Portrayal of liberal lawyer’s dark side praised for its realism by civil rights campaignerOne of the great figures of American literature has suffered dramatic reputational damage this weekend. The unexpected early release of shocking plot details from the new novel by Harper Lee, a sequel to her great work To Kill A Mockingbird, has revealed that the noble hero of her first book, Atticus Finch, in later life becomes a racist who seems happy for segregation to continue in Alabama. It as if the Statue of Liberty had been discovered to have cloven hooves.Lee’s much-anticipated new book, Go Set a Watchman, was actually written before the publication of her masterpiece in 1960. The manuscript contained a series of flashbacks to the early life of its heroine, Scout Finch, and her publisher, who was intrigued by the vivid picture they painted, suggested the author should go away and write another novel based on those passages. Related: Go Set A Watchman: read the first chapter - interactive Related: Go Set a Watchman's first chapter, first review: a beguiling journey into the past Related: Shami Chakrabarti: To Kill A Mockingbird made me a lawyer Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2015-07-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
The summer before my freshman year, a kind family friend gave me a crash course in cultural awakening. She loaded me up with Fuentes, Martí, and Cortázar—all names tethered to any Latin American literature syllabus worth its salt. But it was the works of Gabriel García Márquez that stood out to... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2019-09-20 08:48:41 UTC ]
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After years as an Amazon affiliate, the African American Literature Book Club, an online portal dedicated to black books, literacy and a wide variety of book-related services, is severing most of its commercial ties to the online retailer. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-09-12 04:00:00 UTC ]
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There is much to be said of importance for literary culture in general and black American literature in particular when we reflect on the life of the late novelist Paule Marshall. I will discuss all this, but I’d like to begin with an anecdote about my only encounter with this grand lady. On... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2019-09-05 08:47:45 UTC ]
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In her creative and critical work, Toni Morrison sought to remap the contours of American literature and culture. Continue reading at The Conversation
[ The Conversation | 2019-08-07 06:00:28 UTC ]
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Toni Morrison, giant of American literature and the first black woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature, has passed away. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2019-08-06 14:08:13 UTC ]
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Interviews Matthew Davis Ugandan novelist and short-story writer Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi’s first novel, Kintu, won the Kwani Manuscript Project in 2013 and was longlisted for the Etisalat Prize in 2014. She was awarded the 2014 Commonwealth... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2019-08-06 13:42:31 UTC ]
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All photos courtesy of Hannah Colen. Held in Washington D.C., the Second-Annual Asian American Literature Festival took place this year at multiple locations including the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian Freer|Sackler Galleries, and kicked off at Franklin Park down the street from the Eaton... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2019-08-05 16:16:47 UTC ]
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As an American-born literature scholar and writer who became a permanent resident of Canada last year, I’ve spent a lot of time recently wondering how to differentiate between American literature and Canadian literature. Growing up in the 1980s, I saw these two nations as not just contiguous but... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2019-07-10 11:00:48 UTC ]
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The MIT Press will sponsor the American Literature and Culture program at the 2019 Oxford Literary Festival, marking the first time a university press sponsor has partnered with the festival in this way. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-03-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Retailer insists Authors Guild report that criticised the online giant for contributing to tumbling writers’ incomes used flawed figures, but Guild stands by findingsAmazon has called the conclusions of a recent report into US author earnings flawed, after the Authors Guild suggested that the... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2019-01-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors Guild survey finds writers’ incomes have fallen dramatically in five years – with literary novelists worst-hitA major survey of American authors has uncovered a crash in author earnings described as “a crisis of epic proportions” – particularly for full-time literary writers, who are “on... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2019-01-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Stan Lee's impact on popular culture spurred a billion dollar superhero industry, but the comic supremo's contribution to American literature during a period of intense social change was just as rich. Continue reading at Stuff
[ Stuff | 2018-11-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A new study finds a 'dramatic' increase in swear words in American literature over the last 60 years. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2017-08-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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It's not just your @#%& imagination: American books have gotten a lot more profane over the last six decades, according to a study led by a San Diego State University psychology professor. A team of scholars reports that there's been a “dramatic” increase in curse words in American... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2017-08-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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One of Britain’s leading human rights campaigners and former director of political pressure group Liberty, Shami Chakrabarti, has joined the judging panel for this year’s Book Trust Lifetime Achievement Award. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-06-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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What Twain eventually learned, after an interminable time on the trail, is that turkeys have a genius for feigning injury. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2015-11-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The political writer’s A Short Walk Down Fleet Street vividly describes the characters and culture of a golden age in newspaper publishingWhen I was a schoolboy in the 1970s, I used to read Alan Watkins’s column in the New Statesman every week. Through him I felt I personally knew and understood... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-08-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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People love road trips. Some like 'em more than others. And some like them perhaps a little bit too much. This interactive map from Richard Kreitner and Steven Melendez crams the locations mentioned in twelve road-tripping books including Mark Twain... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2015-08-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Portrayal of liberal lawyer’s dark side praised for its realism by civil rights campaignerOne of the great figures of American literature has suffered dramatic reputational damage this weekend. The unexpected early release of shocking plot details from the new novel by Harper Lee, a sequel to... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-07-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ali Smith has won the 2015 Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction with How to be Both (Hamish Hamilton). Smith was announced as the 20th winner of the £30,000 prize this evening (3rd June) at a ceremony at the Royal Festival Hall, London, hosted by broadcaster, author and DJ Lauren Laverne. Shami... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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