Katharine Viner congratulates ‘wonderful’ arts writer who is already a vital contributor to the paperArifa Akbar has been appointed as the Guardian’s chief theatre critic. Akbar, who will take up the role in the new year, said she was “honoured, utterly thrilled and immensely excited” by the appointment. “I have always loved the Guardian and it has only grown more dynamic, diverse and campaigning under Katharine Viner, not just in its political coverage but across the arts too.”Viner, the Guardian’s editor-in-chief, said: “Arifa is a wonderful writer on the arts, and as a theatre lover I’m delighted she has agreed to become the Guardian’s new chief theatre critic. Her reviews are thoughtful, evocative and insightful; they’re sometimes witty and often moving. I can’t think of a better writer to guide Guardian readers through all that is new and exciting on the stage.”Alex Needham, the Guardian’s arts editor, said: “I’m delighted that Arifa is our new chief theatre critic. Whether reviewing Claire Foy at the Old Vic or a performance in a sauna where the audience are all naked, Arifa brings wit, warmth and wisdom to everything she writes about.”Already a vital contributor to the Guardian’s arts coverage, Akbar has established herself as a critic with a bright, elegant writing style and adventurous tastes. She has been reviewing for the Guardian for several years and has interviewed major theatre talents such as Rupert Everett, Mark Gatiss, Sabrina Mahfouz and Polly... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2019-11-08 10:52:21 UTC ]
Sebastian Barry becomes the first novelist to win the prestigious Costa Book of the Year prize twice. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2017-02-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sebastian Barry, who has won the Costa Book of the Year for a second time, tells the BBC that he dedicated the prize to his son, but reveals his children don't read his books. Continue reading at BBC World
[ BBC World | 2017-02-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The dominance of three honours in the UK can be prohibitively expensive for small publishers, and end up discouraging risk-taking on ‘difficult’ authorsCutting-edge British literary fiction risks being undermined by its growing reliance on a handful of powerful book prizes, a leading literary... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2017-01-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A hit two holiday seasons ago has spawned a cozy cottage industry in a vaunted setting: The British Library is ready to stuff your stockings with crime. The post Holiday Whodunnits for Book Lovers: The British Library’s Crime Classics appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-12-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BBC Radio 1 presenter Gemma Cairney is going to be speaking in conversation with The Reading Agency at The British Library next month. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-10-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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An exhibition to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the first Harry Potter book is to open next year at the British Library. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2016-08-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Twenty years after the publication of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, 2017 show promises ‘a journey to the heart’ of JK Rowling’s storiesIdeally positioned in King’s Cross, just a stone’s throw from the mythical beginning of the journey to Hogwarts on Platform 9 3/4, the British... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2016-08-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Vodafone and the British Library have partnered to make some of the earliest and rarest editions of Shakespeare’s plays available to download from specially-designed wallpaper featuring virtual library bookshelves. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-04-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sales of Frances Hardinge’s YA novel The Lie Tree (Macmillan Children’s Books) have increased 353% in volume terms since winning the Costa Book of the Year, according to Nielsen BookScan data. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-02-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Costa Book of the Year is announced on January 26th. Nick Higham spoke to each of the shortlisted authors, including Andrea Wulf, winner of the biography prize. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2016-01-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Academic booksellers and presses are gearing up for the inaugural Academic Book Week, backed by the Publishers Association, the Booksellers Association and the British Library, with a raft of fresh events unveiled for the occasion. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-10-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The British Library has appointed Tom Holland as chair of the Public Lending Right (PLR) Advisory Committee for the next three years. Holland said: “I am hugely honoured to be taking on the role of chair of the PLR Advisory Committee, which does such excellent work in promoting the interests of... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-10-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Saudi blogger and activist Raif Badawi will share the 2015 PEN Pinter Prize with British poet, journalist and literary critic James Fenton. Badawi was named the 2015 International Writer of Courage, selected by Fenton from a shortlist of international cases of concern supported by English PEN,... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-10-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Jonathan Buckley has won the £15,000 BBC National Short Story Award for ‘Briar Road’. This evening (6th October) he was presented with the prize of £15,000 by this year’s Chair of Judges Allan Little at a ceremony held in the BBC’s Radio Theatre in London. The news was announced live on BBC... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-10-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Exceptional service in the Second World War was a prologue to a publishing career at two influential global groups for Gordon Graham, who is remembered by former publishing analyst Eric de Bellaigue Gordon Graham, who died on 24th April 2015 aged 94, was a past president of the Publishers... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-05-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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With "Downton Abbey" reviving interest in the period between the two world wars, the publishing arm of the British Library has been releasing new editions of forgotten classics published in Britain’s golden age of mystery (considered to span most of the 1920s and ’30s) since 2012. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-03-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The inaugural Folio Prize lecture by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie had to be cancelled after the author fell ill. The lecture was due to take place at The British Library on Friday (20th March) as part of the Folio Prize Fiction Festival weekend of events. But Ngozi was unable to travel to London... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-03-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Poet and playwright Tony Harrison has been awarded the £40,000 David Cohen Prize for literature, honouring his career. The prize was presented last night (26th February) at a ceremony at the British Library. Harrison, now 77, said in his acceptance speech that the award was an "enormous... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-02-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Officials in Birmingham are hoping that a deal with the British Library could help protect the flagship Library of Birmingham from cuts. According to a report in the Birmingham Post, the council is initiating talks which could see the Library of Birmingham become a regional centre for the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-01-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ali Smith and Helen Macdonald are among the winners of this year’s Costa Book Awards, adding to the existing trophy haul for their books. The awards, announced this evening (5th January) on BBC Radio 4’s “Front Row”, also saw wins for Kate Saunders, Jonathan Edwards, and Emma Healey. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-01-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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