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"Commodifying Violence in Literature and on Screen: The Colombian Condition" by Alejandro Herrero-Olaizola explores the cultural commodification of violence in Colombia. The author argues that the international cultural market has turned "Colombian violence" into a successful brand, which has been portrayed in literature, film, and the arts since the 1990s. The book analyzes various genres, including memoirs, comic books, travel reports, television series, and feature films, to examine how violence in Colombia is portrayed and consumed by global audiences. The author also discusses the impact of cultural commodification on the perception of Colombia and the ethical implications for Colombian authors. The study concludes by considering the branding of peace in "post-conflict" Colombia and the ongoing violence in the country. Overall, the book provides valuable insights into the dynamics of the international culture industry and its impact on Latin American cultural studies. [Extracted from the article]

The long-lasting relationship of the East German production company DEFA with Eastern European cinemas is documented by the great number of co-productions undertaken over the years of its existence. In a canon of DEFA films shot on location in Bulgaria, the 'Chile films' appear as interesting example of cultural hybridity and transnational filmmaking, which have yet to receive scholarly attention. The features Der Übergang/The Passage (1978), Die Spur des Vermißten/Trace of the Disappeared (1980) and Blonder Tango/Blond Tango (1985), presenting East German views about human rights violations that occurred in Chile during the Pinochet regime, were made with Bulgarian, German and Chilean casts and crews. This paper examines the Eastern European physiognomies in these films and their meaning as conflation between East and South in the Cold War dynamics of the late 1970s to mid-1980s. While the films propagate notions of Third World solidarity and fascist denunciation in narrative terms, Eastern European natural and urban landscapes produce feelings of displacement and yearning for an intact place remote from East German reality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mueller-Stahl, Annin. Dreimal Deutschland und zuruck. Hamburg: Hoffmann und Campe, 2014. 239 pp. 19.99 [euro] (hardcover). Dreimal Deutschland und zuruck are the memoirs of actor, musician, singer, and painter Armin [...]