In March, the Libraries at Florida State University are celebrating “Stories From Around the Globe” by promoting diverse international voices! Our carefully curated collection of books and movies includes multicultural stories, translations, and works by renowned international authors in their original languages. Explore these online resources available through the Libraries, or stop by our physical display on Strozier Library’s main floor, which will be up all month!
We have the perfect cure for those feeling homesick: our Postcards at the Library events! Join us at Strozier on Wednesday, March 22, and Dirac on Wednesday, March 29 from 2:30 to 4:30 pm to send a postcard to your loved ones anywhere in the world. Join us for snacks and an all-around fun time! Take advantage of this exciting opportunity!
Faces Places: A Road Trip with Legendary Filmmaker Agnes Varda and Photographer J.R.
Directed by Agnès Varda, JR
Country: France
Language: French
Kindred spirits, Varda and JR share a lifelong passion for images and how they are created, displayed, and shared. Together they travel around the villages of France in JR’s photo truck meeting locals, learning their stories, and producing epic-size portraits of them. The photos are prominently displayed on houses, barns, storefronts, and trains revealing the humanity in their subjects, and themselves. Faces Places documents these heartwarming encounters as well as the unlikely, tender friendship they formed along the way.
Image courtesy of IMBb. Description provided by Cohen Film Collection, 2017.
Landfill Harmonic: A Symphony of the Human Spirit
Directed by Brad Allgood and Graham Townsley
Country: Paraguay
Language: English, Spanish
This film festival favorite follows the Recycled Orchestra of Cateura, a Paraguayan musical group that plays instruments made entirely out of garbage. When their story goes viral, the orchestra is catapulted into the global spotlight. However, when a natural disaster strikes their country, Favio must find a way to keep the orchestra intact and provide a source of hope for their town. The film is a testament to the transformative power of music and the resilience of the human spirit.
Image courtesy of IMBb. Description provided by Meetai, LLC, 2015.
Ghostland: The View of the Ju’Hoansi: Namibian Bushmen Experience the Western World
Directed by Simon Stadler
Country: Namibia
Language: Juǀʼhoan, English
One of the most ancient cultures on our planet is undergoing a major change. The Ju’Hoansi Bushmen in Namibia are not allowed to hunt anymore and need to converge with our so called “civilized” lifestyle. For the first time the Ju’Hoansi Bushmen travel through the Kalahari and then right into the heart of Europe, leading to a fascinating look at our Western lifestyle.
Image courtesy of IMBb. Description provided by Under the Milky Way, 2016.
Lemon Tree
Directed by Eran Riklis
Country: Isreal
Language: Arabic and Hebrew
A 45-year-old Palestinian woman gets a new neighbor when the Israeli minister of defense builds a house next to hers. The lemon trees that her family planted generations ago are a security risk to the minister, and he demands they be cut down. She attempts to fight his orders and develops an unlikely ally in the minister’s dissatisfied wife.
To access Swank, click “Find my Institution”, find Florida State University, & log in with your FSUID.
Image courtesy of IMBb. Description provided through Swank, 2008.
Minari
Directed by Lee Isaac Chung
Country: Korea
Language: Korean
A Korean-American family moves to an Arkansas farm in search of their own American Dream. Amidst the challenges of this new life in the strange and rugged Ozarks, they find the undeniable resilience of family and what really makes a home.
To access Swank, click “Find my Institution”, find Florida State University, & log in with your FSUID.
Image courtesy of IMBb. Description provided through Swank, 2021.
The Count of Monte Cristo
by Alexandre Dumas
Country: France
Language: English
When Edmond Dantès is framed by jealous rivals, he could just rot away in prison. Instead, he ends up on an adventure that will lead to revenge and redemption.
You can access this resource through the Libraries’ catalog and logging in with your FSUID.
Image courtesy of IMBb. Description by Alysa Salzberg, 2023.
The Metamorphosis
by Franz Kafka
Country: Germany
Language: English
Metamorphosis tells the story of salesman Gregor Samsa, who wakes one morning to find himself inexplicably transformed into a huge insect and subsequently struggles to adjust to this new condition.
You can access this resource through the Libraries’ catalog by logging in with your FSUID.
Image and description provided through Amazon.
Steppenwolf
by Hermann Hesse
Country: Germany
Language: English
Harry Haller has all the insight, all the leisure, all the material goods he needs, yet he is not at peace with his life. A potent combination of Eastern and Western insights into the human search for meaning is given new life in a fresh translation.
You can access this resource through the Libraries’ catalog by logging in with your FSUID.
Image courtesy of Amazon. Description provided by FSU Libraries.
The Tale of Genji
by Murasaki Shikibu
Country: Germany
Language: English
Written by the daughter of a Japanese noble, this 11th-century work of fiction chronicles the life and romantic exploits of the handsome son of the emperor and his concubine during the Heian period.
You can access this resource through the Libraries’ catalog by logging in with your FSUID.
Image courtesy of Amazon. Description provided by FSU Libraries.
I Am a Cat
by Sōseki Natsume
Country: Japan
Language: English
I Am a Cat satirizes the foolishness of upper-middle-class Japanese society during the Meiji era. With acerbic wit and a sardonic perspective, it follows the whimsical adventures of a world-weary stray kitten who comments on the follies and foibles of the people around him.
You can access this resource through the Libraries’ catalog by logging in with your FSUID.
Image courtesy of Barnes & Noble. Description provided through GoodReads.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
by Victor Hugo
Country: France
Language: English
This extraordinary historical French gothic novel, set in Medieval Paris under the twin towers of its greatest structure and supreme symbol, the cathedral of Notre-Dame, is the haunting drama of Quasimodo, the disabled bell-ringer of Notre-Dame, as he struggles to stand up to his ableist guardian Claude Frollo, who also wants to commit genocide against Paris’ Romani population.
You can access this resource through the Libraries’ catalog by logging in with your FSUID.
Image courtesy of Simon & Schuster. Description provided through GoodReads.
This blog post was written by Kaylan Williams, Student Engagement Assistant at FSU Libraries.