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 #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 ]
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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 ]
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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 ]
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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 ]
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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 ]
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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 ]
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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 ]
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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 ]
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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 ]
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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 ]
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#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 ]
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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 ]
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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 ]
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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 ]
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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 ]
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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 ]
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#support children
A dozen books a year? Some writers are accelerating the pace in this brave new world of ebooks. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-05-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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American writer and illustrator Maurice Sendak, author of the classic children's book Where the Wild Things Are, has died at the age of 83. Continue reading at Stuff
[ Stuff | 2012-05-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Maurice Sendak, the US author of the best-selling children's book Where the Wild Things Are, dies aged 83. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2012-05-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The enduringly popular children's book illustrator and writer radically changed the genre with tales of outsized monsters and frolicsome humor that tapped into the fears of childhood. He also collaborated on numerous operas, films and TV programs.Maurice Sendak, the children's book illustrator... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-05-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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