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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Jeremy Dauber's 'American Comics: A History' is a lively historical survey of the American comics medium across 150 years of literary and commercial development. The book will be published this month. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-11-17 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Fay Evans alleges a ‘striking similarity’ between the 2019 Excitable Edgar TV campaign and her 2017 book Fred the Fire-Sneezing DragonThe author of a self-published children’s book about a dragon that causes havoc with its fiery sneezes is suing John Lewis over its 2019 Christmas ad about a... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2021-11-16 14:46:45 UTC ]
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His novels — filled with bloodshed and bodice ripping — sold more than 140 million copies. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2021-11-16 01:36:30 UTC ]
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Authors including Elizabeth Day, June Sarpong and Dolly Alderton are among those supporting a new T-shirt initiative to spotlight iconic female writers, launched by the Women's Prize Trust. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-11-14 18:47:39 UTC ]
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Founded in October 2009 by Rebecca Fitting and Jessica Stockton Bagnulo, Greenlight Bookstore is an independent bookstore in Brooklyn, New York. Combining the best traditions of the neighborhood bookstore with carefully curated, community-minded events, Greenlight has earned a reputation as a... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-11-11 09:49:39 UTC ]
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Legend Press has landed The Tin Nose Shop, an “incredibly powerful” First World War novel by Don J Snyder. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-11-11 06:14:29 UTC ]
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And Other Stories has acquired Aftermath, a new essay memoir by Preti Taneja in which the Desmond Elliott Prize-winning British writer examines the ramifications of the terrorist attack at Fishmongers' Hall. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-11-10 21:27:29 UTC ]
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In his new book, 'Future Morality,' David Edmonds collects writings of contemporary philosophers focused on the moral issues we may face in the near future, including changes to medicine, communication, and humans’ relationship to machines. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-11-10 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Marlowe Granados is the guest. Her debut novel, Happy Hour, is out now from Verso Books. Subscribe and download the episode, wherever you get your podcasts! From the episode: Marlowe Granados: I think that you have to wait a little bit for the correct timing. That was my main gripe with the... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-11-09 09:50:34 UTC ]
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'The Story,' which condenses the Bible into 21 chapters, has surpassed five million copies sold across all formats, 16 years after it was initially released by Zondervan. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-11-09 05:00:00 UTC ]
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With the ongoing climate crisis, public libraries are a temporary refuge from extreme temperatures for low-income families like my own, writes Carol Eugene Park. Continue reading at CBC
[ CBC | 2021-11-07 15:00:00 UTC ]
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The Authors Guild likes what it sees in the federal antitrust suit aiming to block the $2 billion merger of Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2021-11-05 22:15:11 UTC ]
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Over the past few years, there’s been a lot of heated discourse surrounding a trend in book covers in which many new releases opt for variations of the same colorful abstractions: The Blob. Somehow deemed appropriate for everything from dystopian debuts to literary fiction bestsellers, these... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2021-11-05 11:00:00 UTC ]
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Science fiction author Neal Stephenson shares his thoughts on the metaverse, a term he coined, after Facebook's rebrand brought new light to the topic. The post ‘Still a long way from being realized’: A Q&A with author and metaverse inventor Neal Stephenson appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2021-11-05 04:01:00 UTC ]
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Scholars scour religious texts and teachings for a better way forward in new books from academic publishers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-11-05 04:00:00 UTC ]
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In Uwem Akpan’s debut novel, “New York, My Village,” a Black African editor traces tribalism at home and abroad. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2021-11-02 09:00:06 UTC ]
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An embarrassing thing to admit to, but it’s the truth—for the past five years, I have been haunted by a blurb. One night in the summer of 2016, I was scanning the fiction shelves at Unnameable Books in Prospect Heights when I came across the hardcover of Chris Bachelder’s The Throwback Special,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-11-02 08:53:35 UTC ]
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A children's book shortlisted for a 2021 Governor General's Literary Award was written by a University of Guelph associate professor who specializes in the history of Indigenous Peoples and illustrated by an Ojibway multidisciplinary artist. ... Continue reading at CBC
[ CBC | 2021-11-02 08:00:00 UTC ]
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The 2021 shortlists have been revealed for the Staunch Prize’s unpublished flash fiction and short stories without violence to women, while the original book prize is on hold until 2022. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-11-01 12:22:21 UTC ]
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The Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) Daggers will award cash prizes again after more than a decade, with the rules also changing to allow authors to nominate their own books. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-11-01 00:27:57 UTC ]
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