Interviews Weina Dai Randel burst onto the literary scene a number of years ago with her duology about Empress Wu Zetian, China’s first woman leader. After winning the prestigious Rita Award in 2017 and seeing her novels translated into seven languages, she is back now with a new historical novel set in 1940s Shanghai. Keeping with her love of strong women characters, her new book, The Last Rose of Shanghai, centers on a nightclub owner named Aiyi Shao who falls for a Jewish refugee who had recently escaped Nazi Germany. Through their love of jazz, they develop a forbidden bond set during one of Shanghai’s most volatile and exciting eras. Randel is the first Chinese American author to write about Shanghai Jewish refugees, although there have been dozens of memoirs, narratives, and novels about this phenomenon from Jewish authors. We recently spoke over Zoom about what made Shanghai so special and why it matters now, along with the reasons Jews escaped to Shanghai during World War II and how Chinese and Jewish traditions are so similar. Susan Blumberg-Kason: It seems that the popularity of 1930s and ’40s Shanghai rose both in China and the US about twenty-five years ago. Can you talk about the appeal of this time and why it’s so special, both to people in the US and China? Weina Dai Randel: I think many aspects of Old Shanghai appeal to us today. From the late 1920s to the early 1940s, the period of Old Shanghai was a symbol of... Continue reading at 'World Literature Today'
[ World Literature Today | 2022-01-20 14:33:49 UTC ]
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University) ‘Zero Hour’ is a 1949 short story by the American author Ray Bradbury (1920-2012), included in his 1953 collection The Illustrated Man. In the story, which is set in a future America, a young girl is befriended by an alien who needs her help to... Continue reading at Interesting Literature
[ Interesting Literature | 2024-10-23 14:00:07 UTC ]
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The comedian Jenny Slate reads the audiobook version of “Lifeform,” her new memoir about parenting. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2024-10-23 09:02:21 UTC ]
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Spotify has expanded its audiobook service to four new non-English speaking markets: France, Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg. The localized catalog includes 15,000 titles in French and 15,000 in Dutch and Flemish. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-10-15 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The deals are flying fast and furious this Prime Day, and there's plenty to be had from within Amazon's own ecosystem. Right now, you can snag three months of an Audible Premium Plus subscription for just a dollar a month. It's not quite as good a discount as it was earlier this year (free!),... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2024-10-08 19:11:31 UTC ]
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Report finds that books with main characters from minority ethnicities or who are disabled or neurodivergent are written by those who do not share the protagonist’s identityMore than half of children’s books with marginalised main characters are by writers and illustrators who do not share their... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2024-10-03 17:10:48 UTC ]
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'Wonder' author R.J. Palacio’s graphic novel 'White Bird,' a sequel of sorts to 'Wonder,' was published in 2019 and five years later, the film adaptation is set to hit the big screen. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-10-03 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The main event of the global book publishing calendar is upon us, and this year’s professional program will feature a strong slate of panels and conversations about such issues as AI, the booming international audiobook market, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-09-27 04:00:00 UTC ]
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A hip-hop musical about the first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury didn’t exactly scream global phenomenon when it launched on Broadway in 2015. But Lin-Manuel Miranda had such a clear vision for Hamilton that it became exactly that, winning a Pulitzer Prize along the way. Miranda’s boundless... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2024-09-24 12:31:42 UTC ]
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Today, the Booker Prizes announced their 2024 shortlist: six books narrowed down from the “Booker’s Dozen” (otherwise known as the longlist of 13), chosen from a starting pool of 156 books written in English and published between October 2023 and September 2024. Shortlisters are awarded £2,500... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2024-09-16 18:18:32 UTC ]
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Plus: Meta’s AI scrapes the UK, Google digitizes your passport, Chrome syncs your tabs everywhere, and (have you heard?) Apple announces some new iPhones. Continue reading at Wired
[ Wired | 2024-09-14 14:30:00 UTC ]
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The inaugural International Summit of Audio Publishers held September 10 in New York City drew 137 participants who discussed current market conditions, the impact of AI, and what is coming next for the booming industry. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-09-13 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Translating image to sound is a difficult task, but a necessary one for some readers. The team behind the audiobook adaptation of Darrin Bell's acclaimed 2023 graphic novel 'The Talk' explains how it's done. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-09-11 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Jarit has been promoted from head of ACX and North America publisher partnerships to global head of publisher and partner relations at Audible, overseeing the audio company’s global acquisitions strategy through its Audiobook Creation Exchange. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-09-05 04:00:00 UTC ]
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While you can do pretty much anything on your phone or tablet, sometimes having a dedicated device is the way to go. Opting for an ereader can help reduce eye strain compared with looking at a smartphone screen for hours on end. The battery will last longer too, and you won't have notifications... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2024-09-03 14:56:49 UTC ]
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Now in his second term, the director of the Royal Spanish Academy is named Liber 2024's Most Outstanding Latin American Author. The post Santiago Muñoz Machado: Liber’s 2024 Top Latin American Author appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-08-30 21:42:11 UTC ]
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A good performance by PRH US, higher audiobook sales, and contributions from recently acquired companies led to a 13% increase in profits on an 8.5% sales gain at the world's largest trade publisher. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-08-28 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The longtime president and publisher of Penguin Random House Audio Group in the U.S. will join the company’s global executive committee and add its global audiobook program to her purview. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-08-21 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Spotify Audiobooks has partnered with W. W. Norton to produce and release the audiobook of Richard Powers' new novel 'Playground,' to be published in September 24. Spotify Audiobooks has been producing 10-15 titles monthly. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-08-15 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House Audio has opened the application process for the fifth session of its narrator mentorship program, which aims to increase diversity and inclusion within the audiobook industry. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-08-13 04:00:00 UTC ]
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I’m an audiobook evangelist. I rarely go more than a few days without listening to one, and I’ll blast through two or three in a single road trip. But audiobooks are expensive and their prices don’t seem to be moving downwards like their printed counterparts. So, if you want to score a... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2024-08-12 15:12:55 UTC ]
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