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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Fashion Magazines and Their Dramatic September Weight Loss Stories

Here we are in the third year of our September weigh in, and to probably nobody’s surprise, the news is not good. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this feature, we began weighing and measuring some of the top fashion magazines to see how they stack up (literally and figuratively) against... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2018-08-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bola and Seiffert among authors to receive SoA grants

Writers including J J Bola and Rachel Seiffert have been awarded grants by the Society of Authors in its latest round of funding to support works in progress. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-08-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Kidman to adapt Ahern's feminist short stories for TV

Nicole Kidman and the team behind “Big Little Lies” are helping to adapt Cecelia Ahern’s upcoming short story collection into a TV show. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-08-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors overwhelmed by schools' requests for free books

Children’s authors are being overwhelmed by requests for free books and promotional materials from schools with dwindling budgets, writers have told The Bookseller. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-08-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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TarcherPerigee Drops Accused Buddhist Author’s Book

Penguin Group’s TarcherPerigee imprint will no longer publish ‘How to Be Decent’ by Lodro Rinzler amid an investigation of sexual misconduct surrounding the author. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-08-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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NCAC, Authors Guild Slam Trump's S&S Litigation Threats

Following one more threat of litigation from President Donald Trump against a major book publisher, free speech and book industry organizations have condemned the president's attempts to cease publication of books unfavorable to his administration. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-08-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Brown and Williams scoop James Tait Black prizes

Craig Brown, who wrote a biography of HRH Princess Margaret, and short story writer Eley Williams are the winners of this year’s James Tait Black Prizes, awarded by the University of Edinburgh. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-08-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Author Tom Cox appeals for stolen book notes

An author is appealing for help to trace his stolen Moleskine notebook which contained a year’s worth of notes for his next title. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-08-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Woman's Weekly's 'exploitative' contracts anger authors

As well as slashing fees for short stories, the magazine has demanded fiction writers waive all rights to their workThe new issue of the Woman’s Weekly fiction special is out now, promising its readers short stories from writers who “never fail to come up with new twists and turns and unexpected... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2018-08-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Stripes signs debut author Dylan

Stripes Publishing, an imprint of the Little Tiger Group, has bought a novel by debut author Gabriel Dylan for its Red Eye horror list. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-08-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Chicken House to publish Chinese author Chen Jiatong

Chicken House has signed the English language rights to two middle-grade books by Chinese author Chen Jiatong. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-08-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Gaiman, Smith and Ishiguro to feature in British short story anthology

Penguin is publishing a new anthology, The Penguin Book of the Contemporary British Short Story, "a literary treasure trove" of "30 great short stories published in the last 20 years", featuring contributors such as Zadie Smith, Irvine Welsh and Neil Gaiman. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-08-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BenBella Partners with Bestselling Author on E-Series

Author Gwen Cooper has teamed up with BenBella Books to launch a subscription series of Cooper’s cat-centric short stories that will culminate with BenBella publishing a print edition of the collection in November. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-08-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Brilliant and original' history of London to William Collins

William Collins has acquired a "brilliant and original" new history of London by writer and economist Niall Kishtainy. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-08-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Visa delays mean Palestinian author will miss Edinburgh festival slot

The Home Office’s refusals to grant a visa to Nayrouz Qarmout means the Palestinian author will not be able to speak at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, according to her UK publisher. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-08-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'The Great American Read' Vote Count Tops 2 Million

More than 2 million votes have been cast in the search to find America's Most Loved Novel, a fan competition organized as part of PBS' documentary series, 'The Great American Read.' Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-08-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The African American Book Expo Goes West

The African American Book Expo, which launched in Dallas in 2017, will be held in Los Angeles County this weekend. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-08-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Piers Torday | 'Reading, writing, telling and sharing stories are the building blocks of humanity and civilisation'

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe had a lasting impression on author Piers Torday—so much so, that his latest book is loosely based on the classic. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-08-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Political Publishing in the US: Forthcoming Titles and an Authors Guild Statement on First Amendment Freedoms

As Simon & Schuster prepares to release new political books, the Authors Guild condemns Trump's assaults on the news media. The post Political Publishing in the US: Forthcoming Titles and an Authors Guild Statement on First Amendment Freedoms appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-08-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors 'denied' visas for Edinburgh festival

A dozen authors who were planning to attend the Edinburgh International Book Festival have reportedly been refused visas. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-08-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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