Beautiful Day!

The Fall of Language in the Age of English, by the Japanese novelist and scholar Minae Mizumura, has all the ingredients of a rage-read. Indeed, when it was published in Japan in 2008, it infuriated commentators, who dismissed Mizumura as “reactionary,” “jingoistic,” or “elitist” and swarmed across Amazon deleting positive reviews. More than 65,000 copies have sold since then—which suggests the slender work’s declinist soothsaying continues to touch a nerve. The book appears this month in English (enemy territory!), where—if we Yanks could be trusted to read something first penned in a non-Western tongue—it would likely inspire more umbrage, more name-calling, more amorphous unease. The book’s basic premise, developed in a sinuous line through seven chapters, is that every language creates and nourishes untranslatable truths. Dominant languages infuse their verities into the wider world, crowding out alternative visions from more minor tongues. Linguistic asymmetry isn’t new—over the past two centuries, Latin, classical Chinese, and French each took a turn in the sun—but never has one language so completely eclipsed the rest, Mizumura says, as today, in the age of the Internet, with English. Continue reading at 'Slate'

[ Slate | 2015-01-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #wider world

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Stationery stores are in trouble, but our love for Valentine’s Day cards burns hotter than ever

In a world determined to dematerialize our interactions with each other, we still crave the tactile experience of an actual card. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-02-11 16:53:38 UTC ]
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There’s no shortage of novels about what happens when the Earth stops spinning. ‘The Last Day’ may set a new standard.

Author Andrew Hunter Murray has thoroughly thought through the ramifications of his conceit. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-02-10 20:30:06 UTC ]
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Rudêncio Morais: Suturas do Amor and the Beautiful, Persistent Threads of Pessoa, by Susan Smith Nash

Book Reviews Susan Smith Nash On the cover of his latest book of prose poems, Suturas do Amor (Editorial Autor, 2019), Mozambican author Rudêncio Morais announces that he is a poeta falso or “false poet.” In doing so, he alludes to the Portuguese... Continue reading at World Literature Today

[ World Literature Today | 2020-02-03 22:12:30 UTC ]
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Johnson met Murdoch on day he signalled general election bid

News Corp owner was the only media baron the prime minister saw in his first three monthsBoris Johnson saw Rupert Murdoch for a “social meeting” on the day he signalled his intention to seek a general election last year, according to new transparency disclosures.Johnson saw the media billionaire... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2020-01-23 20:28:52 UTC ]
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Bloomsbury pre-empts Lisa Harding's 'beautiful' portrait of addiction

Bloomsbury has pre-empted Lisa Harding’s second novel about a failed actress struggling with motherhood and addiction. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-01-07 02:13:45 UTC ]
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Amazon Charts: Kay and Ross ‘most-read’ since Christmas Day

Adam Kay’s Twas the Nightshift Before Christmas (Picador) and Ryan’s Christmas by self-published author L.J. Ross were the most read books since Christmas Day, according to Amazon. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-01-02 10:20:56 UTC ]
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This beautiful coloring book talks to kids about the border, family separation, and empathy

The unfinished illustrations in the book are themselves an act of optimism, encouraging children to imagine a world without lines others create for them. “Children teach us,” writes Ai-Jen Poo, cofounder of Families Belong Together, a coalition of close to 250 organizations working to end family... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2019-12-17 12:30:49 UTC ]
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Charlesworth Press printing 36,000 personalised books a day as Christmas looms

Yorkshire print firm Charlesworth Press says it is currently producing up to 36,000 personalised children’s books every day as Christmas demand for the bespoke items ramps up. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-12-10 19:12:36 UTC ]
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Nosy Crow to mark Climate Action Day

Nosy Crow will support sustainability app Refill to mark Climate Action Day on Saturday (30th November), after being inspired by the indie's recent book Earth Heroes. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-11-29 10:43:38 UTC ]
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David Higham Associates invites 10 to open day for writers from under-represented backgrounds

David Higham Associates has announced the 10 authors who will attend its open day for writers from under-represented backgrounds in January. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-11-28 17:10:16 UTC ]
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On World Children’s Day, the UN and IPA Highlight the SDG Book Club

On UNICEF's World Children's Day, the IPA reminds international publishers that their children's books can be part of the SDG Book Club. The post On World Children’s Day, the UN and IPA Highlight the SDG Book Club appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2019-11-20 13:09:40 UTC ]
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Wishing for Silent Days and Nights (shelftalker)

A review of our least favorite opening lines from customers during the holiday season. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-11-20 13:00:26 UTC ]
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Tuesday New Release Day: Starring MacLaughlin, Gritton, Hamilton, Dunn, and More

Here’s a quick look at some notable books—new titles from the likes of Nina MacLaughlin, JP Gritton, Saskia Hamilton, Stephen Dunn, and more—that are publishing this week. Want to learn more about upcoming titles? Then go read our most recent book preview. Want to help The Millions keep churning... Continue reading at The Millions

[ The Millions | 2019-11-19 10:59:52 UTC ]
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On Finding Islands of Beauty in the Eternal City

What follows is a set of vignettes, or “islands,” from the recently published book Islands—New Islands (Fontanella Press, 2019), where they appear alongside archival photos from the American Academy in Rome. Written in Italian by Marco Lodoli, they were first published serially in the newspaper... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2019-11-18 09:47:44 UTC ]
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Testimonies From the Day the Towers Came Down

The audiobook of Garrett M. Graff’s “The Only Plane in the Sky” offers vivid memories of people who were present at the 9/11 tragedy. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2019-11-12 10:00:05 UTC ]
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Folio: Show Speakers Highlight Brand Power on Day One

Over 700 attendees from publishers large and small convened in Midtown Manhattan on Wednesday for the opening of the 2019 Folio: Show—this outlet's annual industry conference for multi-platform media companies. Linda Thomas Brooks, president and CEO of MPA—the Association of Magazine Media,... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2019-10-31 20:42:22 UTC ]
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‘The Beautiful Ones’ isn’t the memoir Prince envisioned, but it’s a moving look at the singer’s life

The book doesn’t offer a clear-eyed view of who the singer really was — he would have hated that. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2019-10-30 14:42:51 UTC ]
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Scribe staffers get 'reading day' for 1000-page Russian epic

Scribe UK staff are taking a reading day on 7th November, the anniversary of the Russian Revolution, to celebrate and immerse themselves in a 1000-page translated epic: The Eighth Life by Georgian novelist Nino Haratischvili. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-30 10:49:04 UTC ]
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A nine-day fortnight is improving our culture and our bottom line

Encore Digital Media is three months into a flexible working initiative and the early signs are good. Continue reading at Media Week

[ Media Week | 2019-10-28 15:29:26 UTC ]
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At last, we hear the beautiful — and sometimes bawdy — Persian poems by women

In “The Mirror of My Heart,” Dick Davis gives voice to writers from the 15th century to the present Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2019-10-23 17:04:25 UTC ]
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