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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Audible has commissioned a dramatization of Carmilla, a 19th century gothic vampire novella by J. Sheridan Le Fanu, starring David Tennant and Rose Leslie. The story, first published in 1872, pre-dates Bram Stoker’s Dracula by over two decades. The story is about 18-year old Laura (played by... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-10-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A story about a bobsledding team in the 1932 Winter Olympics, three football titles, one cricket and one boxing book compete for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award. The shortlist features debut book Speed Kings by Andy Bull (Bantam Press) – which marks the first book about... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-10-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The American Writers Museum, which has been in the planning stages for five years, has leased a space in Chicago and announced that it will open in early 2017. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-10-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Allen Lane, while knighted for services to literature, was never much of a reader. Were brothers Richard and John written out of their own bestselling story?Eighty years ago, three brothers – Allen, Richard and John Lane – founded Penguin Books in London. The brothers planned the venture in... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-10-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Attendees at this weekend's Southern California Independent Booksellers Association (SCIBA) show in Los Angeles celebrated an uptick in sales, as well as membership. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-10-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The bit in her book that readers are reacting to the most, says Louise O'Neill, is not the gang rape. Continue reading at Stuff
[ Stuff | 2015-10-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In the French city of Grenoble, there are unusual vending machines that don't dispense soda or snacks -- they print out short stories that look like paper receipts instead. These machines were built by a publishing company called Short Éditi... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2015-10-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The French cartoonist Riad Sattouf spent the earliest years of his life in three dictatorships. One dictator was Col. Moammar Kadafi, the "supreme leader" of Libya, where Sattouf and his parents moved when he was 2. Another was President Hafez Assad of Syria, where they relocated when he was 4.... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2015-10-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Michael Morpurgo has donated his archive, including a handwritten draft of Private Peaceful (HarperCollins Children’s Books) and material relating to the stage and screen adaptations of War Horse (Egmont), to Newcastle based children's literature centre Seven Stories. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-10-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Four publishing CMOs discuss reader and advertising revenue opportunities. The post Folio: Show Coverage: CMO Keynote Panel Discusses Strategies in a Changing World appeared first on Folio:. Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2015-10-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Bookseller and FutureBook invite you to our inaugural Author Day. Now is the time for authors, publishers and the book trade to come together, share ideas and move from discussion to action. At a time of unprecedented change and promise for authors, our emphasis is on exploring potentially... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-10-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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HarperCollins imprint 4th Estate is to launch RE4DINGS, a new video series featuring authors reading extracts of their work. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-10-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Vera B. Williams, noted children’s book author and illustrator, artist, educator, and social activist, died on October 16, 2015. She was 88. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-10-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ben Aitken has set up independent publisher Not Bad Books after writing his début travel memoir, Dear Bill Bryson. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-10-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A little time alone can go a long way in spurring your creative thinking and strengthening relationships.I recently got back from a week of solitude in a house off Buzzards Bay in Massachusetts. I was there to focus on finishing my book of short stories without distraction, conversations,... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2015-10-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The buzz at the Frankfurt Book Fair this year is that more translations are finding their way into English language markets through indie publishers. The post The Life-Changing Magic of Translations appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-10-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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While self-publishers have many resources to choose from in their home language markets, selling rights abroad is altogether more difficult. Ahead of tomorrow’s Author Day, Porter Anderson looks at how indie writers can go global. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-10-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The appointed three-year position, which includes an annual C$10,000 honorarium, means that Michaels will be the city’s advocate for poetry and language. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-10-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Anthology of uncollected writings should secure a reappraisal of notorious occultist, says publisherAleister Crowley, the occultist once dubbed the “wickedest man in the world”, is due for a reassessment as a short-story writer, according to a new anthology of his uncollected writing which... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-10-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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How to challenge extremist propaganda? What makes individuals turn to extremist ideologies? What practical solutions can challenge fundamentalism of all kinds—religious, political, economic—and how can we build multicultural communities that truly function? Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-10-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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