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 ]
During one of my first open mics in New York City, the comic running the mic tapped me on the elbow after my set and said, “Hey, you’re funny!” She sounded surprised. I was, too. Being funny wasn’t my main goal. I was there to spy on comics, trying to experience the highs and lows […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2019-07-31 08:49:06 UTC ]
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Hodder & Stoughton has bagged a new book from Gordon Ramsay called Quick & Delicious, featuring 100 “knockout” recipes ready in 30 minutes or less. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-07-22 13:10:06 UTC ]
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Mitchell Beazley has scooped "EastEnders" actor and "Celebrity Masterchef" winner John Partridge's first cookbook, featuring dishes inspired by personal memories. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-07-18 13:09:51 UTC ]
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The Spanish philosopher and poet George Santayana once said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” As a genre, historical fiction allows us to shuttle back in time to stand in the shoes, clogs, chopines, and go-go boots of people—real and imagined—to consider the... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2019-07-15 11:00:13 UTC ]
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As publishers vie to persuade us to pack their titles for the holidays, we chart the evolution of the ’beach read’Summer reads, beach reads, holiday reads … at this time of year, the publishing world works itself into a sweat trying to force its novels into our carry-on luggage, or over the... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2019-07-14 07:00:23 UTC ]
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Dedicated to her lover and muse Dieter Roth, Dorothy Iannone’s handwritten cookbook buzzes with recipes and intimate observations. Continue reading at The Paris Review
[ The Paris Review | 2019-07-12 14:00:23 UTC ]
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Businesses and public policy makers are tapping novelists to imagine the path forward. But how much stock should we put in the predictions of storytellers? Continue reading at Wired
[ Wired | 2019-07-12 13:00:00 UTC ]
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Seven Dials has snapped up Feed Your Family For £20 a Week by Lorna Cooper within 24 hours of submission, following a whirlwind four-publisher auction with multiple pre-empt attempts. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-07-12 00:40:31 UTC ]
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Cultural Cross Sections Margaret Randall Children’s choir at the 2014 La Matanza Book Fair / Photo by Mauro Rico / Ministerio de Cultura de la Nación / Flickr When good engineers or scientists emigrate, they are able to continue their work. Novelists... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2019-07-10 21:07:28 UTC ]
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The New York Times invited Asian-American authors to choose photos from our archives and write short young-adult fiction inspired by them. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2019-06-28 17:18:37 UTC ]
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Historical fiction authors bring textbook events to life. By creating backstories and intricate narratives, authors can turn a few lines ... Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2019-06-28 10:36:47 UTC ]
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HarperCollins has snapped up The Batch Bible and another book from Scottish YouTube home cook The Batch Lady, Suzanne Mulholland, in a six-figure pre-empt. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-06-26 22:57:55 UTC ]
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When Miguel Patricio, former Anheuser-Busch InBev global chief marketing officer, was announced as the next CEO of Kraft Heinz earlier this year, you’d be forgiven for assuming job cuts were coming. After all, both companies are affiliated with penny-pinching Brazilian investment firm 3G... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2019-06-26 07:00:00 UTC ]
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Ckbk, a new digital subscription service billed as “Spotify for cookbooks”, is launching for the professional market with licences in place with publishers and big name UK chefs including Gary Rhodes and Ken Hom. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-06-24 05:59:01 UTC ]
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Quarto imprint White Lion Publishing has snapped up a "Downton Abbey" cookbook and collection of cocktail recipes to coincide with a film version of the hit series. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-06-19 11:12:00 UTC ]
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Claire Adam has won the £10,000 Desmond Elliott Prize for first-time novelists with her "electrifying" debut Golden Child (Faber). Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-06-18 18:50:22 UTC ]
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Robin Robertson has become the first Scot to win the £25,000 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction with his book The Long Take (Picador). Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-06-17 13:23:17 UTC ]
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BuzzFeed has found success in licensing its Tasty food brand across different consumer products including food, kitchenware and cookbooks. The Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2019-06-14 19:25:07 UTC ]
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Books are a go-to gift for Father's Day, but if you rely on chain bookstore displays, you'll probably find a lot of the same things: cookbooks with recipes for grilling obscenely large hunks of meat, ghostwritten memoirs by pro athletes, and techno-thrillers featuring very long descriptions... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-06-11 17:30:00 UTC ]
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News and Events WLT Norman, Okla. (June 11, 2019) – Robert Con Davis-Undiano, Neustadt Professor and executive director of the World Literature Today organization at the University of Oklahoma, this week announced the names of nine writers to be the jury... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2019-06-10 16:04:37 UTC ]
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