There is a Country: New Fiction From the New Nation of South Sudan

Edited by Nyuol Lueth Tong

The idea of a new nation, as touted on the cover of this very slim anthology of fiction (and one poem), suggests a newness of place, and the heady days of nation-building that resonate with North American audiences, who themselves don't feel all that far removed from the frontier-ism that shaped their homes.  The truth of the matter is that South Sudan is a very old place, albeit only recently recognized as a place of its own.

The people of South Sudan, having survived war with the country they used to be a part of, are now a diasporic people.  Reading the author bios at the back of this anthology show a collection of writers (sadly all male) who have been educated in England and Europe, and who have or have not returned to their homelands.  A surprisingly large percentage of them are doctors.

The stories here are scattered, capturing different moments in the South Sudanese experience, from migrant camps in Port Sudan to refugee camps presumably in the country itself.  The characters have suffered loss and displacement, although these are not always the themes of the stories.  Instead, we read about a blossoming love in a camp, or about the slow poisoning of an old endearment when decimated families have to resort to relying on the charity of old acquaintances.

The only story that directly portrays the way between North and South does it from the perspective of a soldier from the other side, which I found to be very interesting, especially given its sympathy for the character.

These are all very well-written stories, coming from a place not really known for its literary traditions.  A bulk of good fiction is essential in building the character of a nation, and while it faces many challenges now and in its future, the canon of South Sudan is in capable hands.

Wholphin No. 5

Edited by Brent Hoff

I've basically given up on movies, but Wholphin gives me so much hope for the genre of short films and documentaries.  Maybe I'm just losing all vestiges of an attention span for visual media, which makes sense since we're kind of heading that way as a culture, or maybe it's just that the selection process for these DVD magazines are just that good...

Anyway, issue five has some great stuff in it.  'Death to the Tinman' is a fantastic short about a man who keeps losing body parts, to get them replaced by a mad scientist friend.  This plays havoc on his relationship, especially when his soul- and mind-less body gets reattached as a meat puppet, and his girlfriend decides she prefers its company.

The highpoint of the disc is 'House Hunting' a short film based on a Michael Chabon short story, concerning a young couple who are shopping for their first home, and unstable real estate agent that is showing them around (played brilliantly by the guy who played McManus in Oz).

On the documentary side, there is 'One Day With the SLA', showing what life is like among the Sudan Liberation Army in Darfur.  'Drunk Bees' is about just what it sounds like, and 'Piece by Piece' profiles championship Rubik's Cube players.

'American Outrage' and 'Chonto' were on the Best Of disc I've already watched.  This disc also has two creepy videos - 'Madame Tutli-Putli', an animated short, and 'Echos Der Buchrucken', which is a very disturbing science fiction/surrealist short.

The DVD menu videos include a guy throwing a balsa-wood plane off a cliff, a film of a drum set getting shot to hell by two men with guns (I love the sound when you shoot a cymbal), and a video showing the ability of the man who invented the right-click mouse to hang on to the side of a tree using one arm and one leg.

Good stuff, all around.