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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Irish author Edna O’Brien dies aged 93

After early novels that won international acclaim but were banned at home, the Irish author had a prolific career lasting more than half a centuryThe Irish writer Edna O’Brien, who explored the complications and contradictions of women’s lives in a literary career lasting more than half a... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-07-28 16:59:31 UTC ]
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Melania Trump to tell her story in memoir scheduled for this fall

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[ The Guardian | 2024-07-26 13:42:09 UTC ]
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6 Major Post-Roe Books on Abortion and American History

With Vice President Kamala Harris the presumptive Democratic nominee, the first presidential election since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade may be the second in U.S. history with a woman atop a major party ballot. These six books, published post-Dobbs, provide insight into an issue... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-07-26 04:00:00 UTC ]
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This $20 page turner will change the way you use your Kindle

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[ PC World | 2024-07-25 15:28:33 UTC ]
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Suzanne Scanlon’s Memoir Confronts the Stories We Don’t Tell About Women and Madness

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[ Electric Literature | 2024-07-23 11:00:00 UTC ]
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A new generation of authors is finally making book merch interesting

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[ Fast Company | 2024-07-22 09:00:00 UTC ]
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Jo Callaghan wins crime novel of the year with story of an AI detective

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[ The Guardian | 2024-07-19 16:29:44 UTC ]
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LitUp Greenlights Fiction Debuts from Underrepresented Authors

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-07-19 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Goodreads reviews of JD Vance’s ‘Hillbilly Elegy’ are stuck in limbo amid news that Trump picked the author to be his VP

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[ Fast Company | 2024-07-16 12:25:00 UTC ]
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American Manga Award Nominees Announced

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-07-16 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Two Authors, One Subject: Zoë Eisenberg and Rhaina Cohen on Writing Intimate Friendships

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[ Literrary Hub | 2024-07-12 08:55:38 UTC ]
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Author Challenges ChatGPT to Writer a Better Beach Read

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Authors ask Waterstones to rehire worker fired after tweet about gender-critical writer

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[ The Guardian | 2024-07-11 10:31:48 UTC ]
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Overlooked No More: Ursula Parrott, Best-Selling Author and Voice for the Modern Woman

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[ The New York Times | 2024-07-10 20:21:55 UTC ]
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4 books by Black Philadelphia women that depict struggle and joy in the City of Sisterly Love

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[ The Conversation | 2024-07-10 12:05:50 UTC ]
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ALA 2024: Authors and Librarians Address 'Soft' Censorship

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-07-02 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Spotify’s new audiobook bundle may reduce music royalties and shortchange authors | Millicent Weber for the Conversation

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[ The Guardian | 2024-07-02 03:23:25 UTC ]
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