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May
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Posted by Christopher Waldrop
May 30, 2008 |
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It’s time for the Just Write Summer Reading Contest! This summer I’m re-reading Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi.
You’re probably familiar with the Disney version, but the original was darker, stranger, and often more frightening than anything Disney would have gotten away with. Instead of opening with Gepetto making a puppet and wishing on a star, a carpenter named Master Antonio finds a log and decides to make a table leg of it—until it demonstrates a life of its own by hitting him in the shins. He gives it to his neighbor Gepetto who carves it into a puppet which he names Pinocchio. Pinocchio abuses him then runs away and gets Gepetto arrested. There are some familiar elements: there’s a talking cricket (Pinocchio crushes his head with a mallet), a mysterious fairy with blue hair, the Fox and Cat, and of course Pinocchio and Gepetto both get swallowed by a terrible giant Dog-Fish.
Since this is the second Summer Reading Contest I’ll be drawing two names and giving away two prizes this year: a copy of Here We Are In Paradise, short stories by Tony Early, and a copy of A Hungarian Romance, a novel by Agnes Hankiss.
Send entries to just-write (at) contentquake.com
Here are the contest rules:
- Submit the title of a book you’re reading this summer, or even just a book that you like and want to recommend some time between now and July 30th.
- Please feel free to include any comments about the book you’re submitting. Also let me know if you would like your comments to be published. If you don’t want to be named, your explanation will be attributed to “Anonymous”, however I believe strongly in giving credit where it’s due and will also include a link to your blog or web site (if you have one).
- All submissions will be placed in a hat and winners will be drawn randomly. Because of this, each person’s name will only be entered once, but you may submit as many books as you want.
- Entries for the drawing must include an address so I know where to send the book. Address or other contact information will be kept strictly confidential, will not be shared with anyone, and will not be used for any purpose other than mailing the prizes to the winners. This information will be destroyed after the drawing is over. You can still submit books even if you don’t want to be entered in the drawing.
- An article will appear on August 8th, 2008, listing the submitted books with reader-submitted comments about each book.
Comments
Excellent!