The world owes many debts to Boris Franz Becker
The world owes many debts to Boris Franz Becker
.. and an exhibition in Belfast on the Beatles Bungalow in Rishikesh
Photo courtesy: Michael Donald
Hello,
Hope your Sunday is going grand.
I wrote two stories this weekend. You might find them interesting:
Why the world owes many debts to Boris Franz Becker
It's true these are the worst of times for Boris Becker, now visibly condemned by both his country of birth and his country of residence. But will it be all it takes to erase a historic legacy?
The enduring myth around Boris Becker - that you can achieve your goals if you have a strong will and fighting spirit – continues to inspire generations of sportspeople around the world. It’s true that with the successes of Becker (and Graf) paved the way for what followed in German sport. … Above all, Becker contributed to the making of a modern German identity which helped it move past the holocaust. Since the end of the second world war, West Germany pursued a policy of low key, low visibility national identity. Becker was able to transcend this. After the Berlin Wall came down in 1989, he became the symbol of a unified Germany. In all his transitions as a global sports icon from Germany, he did more for his country of birth than any sportsman in its history. In making the UK his home, he was simply running away from the often-toxic media scrutiny of his life in Germany as a national icon.
Today, he is in a prison cell, and can no longer run away – from ignominy and massive debts. But to Boris Franz Becker, the sports star, the world, particularly his country of birth, still owes many debts. Read more here.
And an exhibition in Belfast captures The Beatles Bungalow in Rishikesh.
The Beatles as a band capture a vast range of human experiences; their songs revolutionized pop music and influenced future generations of musicians. Not just this, The Beatles brand today continues to prevail through musicals, films, television commercials, and archival rereleases. All of this is well-documented, supporting a flourishing cottage industry around the enduring mystique of the band. Donald’s photos look at the less obvious, least celebrated, now in ruins. Read more here.
On the poetry front, two upcoming anthologies from Ireland will feature my poems. I’ll share them when they get online.
Please take care.
Happy reading!
Pallavi.