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 ]
Novelists Nadia Hashimi and Helen Benedict join hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss the mistakes American writers and culture made in depicting the United States’ wars Iraq and Afghanistan. In the wake of the 20th anniversary of 9/11 and President Biden’s decision to pull US... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-09-23 08:49:21 UTC ]
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For nearly every type of book, the physical book is not the thing we admire. The merit is situated outside the paper and glue. A novel, collection of short stories, memoir, gathering of poems, all create a story—whatever that may mean—in a reader’s head. A cookbook creates a fine meal upon a... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-09-23 08:49:17 UTC ]
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The author of The Fortune Men will now compete with five other novelists from South Africa, Sri Lanka and the US for the 2021 awardAlex Clark explores how the Booker shortlist tunes in to the worries of our ageJust one British author has made the shortlist for this year’s Booker prize: Nadifa... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2021-09-14 15:25:06 UTC ]
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With Harlem Shuffle, the Underground Railroad author moves from heavy historical fiction to a heist, but he’s still just doing his weird thing. Continue reading at Slate
[ Slate | 2021-09-12 09:40:00 UTC ]
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'Washington Post' investigative reporter Craig Whitlock has the #6 book in the country with 'The Afghanistan Papers.' Plus a cookbook and party guide inspired by 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' also lands in our top 10, and contemporary romance author Helen Hoang makes her first appearance on... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-09-10 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Jamie Oliver's Together (Michael Joseph) has debuted in the UK Official Top 50 number one, becoming his 19th cookbook to hit the top spot. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-09-07 12:31:55 UTC ]
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Jamie Oliver is aiming to find the next big cookbook star in a TV series from Channel 4 and Penguin Michael Joseph, with the winner securing their own book deal. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-09-06 11:26:19 UTC ]
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An author’s historical fiction novel connects the past with the present. (Sponsored) Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-08-31 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Last year, Mountain Dew came out with a cookbook and a signature cocktail in partnership with restaurant chain Red Lobster. In your heart, you knew more food collaborations were coming. Today, the PepsiCo beverage brand is unleashing Flamin' Hot Mountain Dew, a product that's somehow borrowing... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2021-08-25 15:58:07 UTC ]
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There’s something about literary sisters. Siblings offer a unique, complex, and compelling relationship for novelists to explore, so it’s no surprise that so many novels have sisters at their heart. From Jane Austen’s loveable Bennett sisters in Pride and Prejudice, and Louisa May Alcott’s... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-08-13 08:49:04 UTC ]
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Baking blogger Jane Dunn's cookbook Jane's Patisserie (Ebury) has risen straight into the UK Official Top 50 number one spot, selling 44,444 copies through Nielsen BookScan's Total Consumer Market in its first three days on sale. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-08-10 07:50:17 UTC ]
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Interviews Emilio Fraia’s Sevastopol, out this summer from New Directions, is the sort of book that beguiles and dazzles in equal measure. Consisting of three disparate stories—of a mountain climber attempting to scale Mt. Everest, a mysterious loner... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2021-08-09 20:31:30 UTC ]
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News and Events In this second episode of WLT Book Buzz, Laura Hernandez & Bunmi Ishola cover 42 books that connect with history. Find out what they read this summer and why these books should be on your shelf. Partition, World War II, the Tulsa Race... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2021-08-04 15:40:39 UTC ]
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In her latest Graphic Content column, Hillary Chute looks at new books from Kristen Radtke and Lizzy Stewart, as well as a first graphic novel from Anne Carson. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2021-07-29 09:00:05 UTC ]
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In this week’s Dispatches from The Secret Library, Dr Oliver Tearle ponders the links between famous writers and advertising slogans Fay Weldon, author of The Life and Loves of a She-Devil (1983), is one of several famous novelists who started out in the field of advertising. In this connection... Continue reading at Interesting Literature
[ Interesting Literature | 2021-07-23 14:00:03 UTC ]
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Check out the latest pick from Reese's Book Club--a YA historical fiction set in the New South--and #ReadWithReese this summer. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-07-20 19:01:58 UTC ]
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Author and journalist Ann Rinaldi, best known for her painstakingly researched YA historical fiction featuring female protagonists, died on July 1 in Branchburg, N.J.; she was 86. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-07-15 04:00:00 UTC ]
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A K Blakemore has won the £10,000 Desmond Elliott Prize for her "stunning" historical fiction novel The Manningtree Witches (Granta Books). Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-07-01 17:06:17 UTC ]
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Immerse yourself in history from highwaymen to Hollywood starlets with 25 of the best queer historical fiction books to get lost in. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-06-25 10:33:00 UTC ]
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Historical fiction was once considered a fusty backwater. Now the genre is having a renaissance, attracting first-rank novelists and racking up major prizes. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2021-06-13 09:00:02 UTC ]
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