

An Italian Adventure

I'm about to leave for a month's adventure in Umbria, Italy. I was lucky enough to receive a fellowship from the Civitella Ranieri Foundation, which gives writers, artists, and musicians a chance to live for six weeks in an Italian castle in the countryside between Rome and Florence. You can check it out at: www.civitella.org

After working on a novel set in Berlin, I'm ready to begin doing a little groundwork for a new project set in Italy, filled with sunshine and pasta. However, writing an Italian story presents its own challenges, namely, that it's been done thousands of times before. Usually the story involves uptight fair-skinned people from northern countries coming to Italy and losing their inhibitions. I'll be looking for some way to give that story a new spin.

When I tell people I'm going to Umbria, they usually give me a blank look. Today, Umbria is probably best known for three things: 1) Perugia chocolates 2) the truffle 3) "Foxy Knoxy" a.k.a. American exchange student Amanda Knox, who was accused of murder and is right now languishing in jail while the Italian court system takes its summer vacation.

Sadly, my partner has to stay home for this trip, but his spirit will be with me, inspiring me, teaching me, encouraging me, as always. In the meantime, I'll be posting my impressions on this site, so stay tuned...

posted by aaron hamburger at 10:14 AM | 0 comments

Monday, August 03, 2009

Shocking News

Last week, a madman dressed in black entered a gay youth club and began shooting. As a result, two are dead, including a sixteen-year-old girl.

It's heartening (if it's possible to use such a term in connection with such a tragedy) to see the uniform condemnation of this heinous act from so many different levels of Israeli society. I wish that the sources of some of these same voices, such as that of the religious Shas Party leader Eli Yishay, had thought about the consequences of their words when they earlier described gay people with words like "sick," "perverse," and "filth."

Many of the accounts of the tragedy describe Israelis' sense of shock in reaction to the shootings. In reality, however, there is nothing shocking about this story. It is in fact the logical result of a long history of hate, intolerance, and worse, indifference that has been taking place not only in Israel but around the world. It's gratifying that old prejudices of all stripes are on the wane, but tragedies like this one remind us they haven't died entirely, that in fact, hatred dies hard.

I'm not just talking about anti-gay prejudice. Think of some of the ridiculous amped-up rhetoric used lately to describe President Obama. (Glenn Beck, if you're listening, this one's for you.) Think of the insulting treatment of Judge Sonia Sotomayor before the Senate Judiciary Committee, during which Senator Lindsey Graham had the nerve to deliver a lecture on manners to a middle-aged woman based solely on anonymous comments about her made online. (Perhaps Senator Graham also ought to be held publicly accountable for every stray rumor about HIS personal life that have made online.) Think of Dr. George Tiller, assassinated for the crime of carrying out legal medical procedures.

When will we learn the difference between attacking ideas versus attacking people? The answer: when we learn that words matter. Rhetoric matters. Attacking people with words leads to attacking them with fists, knives, and as was so regrettably the case in Israel last weekend, bullets.

posted by aaron hamburger at 2:38 PM | 0 comments


	Friday, August 07, 2009 An Italian Adventure I'm about to leave for a month's adventure in Umbria, Italy. I was lucky enough to receive a fellowship from the Civitella Ranieri Foundation, which gives writers, artists, and musicians a chance to live for six weeks in an Italian castle in the countryside between Rome and Florence. You can check it out at: www.civitella.org After working on a novel set in Berlin, I'm ready to begin doing a little groundwork for a new project set in Italy, filled with sunshine and pasta. However, writing an Italian story presents its own challenges, namely, that it's been done thousands of times before. Usually the story involves uptight fair-skinned people from northern countries coming to Italy and losing their inhibitions. I'll be looking for some way to give that story a new spin. When I tell people I'm going to Umbria, they usually give me a blank look. Today, Umbria is probably best known for three things: 1) Perugia chocolates 2) the truffle 3) "Foxy Knoxy" a.k.a. American exchange student Amanda Knox, who was accused of murder and is right now languishing in jail while the Italian court system takes its summer vacation. Sadly, my partner has to stay home for this trip, but his spirit will be with me, inspiring me, teaching me, encouraging me, as always. In the meantime, I'll be posting my impressions on this site, so stay tuned... posted by aaron hamburger at 10:14 AM \| 0 comments Monday, August 03, 2009 Shocking News Last week, a madman dressed in black entered a gay youth club and began shooting. As a result, two are dead, including a sixteen-year-old girl. It's heartening (if it's possible to use such a term in connection with such a tragedy) to see the uniform condemnation of this heinous act from so many different levels of Israeli society. I wish that the sources of some of these same voices, such as that of the religious Shas Party leader Eli Yishay, had thought about the consequences of their words when they earlier described gay people with words like "sick," "perverse," and "filth." Many of the accounts of the tragedy describe Israelis' sense of shock in reaction to the shootings. In reality, however, there is nothing shocking about this story. It is in fact the logical result of a long history of hate, intolerance, and worse, indifference that has been taking place not only in Israel but around the world. It's gratifying that old prejudices of all stripes are on the wane, but tragedies like this one remind us they haven't died entirely, that in fact, hatred dies hard. I'm not just talking about anti-gay prejudice. Think of some of the ridiculous amped-up rhetoric used lately to describe President Obama. (Glenn Beck, if you're listening, this one's for you.) Think of the insulting treatment of Judge Sonia Sotomayor before the Senate Judiciary Committee, during which Senator Lindsey Graham had the nerve to deliver a lecture on manners to a middle-aged woman based solely on anonymous comments about her made online. (Perhaps Senator Graham also ought to be held publicly accountable for every stray rumor about HIS personal life that have made online.) Think of Dr. George Tiller, assassinated for the crime of carrying out legal medical procedures. When will we learn the difference between attacking ideas versus attacking people? The answer: when we learn that words matter. Rhetoric matters. Attacking people with words leads to attacking them with fists, knives, and as was so regrettably the case in Israel last weekend, bullets. posted by aaron hamburger at 2:38 PM \| 0 comments		Literary Blogs Beatrice Book Angst 101 Bookdwarf Booklust Book Ninja Book Slut Conversational Reading Emerging Writers Network Gawker James Tata Jessie Sholl Literary Salon Moby Lives Queer Type Rake's Progress The Reading Experience Tingle Alley Other Sites Eco Home Gear Recent Posts This blog has moved Don't Judge a Book by its Hype When a Story's Not a Story Why Write? Why Read? Book Recommendations from 2009 for 2010 This is Just to Say... I Like You, You Like Me, We're a Happy Family Yom Kippur Reflections Leaving Umbria An Italian Adventure Archives October 2004 November 2004 December 2004 January 2005 February 2005 March 2005 April 2005 May 2005 June 2005 July 2005 August 2005 September 2005 October 2005 November 2005 December 2005 January 2006 February 2006 March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 September 2006 October 2006 November 2006 December 2006 January 2007 February 2007 March 2007 April 2007 May 2007 June 2007 July 2007 September 2007 November 2007 December 2007 February 2008 May 2008 July 2008 August 2008 September 2008 October 2008 December 2008 January 2009 February 2009 March 2009 April 2009 May 2009 June 2009 August 2009 September 2009 November 2009 December 2009 January 2010 February 2010 April 2010