Raising the Roof

Keighley News reports the possibility of a new Brontë film with Chinese capital:

Chinese filmmakers are talking with Bradford UNESCO City of Film about a co-production either based on a Brontë novel or the tragic sisters’ own lives.
Representatives from Bradford Council and the University of Bradford were this month due to discuss the project in Qingdao, China, while accompanying a Leeds City Region delegation to explore investment relationships with the second largest economy in the world.
The Bradford team hoped to build stronger relationships in film production, education and tourism, and were touting Haworth and the Brontës as one of the district’s main selling points.
City of Film has already established close links with Qingdao and helped the city to attain its status as China’s first UNESCO City of Film in 2017.
City of Film director David Wilson said the idea of a Brontë film was discussed earlier this year when Chinese film producers visited Bradford and London.
He said: “We took them to the Brontë Parsonage Museum and Haworth. We spoke at length about making a co-production in China – the Brontës make an obvious choice.
“We could either turn one of the Brontë books into a film or tell the Brontë family’s own story. Brontë books are taught as classic texts in Chinese secondary schools.
“We would have to find finance and the right people to adapt the novels, but we have expertise up at the Brontë Parsonage Museum. There are definite plans to make this happen, but of course it might take years.” (David Knights)

Siobhan Athwal (Emily) and Matthew Jacobs-Morgan (Branwell) from Wasted are interviewed by London Live. Fortunately, you can listen to them on a video, because if you were to read them... well, check for yourself:

Reincarnating the Brontës in rock music. For many it may be hard to draw parallels between rock music and classic novels like Jayne Eyre (sic) and Withering heights (sic) - But that's exactly what the brand new musical Wasted is doing.
Reincarnating the Brontë Sisters as eyeliner wearing goths and metal heads - this show is sure to raise a few eyebrows and undoubtable the roof too!

The upcoming Festival of Women’s Writing at the Parsonage is selling out fast, according to Keighley News on the monthly Chapter & Verse column:

This takes place over the weekend of September 22, and 23, and features a number of workshops, and a headline event from our Writer in Residence, Patience Agbabi, one of Britain’s most prominent spoken word poets.
Patience has spent months visiting Haworth and soaking up the atmosphere of the museum and the surrounding landscape, and her performance on Saturday night will involve her reading new work about Emily Brontë inspired by her residency. (...)
We have a number of workshops programmed over the weekend, with one sold out so far, and tickets are selling fast for the others, so don’t delay.
Some of you may be fans of best-selling author Frances Brody, who writes murder mysteries, set in 1920s Yorkshire, featuring Kate Shackleton, First World War widow turned detective. Her most recent book A Snapshot of Murder, set in 1920s Haworth, is due out on October 25.
In a three-hour crime writing workshop with Frances on Saturday morning, you’ll explore the different approaches to writing a crime novel, with practical advice on creating characters, shaping plots and finding the right setting.
Saturday afternoon’s workshop is focused on writing online – a burgeoning industry! The workshop leader is Marisa Bate, journalist, author and speaker with a particular focus on women’s issues. Marisa will guide workshop participants through the differences between writing online and print content, finding the right tone and style and engaging with readers.
We also have tickets left for the Sunday morning self-editing workshop with novelist Emma Darwin, where participants will learn how to tackle that crucial second draft. Tickets for all the workshops cost between £22.50 and £27.50, and take place at Ponden Hall, Stanbury.
We also have a handful of tickets left for our intimate Parsonage Unwrapped evening on Friday September 28. To mark the centenary of partial female suffrage, this event focuses on the working lives of the women of the Parsonage in the 19th century – both the Bronte sisters and their servants. Tickets cost £20/£17.50 and include a glass of wine.
And our free Tuesday talk on October 2 focuses on Critical Responses to Wuthering Heights, so join us to learn what all the fuss was about when the novel was first published, and how critical opinion has shifted through the decades. (Diane Fare)

Hufvudstadsbladet and Västra Nyland (in Swedish) reviews the current Åbo Svenska Teaters Jane Eyre production:

