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 ]
Doctors, novelists and other writers are exploring, as quickly as they can, the pandemic’s impact on a country that was among its earliest victims. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2020-04-09 14:40:54 UTC ]
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For many, staying indoors is an unsettling experience. It’s been heartening to see the imaginative leaps being taken by many organisations and artists to help us through – sitting-room gigs, free theatre streams, virtual tours of museums and archives and galleries – but given the limitless... Continue reading at British Council global
[ British Council global | 2020-04-06 11:36:00 UTC ]
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History books are great for sharing a macro-level view of the past, but historical fiction reveals truths about the way people lived in history. The post Historical Fiction: Discover New Truths in the Past by Eliot Pattison appeared first on Writer's Digest. Continue reading at Writer's Digest
[ Writer's Digest | 2020-04-04 12:00:35 UTC ]
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Bloomsbury Absolute is set to publish Calum Franklin's debut cookbook in the autumn. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-03 05:46:12 UTC ]
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The moment they hit the press, the reviews for The Mirror And The Light were glowing. A “shoo-in for the Booker Prize” said the Guardian. “A masterpiece of historical fiction” according to the Independent. “Does it merit another Booker?” asks the Evening Standard, before concluding “yes it... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-27 10:51:38 UTC ]
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Cultural Cross Sections Baret Magarian Photos by Pierpaolo Florio A novelist living in quarantine in Florence looks back at Italy’s cultural history and then forward, considering whether something positive might rise from the ruins that the virus will... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2020-03-23 21:14:07 UTC ]
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Two novelists have partnered to build A Mighty Blaze, a initiative to promote other authors and their new books on social media. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-03-23 04:00:00 UTC ]
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First-time novelists with books out or coming soon talk about their changes of plans and how they’re spending these unusual days. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2020-03-18 20:00:14 UTC ]
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For centuries, novelists and fiction writers have imagined what plagues and virus outbreaks could look like, and many readers are seeking these books out amid concerns about the coronavirus. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2020-03-12 09:00:29 UTC ]
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Conran Octopus has signed a cookbook from Japanese TV chef and restaurateur Harumi Kurihara that “takes cooking back to basics and shows you how to master Japanese recipes to impress friends and family”. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-11 14:35:33 UTC ]
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It’s been a day since the publication of The Mirror and the Light—the final installment of Hilary Mantel’s celebrated trilogy about Tudor England, starring the enigmatic Thomas Cromwell—so you’ve already blazed through it, right? Well, whether you have already or you’re about to, once you’ve... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-03-11 08:55:24 UTC ]
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Jamie Oliver has revealed the cover for his latest cookbook, 7 Ways, which will offer new takes on supermarket staples. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-10 06:26:08 UTC ]
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The Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction has unveiled this year’s longlist after "lively debates" among the judges. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-09 10:22:42 UTC ]
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The debut middle-grade author answers questions about writing and publishing her folklore-inspired historical fiction set in Communist Romania. The post Breaking In: An Interview with Debut Middle-Grade Author J. Kaspar Kramer by Cassandra Lipp appeared first on Writer's Digest. Continue reading at Writer's Digest
[ Writer's Digest | 2020-03-06 16:37:35 UTC ]
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We can’t stop telling stories about pandemics, even as we wait for one to hit us. As coronavirus spreads across the world, so have headlines about the ways that storytellers, from those in Babylonia to contemporary novelists and Hollywood, have used infectious disease for narrative effect. The... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-03-02 16:51:35 UTC ]
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My Dark Vanessa author Kate Elizabeth Russell was driven to reveal details of her past when accused of inauthenticity – but should we be seeking the truth elsewhere?Our world, more than at any time in history, is all about stories. Snapchat feeds capture your entire day, Instagram users... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2020-03-02 06:00:36 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House is publishing a new cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi in September, written alongside Ixta Belfrage: Ottolenghi Flavour. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-02-26 00:45:48 UTC ]
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The authors of “Rage Baking” started a different conversation than they intended. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2020-02-22 02:12:36 UTC ]
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Bloomsbury Absolute has bagged a cookbook from Tom Kerridge featuring recipes from his two Michelin-starred pub, the Hand & Flowers. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-02-20 20:14:56 UTC ]
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Mitchell Beazley has announced a new cookbook from Sabrina Ghayour, the author of Persiana, called Simply: Easy Everyday Dishes. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-02-17 21:53:49 UTC ]
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