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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Penguin Random House UK c.e.o. Tom Weldon says the company is actively seeking ways of helping struggling booksellers during the coronavirus lockdown. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-26 21:42:26 UTC ]
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Pages & Co author Anna James has created an online and interactive middle-grade book club called The Bookwanderers Club, supported by her publisher HarperCollins Children's Books. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-26 10:05:59 UTC ]
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Avon is putting on a virtual festival to showcase its authors during the Covid-19 crackdown. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-26 01:10:07 UTC ]
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Join author Steph Cha and Joe Ide for a streaming conversation about new L.A. noir. The March 30 event will be live. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2020-03-25 19:15:02 UTC ]
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Chicago authors are spotlighting the unique plight of two local indies that both closed to walk-in traffic on March 16: one bookstore that was only officially open for one day, and another that had changed ownership two weeks earlier. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-03-25 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Niki Chang is leaving The Good Literary Agency (TLGA) to join David Higham Associates (DHA) in April as a literary agent. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-24 09:01:20 UTC ]
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In a stark sign that the U.S. is still in the early stages of the battle to contain the Covid-19 outbreak, the 2020 ALA Annual Conference & Exhibition, scheduled for June 25-30 in Chicago, has been canceled for the first time since the end of World War II. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-03-24 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Head of Zeus is to publish the debut novel of Nicole Kennedy, a former city lawyer. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-23 14:35:00 UTC ]
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Looking for ways to entertain kids and teens at home? Audible has launched Audible Stories, a free service that offers family-friendly educational and entertaining audiobook content. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-03-19 19:24:21 UTC ]
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The trade has pulled together to launch a series of emergency measures to support authors and booksellers affected financially as a result of the coronavirus outbreak. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-19 17:45:38 UTC ]
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William Collins has signed a “bold and sweeping” history of the concept of woman from Oxford University associate professor Merve Emre. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-18 22:15:07 UTC ]
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In response to the coronavirus outbreak and government advice to socially distance, authors, readers and booksellers are thinking of new, exciting and creative ways to launch their books and keep readers engaged after in-person-events get cancelled. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-18 11:27:40 UTC ]
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A reader who fell out of love with short story collections ponders how best to make reading short stories part of the routine again. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-03-18 10:39:38 UTC ]
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The award from the New-York Historical Society honors the first installment of his planned trilogy about the American Revolution, which emphasizes the conflict’s costs and uncertainties. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2020-03-17 12:00:06 UTC ]
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In order to trace the roots of Maggie O’Farrell’s eagerly awaited new novel, one has to travel back 30 years or so, to a chilly Scottish classroom where an English teacher named Mr Henderson was preparing to teach “Hamlet”. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-17 10:49:06 UTC ]
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“Nobody Will Tell You This but Me,” a memoir by Bess Kalb, traces her family history from the Russian pogroms to the American dream. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2020-03-17 09:00:08 UTC ]
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Last night, Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders met for a one-on-one presidential debate, the first—and perhaps last—such event of the 2020 campaign. Under normal circumstances, it would have taken place in front of a (raucous, if recent form is any guide) studio audience in Phoenix, and would have... Continue reading at Columbia Journalism Review
[ Columbia Journalism Review | 2020-03-16 11:56:10 UTC ]
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Sphere is publishing the story of Lee Lawrence, whose mother's wrongful shooting by police in 1985 sparked rioting in Brixton. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-15 22:07:45 UTC ]
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Everyone’s favourite stormtrooper will be developing new movies with Netflix – one of several creators who have turned to enabling the work of othersToni Morrison knew a thing or two about stories. In 1994 she saw the “political correctness debate” as being about “the power to be able to define.... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2020-03-15 18:32:03 UTC ]
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Ken Liu, the Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author of more acclaimed SFF short stories than you can shake a futuristic stick at, will soon be bringing his expansive imagination to the small screen. As Publishers Marketplace announced earlier today, AMC has acquired the rights to the... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-03-13 14:30:21 UTC ]
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