Susanna Airaksinens regi och Tuuli Heinonens tolkning av Jane Eyre, hennes personlighet, situation och utveckling är uppdaterad och koncentrerad. Samtidigt har den tydliga beröringspunkter och springer ur Charlotte Brontës nyanserade och mustiga roman.
Heinonens rollgestalt utstrålar samma starka vilja som romanens Jane Eyre, hon är skarp och allt hon säger och gör är inte så tillrättalagt, men hon vill inget hellre än att bli accepterad, inbjuden, omfattad och älskad. Hon vill leva efter egen bestämmelse på sitt eget sätt och hon går inte med på vad som helst. I den meningen är hon lika i takt med tiden år 1850 när romanen först kom ut som i dag. Allra först tycker man kanske att hon är lite vulgär, men det var sådan Jane Eyre uppfattades av sin samtid. Replikerna är nya, innebörden densamma. (Barbro Enckell-Grimm) (Translation)

I övrigt är den första akten lysande genomförd, trots en något omständlig inledning, medan den andra akten stundvis tappar farten ordentligt. En möjlig förklarning ligger naturligtvis i källmaterialets uppbyggnad och de konflikter som behöver äga rum, men också i frånvaron av de slående visuella uttryck som pjäsen inledningsvis bjuder på i fråga om scenografi och koreografi. Icke desto mindre är helhetsintrycket att Åbo svenska teater i och med denna uppsättning av Jane Eyre ger ett av sina mest kvalitativa skådespel hittills.
I Jane Eyre iscensätter slipade skådespelare en av de verkligt stora litterära klassikerna och gör det med bravur. Som den bestämda och impulsiva Jane ser vi Tuuli Heinonen med sitt imponerande känsloregister. Trots de tvära kast mellan intensiva utbrott och undergivenhet som rollen Jane Eyre kräver vacklar Heinonens prestation aldrig och valet av Heinonen ger ytterligare en dimension till tematiken om utanförskap och vem som får vara med och på vilka villkor. Den charmanta men ombytliga Rochester spelas av Aaro Wichmann, vars entré till häst utgör en av pjäsens absoluta humoristiska höjdpunkter. Med glimten i ögat skildrar Wichmann Edward Rochester som en sprittande ungkarl med en mörk hemlighet och kemin mellan Wichmanns Rochester och Heinonens Jane Eyre går inte att ta miste på. Den övriga ensemblen håller samma höga klass, där Amanda Nymans Bertha Antoinette som den galna kvinnan på vinden är synnerligen övertygande. (Rebecca Mattbäck) (Translation)

Financial Times reviews the novel Normal People by Sally Rooney:

In Jane Eyre, Brontë’s protagonist proclaims that “there is no happiness like that of being loved by your fellow creatures” — for Marianne, this involves being accepted, while Connell realises that to be loved by many is not to be understood by them. They’re as real as anyone you’ll meet. It’s a triumph. (Zoë Apostolides)

The Daily Times (Pakistan) vindicates a local scholar:

One such hero is the scholar-activist Dr. Ayesha Leghari, the champion of the great Sufi scholar-saint Sheikh Ibn Arabi.
She is a voracious reader: “My favourite book,” she explained to me, “is of course the Quran followed by The Life of Muhammad by Martin Lings. These days I am reading The Study Quran edited by Seyyed Hossein Nasr. It is a phenomenal contribution to the English speaking world for a better understanding of the Sunni, Shia and Sufi Quranic translation and commentary tradition.” Her influences are expectedly broad, from Bulleh Shah, Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai, Hafez, and Rumi to Shakespeare, Victor Hugo, Voltaire, and the Brontë sisters. (Akbar Ahmed)

The Haworth Band is changing quarters according to Keighley News. Furthermore,

In July, the band was filmed by Channel 4 performing Kate Bush’s 1970s song Wuthering Heights as part of the 200th anniversary of the birth of the novel’s writer Emily Brontë.
The performance is due to be broadcast on TV this autumn. Wuthering Heights was specially for brass band by Steve Williams, the band’s musical director. (David Knights)

Paula Hawkins is no Brontëite. We read in The Guardian:

The book that is most overrated
I’m afraid I never liked Jane Eyre, not when I read it at school and not when I returned to it later – I found Mr Rochester insufferable. I did enjoy returning to the characters in Jean Rhys’s Wide Sargasso Sea, though.

