Interviews Renee H. Shea Monique Truong / Photo © Haruka Sakaguchi Monique Truong, who came to the United States in 1975 as a refugee from Vietnam, began exploring untold and ignored histories in her first novel, The Book of Salt (2003), told through the voice of Binh, the cook of Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas in Paris. Her autobiographical second novel, Bitter in the Mouth (2010) is a coming-of-age story set in North Carolina. In her most recent novel, The Sweetest Fruits (Viking, 2019), Truong tells the story of Lafcadio Hearn from the perspective of three women: his mother, Rosa; his first wife, Alethea; and his Japanese wife, Setsu. Shea: At its core, The Sweetest Fruits is a story about storytelling—and it’s Russian dolls of narrative! It’s not only that three different women have their say about Hearn and their relationship with him, but each is telling her story to a specific audience—so issues of mediation and agency add further complications, as do oral vs. written stories and translation. How did you arrive at this approach instead of just telling the story in the voice of one person, then the next, then the next? Truong: This question is a Russian doll of inquiries! You’re absolutely right that the novel is interested in the different ways that stories are transmitted to us: oral vs. written, in our mother tongue vs. in translation, private story vs. public history, women’s voices vs. men’s, face-to-face vs.... Continue reading at 'World Literature Today'
[ World Literature Today | 2019-09-17 13:54:26 UTC ]
These novels remind us that people have made horrible mistakes since the beginning of time. (They also contain love, joy and triumph!) Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2022-05-27 20:30:21 UTC ]
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Twist and shout: Get ready to treat yourself and mix it up with these 20 must-read genre-blending historical fiction books, including Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin! Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2022-05-12 10:40:00 UTC ]
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Monique Roffey, the Costa-winning author of The Mermaid of Black Conch, on the lit-boom that’s happening on the Caribbean islandLast week, Trinidadian writer Lisa Allen-Agostini’s novel The Bread the Devil Knead landed a coveted spot on the Women’s prize shortlist. As a fellow Trinidadian... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2022-05-03 13:03:34 UTC ]
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Author Christopher M. Cevasco says there's a surprising lack of crossover between the two. Continue reading at Wired
[ Wired | 2022-04-29 16:00:00 UTC ]
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Earth, air, fire, or water, there is the perfect astrology cookbook to satiate your sign's hunger. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2022-04-29 10:35:00 UTC ]
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“The historian will tell you what happened. The novelist will tell you what it felt like.” I’ve always found these words by E.L. Doctorow a compelling argument for the unique power of fiction to enliven the past. Yet when thinking about the lives of people of color in America, you can’t count on... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-04-29 08:49:53 UTC ]
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A chance encounter in the National Library of Australia’s digital archive holds clues about an 1843 cookbook published in Parramatta. Continue reading at The Conversation
[ The Conversation | 2022-04-26 19:56:33 UTC ]
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Filmmakers, novelists and photographers, among others, also shape our collective memory, Richard Cohen writes. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2022-04-22 12:00:50 UTC ]
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Interviews Eloghosa Osunde and Okwiri Oduor. Photo of Oduor by Chelsea Bieker. It’s hard to argue with Booker Prize–winning author Damon Galgut’s assertion that 2021 was “a great year for African writing.” And as WLT’s “New African Voices” issue... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2022-04-21 13:41:40 UTC ]
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L.A.'s authors, from 19th century novelists to Wanda Coleman to Steph Cha, have always pushed genre boundaries and dissected California myths. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-04-14 13:00:55 UTC ]
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The theatre is a perennially popular setting for novelists and no wonder. The tawdry glamour and sense of spectacle make it a rich gift for any author, but it’s what happens behind the scenes that I find the most interesting. This is particularly true for those novels set on the 19th-century... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2022-04-14 11:00:00 UTC ]
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Guardian photographer who captured most of the main events and notable people from the early 1960s to the late 90sThe photographer Frank Martin, who has died aged 89, was on the staff of the Guardian from 1964 to 1997, creating an extensive body of work that covered news, arts, fashion, politics... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2022-04-13 16:01:26 UTC ]
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What’s the point of buying a cookbook when online recipes are just a click away? I'd argue that we need cookbooks more than ever, here's why. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2022-04-11 10:36:00 UTC ]
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Last month, our reviewers fell for emotional memoirs, deeply researched historical fiction and a new Maisie Dobbs installment. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2022-04-02 10:00:12 UTC ]
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Share a little bit about historical eras you wish you were part of and get your next historical fiction read. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2022-03-15 10:38:00 UTC ]
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Three authors joined author/moderator Emma Straub in a thought-provoking keynote panel, “Storytelling in the Cultural Moment,” to begin the third day of ABA's Snow Days online conference. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-03-11 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Whether they’re a budding chef, or clueless in the kitchen, these cookbooks for teens, including The Super Easy Teen Cookbook by Christine Hitchcock, will help teens learn a huge variety of cooking skills. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2022-03-10 11:37:00 UTC ]
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‘The Paris Bookseller’ by Kerri Maher and ‘The Diamond Eye’ by Kate Quinn are among several great new works of historical fiction. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2022-03-02 15:27:34 UTC ]
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Dig into these historical fiction titles that take inspiration from true crime. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2022-02-27 11:32:00 UTC ]
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Just because the 2020s aren't quite living up to the hype of the 1920s doesn't mean we can't enjoy some great twenties historical fiction. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2022-02-26 11:32:00 UTC ]
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