The Portage to San Cristobal of A.H. is a 1981 literary and
philosophical novella by George Steiner (pictured). The story is about
Jewish Nazi hunters who find a fictional Adolf Hitler (A.H.) alive in
the Amazon jungle thirty years after the end of World War II. The book
was controversial, particularly among reviewers and Jewish scholars,
because the author allows Hitler to defend himself when he is put on
trial in the jungle by his captors. There Hitler maintains that Israel
owes its existence to the Holocaust and that he is the "benefactor of
the Jews". A central theme of The Portage is the nature of language, and
revolves around Steiner's lifelong work on the subject and his
fascination in the power and terror of human speech. Other themes
include the philosophical and moral analysis of history, justice, guilt
and revenge. Despite the controversy, it was a 1983 finalist in the
PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction. It was adapted for the theatre by
British playwright Christopher Hampton.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Portage_to_San_Cristobal_of_A.H.>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1776:
American Revolutionary War: South Carolina militia repelled a
British attack on Charleston.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Sullivan%27s_Island>
1841:
Giselle (Anna Pavlova pictured in the title role), a ballet by
French composer Adolphe Adam, was first performed at the Théâtre de
l'Académie Royale de Musique in Paris.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giselle>
1911:
The first meteorite to suggest signs of aqueous processes on
Mars fell to Earth in Abu Hummus, Egypt.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nakhla_meteorite>
1978:
In Regents of the Univ. of Cal. v. Bakke, the U.S. Supreme
Court barred quota systems in college admissions but declared that
affirmative action programs giving advantage to minorities are
constitutional.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regents_of_the_Univ._of_Cal._v._Bakke>
2016:
Gunmen attacked Istanbul's Atatürk Airport, killing 45 people
and injuring more than 230 others.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Atat%C3%BCrk_Airport_attack>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
stonewall:
1. (intransitive, informal) To refuse to answer or cooperate,
especially in supplying information.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/stonewall>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Hatred, as well as love, renders its votaries credulous.
--Jean-Jacques Rousseau
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jean-Jacques_Rousseau>