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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'Gutting': News Corp Australia's newspaper print closures will leave 'thousands of stories' untold

Readers and former staff decry a terrible day for journalism and express grief at job cutsDevoted readers and former staff of Australia’s local newspapers have expressed their grief at News Corp Australia’s announcement of significant job cuts and the print closure of more than 100 local and... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2020-05-28 03:36:58 UTC ]
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Lockdown is 'opportunity for systemic change', says Jhalak Prize founder

Sunny Singh, the co-founder of the Jhalak Prize, has said lockdown caused by the pandemic is an opportunity to reassess equality in the industry. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-05-27 11:18:23 UTC ]
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Salman Rushdie, Diana Gabaldon and other authors reflect on the books they find most transporting

This summer, instead of squeezing one more book into our suitcases, we’ll need what we read to transport us to faraway places. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-05-27 06:00:00 UTC ]
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WORD Bookstore and Authors Team Up for Charity

All this week WORD Bookstores in Brooklyn and New Jersey will donate 10% of the purchase prices of books by a rotating group of authors to a different charity each day. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-05-27 04:00:00 UTC ]
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BookExpo 2020: The Stories Behind Six Buzz Books

PW contacted the editors of this coming season’s most talked about adult titles to find out how they discovered each book and why they wanted it for their list. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-05-26 04:00:00 UTC ]
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BookExpo 2020: Celebrating Books and Authors Online

As the coronavirus panedmic rages on, BookExpo and BookCon are offering six days of virtual book programming in lieu of an in-person show. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-05-22 04:00:00 UTC ]
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HarperCollins lands 'remarkable' stories of RNLI rescues

HarperCollins has landed a book by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution recounting some of its most dramatic rescues. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-05-22 01:34:27 UTC ]
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What now for authors? On writing, coping and facing the future

Sanjana Varghese had been working as a freelance journalist in London for around a year when the coronavirus pandemic hit.  As countries around the world went into lockdown, many organisations froze their commissioning budgets, while others halted business entirely. Several of the pieces... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-05-21 20:08:07 UTC ]
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My 6 Favorite Cookbook Authors and Their One Must-Have Cookbook

Check out tried-and-true recipes crafted by these skilled chefs, and keep these must-have cookbooks at the ready in your kitchen library. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2020-05-21 10:38:04 UTC ]
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Watch 'Station Eleven' author Emily St. John Mandel at the L.A. Times Book Club

Emily St. John Mandel, author of the pandemic bestseller "Station Eleven," discusses her novels with the L.A. Times Book Club. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2020-05-19 23:03:32 UTC ]
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Mirror Books to publish Martin and Shirlie Kemp's love story

Mirror Books has acquired Martin and Shirlie Kemp's joint autobiography in a world rights deal to publish this October. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-05-19 20:52:39 UTC ]
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Welbeck signs three-book deal with debut author Ben Creed

Welbeck Publishing Group has signed a three-book deal with debut historical writer Ben Creed.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-05-17 20:25:57 UTC ]
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Adam wins Authors' Club Best First Novel Award

Claire Adam has scooped the Authors' Club Best First Novel Award for her “outstanding” novel Golden Child (Faber). Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-05-17 13:26:01 UTC ]
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Pan Mac virtual author tour to support bookshops

Pan Mac authors will embark on a 10-day virtual tour of high street bookshops this month with writers including Kate Mosse, Ann Cleeves and Prue Leith focusing on stores that mean something to them personally. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-05-17 12:59:10 UTC ]
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Artemis Fowl author Eoin Colfer to headline virtual Writers' Weekend

Eoin Colfer, author of the Artemis Fowl series, will be the keynote speaker at the virtual Writers' Weekend, a four-day conference that will now be live streamed from 9th-12th July.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-05-15 23:55:15 UTC ]
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Nick Kotz, Crusading Journalist and Author, Dies at 87

He won a Pulitzer Prize for exposing unsafe conditions in meatpacking plants. He also wrote about hunger in America and the politics of the B-1 bomber. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2020-05-15 17:19:24 UTC ]
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YA Authors Move Online

Debut and veteran novelists dive into the world of digital events amid the pandemic. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-05-15 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Coronavirus Impact: Europe’s Aldus Report Reveals Book Fair Changes

An Aldus network report predicts cancellations, postponements, and other adjustments to European book fairs in the pandemic could affect 6,500+ exhibitors in 2020. The post Coronavirus Impact: Europe’s Aldus Report Reveals Book Fair Changes appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-05-14 16:20:19 UTC ]
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The story behind ‘The Great Realisation,’ a post-pandemic bedtime tale that has captured the hearts of millions

A video-poem by Tom Roberts has caught the attention of Hollywood and will likely become a children’s book. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-05-14 11:00:00 UTC ]
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'It's a real battle': African authors fight for publishing independence

Francophone African books are still very often published by French imprints, which can make them hard to get at home. But there is a growing push for changeWhen Cameroonian author Daniel Alain Nsegbe first saw his debut novel for sale in his home city of Douala, the price was so high “you would... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2020-05-14 09:59:14 UTC ]
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