cold war

University of PeradeniyaTravels in Sri Lanka, the Holy Land of Buddhism

(46) Thinking about the 1971 armed uprising by Marxist students at the University of Peradeniya in Kandy.

I have been in the process of studying Dostoevsky for the past few years, mostly European history. And now I am learning about India and Sri Lanka.

But I wondered, "What do I really know about Europe, India, and Sri Lanka? What do I think I know about Europe, India, and Sri Lanka?" Coming to the University of Peradeniya made me aware of this question once again.
Learning from the Bosnian Conflict and the Tragedy of the Rwandan Genocide: International Conflicts after the Cold War

7 recommended reference works to learn about the Rwandan genocide - there was a hell there that made me want to turn away...

The Rwandan genocide is so shocking. It could be a traumatic read. It is such a hell. One can only be horrified that human beings can be so cruel.

I learned about the Rwandan genocide this way because of the Bosnian conflict, but reading these books reminded me that Bosnia, Rwanda, and Somalia are not each unique and abnormal, but that we all have something in our nature that allows such things to happen and that we all could have done it. I was reminded once again that human nature is such that such things can happen, and that we all have the potential to do them.

It is a history that we would like to turn away from, but if we do not pass through it, history will repeat itself in a different form. To prevent this from happening, we must learn about the tragic human history.
Yukio Ninagawa and Contemporary Theater

Akihiko Ogita, "Modern Theatre in Japan" - Recommended reference book to link and learn about postwar Japan and theater trends.

This book provides an overview of the history of the small theater movement from its beginnings in the 1960s to the theater of the 1990s through the bubble economy.

I was especially interested in the theatrical world during the era of the Security Treaty and student conflicts, when ideologies were raging, so it was very gratifying to learn more about these issues.

And what I felt anyway while reading this book was the enthusiasm of the theater people. And it is not an ordinary enthusiasm, but a fearsome seriousness of "fighting with all one's might.

This book was very interesting to learn about the relationship between the atmosphere of the times and the theater.
Yukio Ninagawa and Contemporary Theater

Tatsuji Iwabuchi, Brecht: Person and Thought 64 - We can change Shakespeare. If we can change Shakespeare

This book is recommended for a compact introduction to the life, historical background, and ideas of the German playwright Brecht.

Shakespeare was the reason I picked up this book, but I think it was a great way to think about "theater and historical background".

I highly recommend this book to get an idea of the atmosphere of the theater world at that time. I read it page by page with great interest. Why not pick up a copy?
The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire, the Vatican, and Roman Catholicism

Kukai Nanri Kazuyoshi Nomachi, "Vatican: Pope, Time of Prayer" - A book full of rare photos of John Paul II and the Vatican!

In this work, you will see rare photos of the Vatican that are not usually seen or covered.

I have read many books about the Vatican, but I think this book is very valuable because it focuses on the "time of prayer" and covers the ritual in progress. I have also appreciated this work very much.

The work also summarizes the life of John Paul II and shows how prominent he was.

The explanations are very clear and the book is an excellent introduction to the Vatican and John Paul II.
Kafka's City of Prague and Czech Literature

V. Havel's "Audience" Synopsis and Impressions - An absurdist drama about what we should do in a world where "everything goes to shit".

Havel's work is a scathing critique of the post-Prague Spring repressive regime, a critique that applies not only to this period but also to the present. Human beings can become like this at any time and in any place. What should we do to prevent this from happening?

This was also a tremendous work. All of Havel's works are very strong. I sincerely hope that they will be better known in Japan.

I would highly recommend this work.
Kafka's City of Prague and Czech Literature

V. Havel's "Notification" Synopsis and Comments - A masterful absurdist drama about bureaucracy and artificial language and the loss of humanity!

I've seen some crazy stuff...!"

This is the best impression I could get.

I can't imagine what it would be like if I saw this play live.

This was quite a shocking work. I highly recommend this work. It is a "tremendous work," but don't worry about that, as there is a commentary by Dr. Kenichi Abe. It is a wonderful commentary that makes the reading enjoyable. I highly recommend that you read the commentary before enjoying this work.
Don Quixote, the beloved itinerant knight.

Che Guevara, "Marx-Engels Sketch" - What does Guevara think of Marxism? That Guevara wrote a biography of Marx!

This work is very much about where Che Guevara stands on Marxism.

First, when we think of Marxism, we think of the Soviet Union, but from Guevara's perspective, Soviet-style Marxism seemed to be distorted from the original Marx. The Soviet Union had become a rigid bureaucracy, and its reality was different from Guevara's ideal of Marxism.

In this article I will tell you what Guevara thought of Marxism and what I think of it!
Don Quixote, the beloved itinerant knight.

Miyuki Sato, "Guevara's HIROSHIMA" - What did Che Guevara think when he visited the Hiroshima Atomic Bomb Dome?

I would highly recommend this book.

Che Guevara visited the A-bomb Dome. What were his words there?

In this book, you can take a closer look at Guevara's visit to Hiroshima.

Whether you know Guevara or not, this work is a must read. The book raises issues that are really important when thinking about war and the atomic bombing.

Why not pick one up?
Learn about the life and thought background of Marx Engels

(16) The Ideas of the Imaginary Socialist Saint-Simon - Economic thinker who had a huge influence on the later Second Empire of France.

Imaginary socialist is a famous term preached by Engels in From Imagination to Science, published in 1880.

Engels described three famous pre-Marxian exponents of socialist thought, Saint-Simon, Charles Fourier, and Robert Owen, as "fantastical socialists."

He then declares that Marx's theory is "scientific" as opposed to their "fanciful" theories.

In this article, we will first talk about the person, Saint-Simon.