NEWS

The 2023 Booker Prize has been awarded to Prophet Song, a dystopian vision of Ireland in the grips of totalitarianism, Report informs via BBC.

It was written by Ireland's Paul Lynch, 46, marking the first time he has won the prestigious fiction writing prize.

Set in Dublin, it tells the story of a family grappling with a terrifying new world in which the democratic norms they are used to begin to disappear.

Lynch said Prophet Song was inspired by the Syrian war and refugee crisis.

Reacting to his win on stage at the award ceremony in Old Billingsgate, London, Lynch said it was with "immense pleasure" that he was taking the Booker back to Ireland.

The author, who was born in Limerick and now lives in Dublin, added that the novel was "not an easy book to write".

Asked about the recent rioting and violence in Dublin earlier this week, Lynch said he was "astonished" by what happened and said "we should see it as a warning".

But he said he was not a "political novelist" and his book was finished 18 months ago.

He said he was going to spend some his £50,000 prize money on his mortgage.

The book is Lynch's fifth and he spent four years working on it. He started writing it just before his son was born and, by the time he finished, his boy was able to ride a bike.

Head judge Esi Edugyan said the panel "sought a winning novel that might speak to the immediate moment while also possessing the possibility of outlasting it".

She added: "In these troubled times, we sought a novel with a guiding vision - a book to remind us that we are more than ourselves, to remind us of all that is worth saving."

Warner Bros‘ feature musical Wonka arrived on three-week-out tracking this week with a revised industry projection of $35M-$40M when it opens on Dec. 15, according to Deadline.

The Timothée Chalamet movie is great with women right now, under and over 25.

The Paul King directed movie began screening to the media this past week with a world premiere set for Nov. 28 in London.

Wonka tells the story of how the world’s greatest inventor, magician and chocolate-maker became the beloved Willy Wonka we know today.

The symposium of Turkic world architects, held as part of a series of events dedicated to the 100th anniversary of Great Leader Heydar Aliyev, has successfully wrapped up in Azerbaijan's city of Shusha.

During the two-day event, organized by the Shusha City State Reserve Department and supported by the International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation, about 60 architects from Azerbaijan, Türkiye, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Hungary made presentations on the restoration, conservation and landscaping of historical architectural monuments in Shusha.

Special Representative of the President of Azerbaijan in Shusha district Aydin Karimov, Chairman of the Board of the Icharishahar State Historical and Architectural Reserve Shahin Seyidzade, Head of the State Service for the Protection, Development and Restoration of Cultural Heritage Sabina Hajiyeva, Project Manager of the International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation Nuri Aksu, Deputy Chairman of the State Committee on Urban Planning and Architecture Ilgar Isbatov, Executive Director of the Office of the Shusha State Reserve Tural Novruzov and other officials attended the opening ceremony.

Then, the architects from Azerbaijan, Türkiye, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Hungary made presentations on historical architectural monuments that are being restored and conserved in Shusha.

The symposium participants also visited historical monuments and mosques, which are currently under restoration in the city. They were also provided with detailed information about the restoration of historical monuments.

The first day of the symposium featured discussions on "The influence of tourists and residents on monuments and the regulation of these processes."

The second day of the symposium began with panel discussions on the theme "Historical urban landscape protection and regeneration policies" and "Protection, restoration and conservation of monuments".

The panel discussions, moderated by an employee of the Shusha State Reserve Muslim Imranli, featured remarks by Mustafa Yigit (Türkiye), Aidar Yerasyl (Kazakhstan), Aytan Abdullayeva (Azerbaijan), Zulduz Talantbekova (Kyrgyzstan) and others. The speakers highlighted the role of the municipalities of their countries in the protection of cultural heritage, the study of historical sites, the history of legislative protection, as well as shared their views and experiences.

The participants also joined discussions on "Protection, restoration and conservation of monuments." The architects from Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Türkiye and Kazakhstan made presentations on restoration, documentation, and the activities of schools for the restoration of architectural monuments.

The event continued with discussions.

Following the discussions, Executive Director of the Office of the Shusha State Reserve Tural Novruzov expressed his gratitude to the architects of the Turkic-speaking countries who participated in the symposium, saying that he hopes this event will contribute to the restoration and preservation of historical monuments, as well as the development of Turkic architecture.

An evening dedicated to the culture of Argentina took place in Baku.

Report informs that the event was organized with the assistance of the embassy of this country in Azerbaijan.

The Ambassador of Argentina to Azerbaijan, Mariangeles Bellusci, noted that the evening is dedicated to two of the most popular elements of the culture of this country - malbec and tango.

