Shetland literature has a short history. Or, more accurately, the long history of Shetland literature has been truncated — the result of a double disadvantage, as far as official histories are concerned: an oral culture, in which few people could read or write, and a language that died out before literacy became widespread.The Northern Isles of Orkney and Shetland would once have been rich in songs, poems and stories, spoken and sung in Norn (the closest extant relative of which is Faroese). But after Shetland became part of Scotland, in the late fifteenth century, the language was gradually replaced by a distinctive local variant of Scots. And by the time cultural collectors began to take an interest in such things, a few hundred years later, Norn was pretty much gone. Only a single full-length ballad, ‘Hildina’, was ever transcribed.Romanticising the pastWhen writers from Shetland did begin to publish their work, in the early nineteenth century, the islands were already being written about by authors from elsewhere. Most significantly, Walter Scott used the islands as the setting for his 1822 novel The Pirate, in which he imagined a rather glamorous version of Shetland’s history, with a particular emphasis on its Norse heritage. That portrayal, by one of the world’s most famous authors, was influential, but it also highlights a conundrum for writers in the islands: A romanticised, exoticised depiction of Shetland may be more appealing to readers than one that shows the... Continue reading at 'British Council global'
[ British Council global | 2020-02-13 12:54:04 UTC ]
Thea Lenarduzzi has won this year's Fitzcarraldo Editions, Mahler and LeWitt Studios Essay Prize, for her "family memoir and social history" proposal Dandelions. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-22 06:21:34 UTC ]
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“To me, nonfiction is an act of translation, and the task for the writer is to bring dead letters to life.” Jessica Pearce Rotondi on writing the family saga of her missing uncle. | Lit Hub Memoir Joshua Sperling on the decade John Berger became an art world revolutionary. | Lit Hub Criticism ON... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-04-21 10:30:09 UTC ]
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Some of the most exciting fiction and memoir is being done in the form of graphic novels. Here are some of the very best. Continue reading at The Conversation
[ The Conversation | 2020-04-20 11:08:17 UTC ]
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Sopan Deb, a culture reporter for The New York Times, has interviewed the cast of Arrested Development, reviewed theater on Broadway, and currently reports on professional basketball. Before joining the Times, he covered Donald Trump’s presidential campaign for CBS News. He is also—I love this—a... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-04-20 08:48:57 UTC ]
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Erica Bauermeister’s latest book is a thoughtful, entertaining memoir of the time she and her family spent renovating the mother of all fixer-uppers. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2020-04-17 22:35:19 UTC ]
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Erica Bauermeister’s latest book is a thoughtful, entertaining memoir of the time she and her family spent renovating the mother of all fixer-uppers. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2020-04-17 22:35:19 UTC ]
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Erica Bauermeister’s latest book is a thoughtful, entertaining memoir of the time she and her family spent renovating the mother of all fixer-uppers. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2020-04-17 22:35:19 UTC ]
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Frank Wilderson weaves together memoir and theory to make the case for Afropessimism. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2020-04-17 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Pulitzer Prize–winning poet and former poet laureate Natasha Trethewey’s memoir tells a tragic and inspiring story that shaped her life and work. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-04-17 04:00:00 UTC ]
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This is Personal Space: The Memoir Show, with Sari Botton. On this episode, Botton speaks with Samantha Irby about her recently released essay collection, Wow, No Thank You. Irby discusses what it was like to move to a small town in the country after a lifetime of city living, how people wearing... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-04-16 20:00:01 UTC ]
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The singer’s latest hit is “Underdog.” Her memoir proves she is anything but one. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2020-04-16 09:00:04 UTC ]
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The book, “The Answer Is …,” arose from the “Jeopardy!” host’s desire to give fans more insight into his life after his pancreatic cancer diagnosis. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2020-04-15 16:08:39 UTC ]
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The book will reportedly feature what the publisher calls “illuminating personal anecdotes.” Continue reading at HuffPost
[ HuffPost | 2020-04-14 20:21:27 UTC ]
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On Tuesday, Simon & Schuster announced it will publish Alex Trebek's memoir, "The Answer Is…: Reflections on My Life," on July 21. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2020-04-14 19:35:53 UTC ]
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Susanna Moore’s memoir “Miss Aluminum” is a provocative look at the early circumstances that shaped her writing career. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2020-04-14 09:00:20 UTC ]
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“I KNEW I WAS QUEER the moment my consciousness had evolved enough to formulate thoughts,” Lydia R. Otero writes in the introduction to the memoir In the Shadows of the Freeway: Growing Up Brown & Queer. In this compelling examination, Otero draws upon decades of experience as a historian... Continue reading at Los Angeles Review of Books
[ Los Angeles Review of Books | 2020-04-13 17:00:43 UTC ]
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This is Personal Space: The Memoir Show, with Sari Botton. On this episode, Botton talks to Hadley Freeman about her fourth book, House of Glass: The Story and Secrets of a Twentieth-Century Jewish Family, a memoir and family Holocaust history published by Simon & Schuster. Botton and... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-04-09 17:00:34 UTC ]
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A former beauty queen lands at Convergent, country music singer Sara Evans brings a memoir to Howard Books; and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-04-08 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Henry David Thoreau’s most famous book is more than a guide to nature. It’s a memoir of grieving. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2020-04-07 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Frank B. Wilderson III talks about his experimental approach to writing about blackness and violence, as well as the solace he found in Sarah Vaughan. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2020-04-05 09:00:00 UTC ]
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