When a man routinely hailed as one of America’s “greatest living writers” publishes a new novel, one hardly expects it to draw reviews posing questions along the lines of “Can he do it? Can he actually pull it off?” Because when you’re Michael Chabon, Pulitzer Prize winner, the act of writing a decent novel ought to be taken as something of a given. But Chabon’s newest book, Telegraph Avenue, out last week, is set against the backdrop of race, and its author undertakes the task of inhabiting and giving life to characters whose skin color is different from his own. The book is a sprawling narrative about the intertwined lives of Archy Stallings and Nat Jaffe, two proprietors, one black and one white, and a used vinyl store trying to survive on the shifting, gentrifying frontier between hippie-dippy Berkeley and its neighbor, the historically black enclave of Oakland. Or, as Chabon neatly puts it, “the ragged fault line where the urban plates of Berkeley and Oakland subducted.” Continue reading at 'Slate'
[ Slate | 2012-09-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
The television star mines childhood fascination in writing 'The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell.' When Chris Colfer was just 20, he'd already been named one of GQ magazine's men of the year, having sung and acted his way into the hearts of America as Kurt, the high-pitched, openly gay brunet... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-07-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#writing life
#chris colfer
#fairy tales
#good sense
The Alliance of Independent Authors has enlisted the help of agency A M Heath to represent... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-07-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#independent authors
WASHINGTON (NNPA) – Highly-respected media and entertainment executive William G. Tompkins, Jr. has been named president and chief executive officer of the National Newspaper Publishers Association, a federation of more than 200 Black-owned ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2012-07-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#named president
The Nobel Prize-winning author's brother says the effects of dementia mean Márquez may be unable to write. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-07-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |
The #5 book in Italy in May, Gianluigi Nuzzi’s His Holiness. The Secret Documents of Benedict XVI, has caused international news since its publication. Pope Benedict XVI’s butler, Paolo Gabriele, was arrested late last month on suspicion of releasing dozens of embarrassing letters to Nuzzi... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-06-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
##5 book
A Los Angeles man who wrote a book about his alleged gay encounters with John Travolta filed a libel lawsuit on Thursday against the actor and his attorney. Continue reading at Stuff
[ Stuff | 2012-06-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |
HarperCollins imprint The Friday Project is to publish a new novel by W P Kinsella, author of... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-06-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#friday project
#harpercollins imprint
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Richard Ford talks about his new novel "Canada," his memories of the late Raymond Carver, and how art makes life. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-06-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#richard ford
A group of Israeli authors launch a battle to stop the country's leading bookstores from slashing prices, claiming it reduces their royalties. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2012-06-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#slashing prices
Google Inc.'s effort to digitize the world's books inched forward Monday, as the search giant said it had struck deals with French authors and publishers that end six years of litigation and open the way to sell out-of-print French books online. Continue reading at AllThingsD
[ AllThingsD | 2012-06-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#french authors
#search giant
#struck deals
Writers from Sri Lanka and New Zealand have won this year's Commonwealth Writers Awards for... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-06-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#sri lanka
Google and French publishers and authors have officially ended six years of legal wrangles with... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-06-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#french authors
#french publishers
Google has struck a deal with two French organizations representing authors and book publishers, ending years of litigation. Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2012-06-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#book publishers
#french authors
Authors have reacted angrily to news of a proposed qualification for Creative Practitioners... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-06-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#reacted angrily
The Authors Guild is encouraging its 8,500 members to submit comments against the proposed settlement between the Department of Justice and three large publishers. The settlement, the guild argues, will only benefit Amazon. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2012-06-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#e-book settlement
#proposed settlement
#authors guild
#large publishers
Jean Craighead George was a leading writer of novels about nature for young readers. One of her best-known works was the Newbery Medal-winning 'Julie of the Wolves.' After children's author Jean Craighead George revealed that she wanted to write a book about a girl who talks with wolves,... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-05-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#young readers
#newbery medal-winning
Self-published writers who have an agent, or who use the DIY route to get a traditional deal... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-05-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#self-published writers
#diy route
Random House chief executive Gail Rebuck and authors including Jacqueline Wilson, A S Byatt and... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-05-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |
Century has pre-empted two books by South African author Charlie Human, likening his writing to... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-05-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#century snaps
The Society of Authors has written to schools minister Nick Gibb urging him to support children... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-05-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#support children