American author Joy Williams: ‘The comfy story has got to change’

The novelist and short story writer on her new book about Azrael, the angel of death, her encounters with Raymond Carver and Richard Yates, and why fiction should be uncannyJoy Williams, 80, has written five novels and four story collections and is the recipient of numerous awards. Her most recent book of short stories, Concerning the Future of Souls: 99 Stories of Azrael (Tuskar Rock), was published earlier this year. Her work ranges from the philosophical examination of being, belief and morality to urgent engagements with environmental catastrophe; James Salter wrote of her that she belongs in the company of Céline and Flannery O’Connor. Born in Massachusetts, she now lives in the Sonoran desert.An earlier collection of yours was called 99 Stories of God, and now you’ve moved on to Azrael (the angel of death and transporter of souls) as the subject. What drew you to him?I read in a WS Merwin collection his translation of Hadrian’s deathbed poem to his soul – Animula vagula blandula – so sorrowful and succinct. The soul, a worthy subject. And Azrael has always fascinated me: he was death, but not death exactly. He was more a gorgeous creation of Islam. I picture him as responsible for all the souls of this ensouled Earth. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2024-10-19 17:00:20 UTC ]
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Book Expo 2019: Adult Breakfast Authors Say Crime Pays in Literary World

Thursday morning's Adult Book & Author Breakfast featured Rachel Maddow, Malcolm Gladwell, Karin Slaughter, Marjorie Liu, and Ta-Nehisi Coates introducing their newest books, with presentations emphasizing the true crimes that inspired each to write. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-05-30 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Live From BookExpo 2019, 'But That's Another Story'

Podcaster/moderator Will Schwalbe recorded his panel with authors Stephen Chbosky, Nicole Dennis-Benn, and Aarti Shahani and turned the live on-site BookExpo event into the next episode of his podcast. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-05-30 04:00:00 UTC ]
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BookExpo 2019: William Kent Krueger Follows in the Footsteps of Mark Twain

Inspired by Twain’s tales, Krueger decided to write about young people, desperate to swap corruption for freedom, who embark on a turbulent river journey. The resulting standalone novel, 'This Tender Land' (Atria, Sept.), combines outdoor exploits and a meditation on the human condition. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-05-30 04:00:00 UTC ]
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DHA selects 12 authors for under-represented writers open day

David Higham Associates has selected a 12-strong shortlist of authors to attend its second open day for writers from under-represented backgrounds. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-05-27 13:34:49 UTC ]
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Readers can’t get enough World War II fiction, and authors are happy to keep the books coming

Pamela Jenoff, Kate Quinn and other authors talk about how they find inspiration for their novels. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2019-05-24 13:00:00 UTC ]
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What's To Be Done With An Author's Pen Name?

One writer, famous under two noms-de-plume ponders killing off his popular pseudonym. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-05-24 04:00:00 UTC ]
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‘The Tiger Who Came to Tea’ author Judith Kerr dies at 95

Judith Kerr, a refugee from Nazi Germany who wrote and illustrated the bestselling "The Tiger Who Came to Tea" and other beloved children's books, has died at her home in London. She was 95. The author died Wednesday after a brief illness, said Charlie Redmayne, chief executive at... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-05-23 19:30:00 UTC ]
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Judith Kerr dies aged 95; tributes paid to Tiger Who Came to Tea author

Judith Kerr, illustrator and writer of children’s favourites including The Tiger Who Came to Tea, has died at the age of 95. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-05-23 17:41:23 UTC ]
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What to read this summer? Ten authors weigh in with their picks.

Susan Orlean, Jeff Kinney and Ijeoma Oluo have their to-be-read stacks ready to go. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2019-05-23 13:57:00 UTC ]
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Change UK pays for Facebook ad blitz amid dismal EU poll ratings

Party is comfortably biggest spender on online election ads, as other parties hold backChange UK has run a last-minute Facebook advertising campaign to try to shore up its support amid dismal poll ratings for the European elections, but most other parties have mostly avoided large spending on... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2019-05-23 05:00:40 UTC ]
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Debut author triumphs with Children’s Books Ireland awards hat-trick

Debut author Kelly McCaughrain has won a trio of prizes at the Children’s Books Ireland awards—a first in the 29 year history of the prize. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-05-22 12:44:25 UTC ]
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Author Reexamines Masculinity Following Attack in New Memoir

In 'Wild Awakening,' Greg J. Matthews describes how a near-death experience transformed both his faith and identity. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-05-22 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Jokha Alharthi awarded Man Booker International Prize, the first Arabic-language author to win

Jokha Alharthi and Marilyn Booth have won the 2019 Man Booker International Prize for "Celestial Bodies," a coming-of-age novel written by Alharthi and translated from Arabic by Booth. Organizers of the literary prize, given annually to a work of fiction translated into English, made the... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-05-21 22:50:00 UTC ]
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Bloomsbury snaps up climate change history

Bloomsbury imprint Sigma has snapped up Dr Alice Bell's book on the history of climate change. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-05-20 17:01:46 UTC ]
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With ‘Orange World,’ Karen Russell delivers the must-read short-story collection of the summer

The eight stories pay homage to fantasy, horror and science fiction greats, while charting new territory. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2019-05-20 15:43:55 UTC ]
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Brooklyn author sets up shop in Cobble Hill

Best-selling author Emma Straub and her husband, Michael Fusco-Straub, opened Books Are Magic in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, so they could fill the "clear and immediate void" formed when their ,... To view the full story, click the title link. Continue reading at Crains New York

[ Crains New York | 2019-05-20 11:00:00 UTC ]
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6 Lovely Children's Books About Asian American Culture

May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, and it’s the perfect time to discover some new stories about Asian people, places, food and culture. Continue reading at The Huffington Post

[ The Huffington Post | 2019-05-20 09:45:24 UTC ]
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Herman Wouk, Perennially Best-Selling Author, Dies at 103

His critics could be brutal, but he enthralled millions of readers with novels like “The Winds of War,” “The Caine Mutiny” and “Marjorie Morningstar.” Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2019-05-18 05:37:00 UTC ]
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