Creepy romances in Bustle:

Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye.
Yes, Jane Eyre is classic and all, but have you considered Jane Eyre... but with murder? Jane Steele is sort of a Jane Eyre retelling, and sort of a Jane Eyre-inspired quest for vengeance. It stars our titular Jane, who's out to right the wrongs of England's have-nots. But when Highgate House seeks a governess, she must find a way to possess the mysterious Charles Thornfield without revealing too much of her all too bloody past. (Charlotte Ahlin)

The Copenhagen Post is categorical about preBrexit England:

If England were a screen character, it would have been a movie matinee idol for most of the last millennium: a strong, silent type like Heathcliffe (sic) in Wuthering Heights. But as the 20th century wore on, its star billing faded. And today, it’s the main character in a sitcom. (Ben Hamilton)

The Telegraph (India) thinks that Agatha Christie's Endless Night shares atmosphere with Wuthering Heights:

The way the characters are built to create an atmosphere similar to Wuthering Heights is fantastic.

South China Morning Post talks about a new exhibition in Hong Kong:

Crush art exhibition brings together artists exploring the dark side of love
From video works to paintings to ink drawings, local artists explore the dark realities of love in this exhibition curated by Qu Chang at Para Site in Quarry Bay
The fictional world is littered with doomed lovers, from the big screen (Titanic, Brokeback Mountain) to literary classics such as Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights. (Kylie Knott)

Stop this wedding! for real. In Standard Media (Kenya):

I’ve read a similar story in one of my favourite books, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. I have put myself in the subject’s shoes every time I have read the book. Each time, I have been in a different stage of life, the most recent as a woman who once walked down a similar aisle. (Christine Koech)

Shemazing reviews the essay Feminists Don't Wear Pink and other lies by Scarlett Curtis:

Women like J.K Rowling, Emily Brontë, Sylvia Plath, Maya Angelou and Margaret Atwood will forever be remembered for their wonderful words. They are historical icons in the literary world and have paved the way for many female authors. (Kat O'Connor)

Condé Nast Traveler on a new flight Boston-Honolulu:

Need tips for surviving the nearly 12-hour flight? Our editors shared their tricks that make the getting there just a little more enjoyable. As for what to do? So glad you asked: With 11 hours to spare, you've got enough time to watch Paddington 2 (Rotten Tomatoes score of 100 percent, thank you very much) six times, catch up on the entire first season of Game of Thrones, or read Jane Eyre cover to cover. (Meredith Carey)

Lucca in Diretta reviews the book Piuttosto m'affogherei by Valeria Palumbo

La Palumbo inizia da lì per analizzare come è cambiata la concezione della donna nella società da quando la scelta era ridotta sostanzialmente a tre destini (matrimonio, convento, bordello) a quando le scrittrici come Jane Austen, e poi via via Charlotte, Emily e Anne Brontë, George Eliot, Louisa Alcott misero a nudo il “mercato del matrimonio” e introdussero il principio che ci si sposa solo se si vuole, compiendo una rivoluzione. (Translation) 

L'Express (France) on Balthus's works:

Provocation et transgression sont très tôt la grande affaire du peintre. C'est ainsi que sa première exposition personnelle, en avril 1934, à la Galerie Pierre, a l'effet d'une bombe. Sur les cimaises, entre autres compositions explosives, il y a la sulfureuse Leçon de guitare, ou encore La Toilette de Cathy sur laquelle Balthus s'intéresse aux protagonistes des Hauts de Hurlevent. Sa future femme, la Bernoise Antoinette de Watteville, prête ses traits à l'héroïne du roman d'Emilie Brontë; lui-même incarne Heathcliff. (Letizia Dannery) (Translation)

The Garrett County Republican publishes the new season of  the West Virginia University School of Theatre and Dance which includes a production of Jen Silverman's The Moors (Sept 21-30). Thy Lyre posts about Jane Eyre. Drewnyany Most (in Polish) reviews the My Plain Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton and Jodi Meadows.