"Malbec is a wine of a rich purple-red hue with pleasant fruity aromas such as plum and cherry. Currently, the main producer of malbec wine is Argentina. Tango, in turn, is a dance that personifies the temperament of our people. At today's event, tango will be performed by Azerbaijani dancers. We will demonstrate how dance can become a bridge between the cultures of Azerbaijan and Argentina," the ambassador said.

Participants of the evening were also able to see an exhibition of paintings dedicated to Argentina.

The Palace of Shirvanshahs has opened its doors to the visitors of "My Old City" ("My Icherisheher") exhibition.

Objects, photographs, and documents of historical value are displayed at the exhibition. These items belong to the residents of the Old City, which makes the exhibition truly unique.

All exhibits displayed at the exhibition were checked by experts who approved their authenticity.

The exhibition will continue until November 30.

The Legendary “Blue”, British boy band consisting of members Simon Webby, Duncan James, Anthony Costa, and Lee Ryan, will perform in Baku, at the Heydar Aliyev Palace on February 15, 2024.

Blue is a British boy band whose records have sold a total of 7.9 million copies. In 2002, they topped the British charts with a re-covering of Elton John's classic "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word", with the musician himself acting as the fifth member of the group.

The group have received numerous awards, including "Best Newcomer" at the 2002 BRIT Awards, "Best Newcomer" at the Smash Hits Awards, and "Best Single", "Best Newcomer" and "Best Pop Act" at the Capital FM Awards.

Ancient household items were found in the Guzanli settlement of the Aghdam district, Report informs.

It is assumed that the found household items belong to the Bronze Age. The finds include five copper pots and many pottery sherds.

The samples of material culture were discovered by Lala Abbasova, a former IDP from Aghdam and currently living in the Guzanli settlement, while digging a farm well in her yard. The samples found will be given to the Aghdam Museum of History and Geography.

There are facts about the discovery of such ancient household items by the residents in the territory of the Aghdam district.

An iconic leather jacket worn by Michael Jackson in the 1980s has been bought for £250,000 ($306,000).

Report informs via the BBC that the black-and-white garment, worn by the late singer in a Pepsi advert, had been expected to sell for between £200,000 and £400,000 at the auction.

Wham! star Michael wore his La Rocka jacket while duetting alongside US singer Aretha Franklin in I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me). It sold for £93,750 ($115,000) - also including the buyer's premium - as part of the four-day Propstore entertainment sale.

A 1932 Pablo Picasso masterpiece has sold for $139 million, the second highest price ever achieved for the artist, according to Sotheby's, Report informs referring to BBC.

Femme a la Montre (Woman with a Watch) also becomes the most valuable work sold at auction this year.

It depicts Marie-Therese Walter, the French model who was also a lover of the Spanish artist, and the subject of many of his paintings.

The work had been valued at $120 million before it went to auction.

It was previously owned by the late art collector Emily Fisher Landau, who bought it in 1968, and has been purchased by an anonymous buyer.

Femme a la Montre is a portrait of Walter seated in a throne-like chair against a blue background.

Known as Picasso's "golden muse", Walter was 17 when she met the 45-year-old Picasso in Paris, and the pair later entered into a secret relationship while he was still married to Olga Khokhlova, a Ukrainian ballerina.

Walter became the subject for many of Picasso's paintings, including the 1932 work Femme Nue Couchee (Nude Reclining Woman), which sold for $67.5 million at auction in 2022.

Picasso's most expensive painting to sell at auction was Les Femmes d'Alger (Women of Algiers), which fetched $179.3 million at Christie's in 2015.

Every year, various international events are held around the world to highlight the current role of women in society, and to introduce women who have achieved great success with their skills in their field to a wide audience.

The Global Woman Summit project, which will take place in Azerbaijan on November 19 at the Fairmont Baku hotel, is one of such events, Report informs.

Along with Azerbaijan, successful women who have great influence in social-political, cultural and business life from Türkiye, Italy, Ukraine, France, Russia, Kazakhstan, the UAE, Egypt, Qatar and other countries will participate at the night which will be held by the PR and event company “Reputation” in partnership with the Millionaire Concept Network.

In the first part of the gala evening, famous speakers from various fields will share their rich experiences in front of a large audience, and in the second part, successful ladies will receive a special Global Woman Awards.

The main goal of the prestigious project, which has been organized in Baku for the fourth time, is to introduce successful women to the public, to inspire others by appreciating their work, and to encourage them to do greater things in public life.

More than 60 participants from 30 countries will participate in the two-day Global Woman Summit program.