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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HarperNonFiction has launched an innovative marketing campaign for the early e-book release of Ben Mezrich’s The AntiSocial Network, which will allow readers to manipulate the title's price by micro trading in GameStop stock. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-09-13 00:36:07 UTC ]
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State prosecutors in Nicaragua have ordered the arrest of one of the country’s most prominent writers, Sergio Ramírez, accusing the 78-year-old novelist of inspiring hatred and conspiring to destabilize Nicaragua. With only two months to go until the presidential elections in November, dozens of... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-09-10 15:58:45 UTC ]
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Two new books reflect Western fantasies of how democracy will come to the people’s republic. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2021-09-10 12:00:00 UTC ]
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“Beautiful World, Where Are You” more than lives up to the promise of its predecessors and even exceeds the hype. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2021-09-10 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Lucy Caldwell has been shortlisted for the BBC National Short Story Award for the third time, in a year dominated by new voices. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-09-10 09:37:40 UTC ]
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An open invitation from figures including Nikesh Shukla and Yara Rodrigues Fowler has been issued for people in the trade to form a group that will "change the UK publishing industry for the better". Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-09-10 01:23:23 UTC ]
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"If you can give children hope and empowerment, it makes them much more inclined to do something,” says Hannah Gold. “Frightening children about climate change just makes them paralysed with fear.” Gold is speaking to me over video call from her home in Lincolnshire about her début children’s... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-09-09 19:32:48 UTC ]
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A new collection, ‘O. Henry: 100 Stories,’ demonstrates the allure of this masterful story writer Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2021-09-08 13:00:00 UTC ]
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Dawn Turner’s memoir gives a tutorial of urban decay, White privilege, poor city planning and the influence of fads and digital advances on Black urban teenagers. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2021-09-08 12:00:00 UTC ]
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A government proposal to ease restrictions on the sale of imported cultural works risks harming a world-class industryThe hoopla around the release of Sally Rooney’s new novel on Tuesday – with bookshops opening early, and queues of shoppers eager to lay their hands on Beautiful World, Where Are... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2021-09-07 18:00:33 UTC ]
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The former pro basketball player vows to work on behalf of sexual-assault survivors despite Cosby’s release. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2021-09-07 10:00:00 UTC ]
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PW talks with author and musician Deanna Witkowski about why Williams turned to Catholicism and how she created a soulful synergy of jazz and liturgical music. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-09-07 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The shortlist for the £25,000 British Academy Book Prize for Global Cultural Understanding has been revealed with William Collins titles making up half the nominated books. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-09-06 23:47:10 UTC ]
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The newsletter platform has poached big names including Salman Rushdie along with a slew of comic book authors from DC and MarvelThe subscription newsletter platform Substack announced on Wednesday it had signed an exclusive deal with Salman Rushdie – but he is just the latest in a growing... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2021-09-03 08:00:22 UTC ]
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Daryl Gregory, author of the new novel 'Revelator,' recommends 10 groundbreaking Southern gothics. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-09-03 04:00:00 UTC ]
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An Arts Council-funded scheme to support writers from a range of underrepresented backgrounds has revealed its first intake of 14 budding writers, who will be mentored by book editors. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-09-02 21:17:19 UTC ]
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The story of the First World War has been told in fiction, film, and television many times since the Great War began in 1914. Previously, we gathered together some of the best poems about the First World War, but what about the novels and short stories that have been written? […] Continue reading at Interesting Literature
[ Interesting Literature | 2021-09-02 14:00:03 UTC ]
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American writer Janice Deal’s “Lost City” has won the Moth Short Story Prize 2021, judged by Ali Smith, while Stratford-upon-Avon butcher Kathy Stevens has scooped second prize. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-09-01 16:38:23 UTC ]
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The prize-winning Scottish children’s author Cathy MacPhail has died at the age of 75 following a long illness. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-08-31 17:49:46 UTC ]
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The late Carlos Ruiz Zafón’s collection of short stories, The City of Mist, has gone to Weidenfeld & Nicolson. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-08-31 06:33:59 UTC ]
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