Catherine Lacey: ‘That constant nervous Twitter energy repels me’

The American novelist, whose latest work is a fake biography of an avant-garde artist, on growing up in Mississippi and why her fiction has ‘never actively involved cellphones or the internet’Catherine Lacey, 37, is the author of three previous novels, including The Answers, currently being adapted for television by Darren Aronofsky, and Pew (2020), about a nameless amnesiac of ambiguous race and gender. Her new novel, Biography of X, set in a parallel America, follows a widow untangling the life story of her wife, an avant-garde artist known as X. The New York Times has called it “sprawling and ambitious… strange and dystopian”. Lacey, one of Granta’s best young American novelists in 2017, was speaking from her home in Brooklyn.Which part of the book came first: the alternate history or the fake biography?I liked the idea of writing a fake biography and the biographies I like best are usually written by someone with some kind of compromised perspective. I thought the worst person to write a biography would be a surviving spouse with a bit of a grudge, but I didn’t want to get into the heterosexual dynamics of a man writing about a woman or a woman writing about a man; it had to be two women. At the same time, I wanted the novel to be set in the mid-20th century but I wasn’t interested in writing about the actual struggles a prominent lesbian couple would have gone through in that time. So my alternate history grew out of that problem. I thought, if I have an America... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2023-04-01 17:00:01 UTC ]
News tagged with: #alternate history #mid-20th century #takes place #novelists

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The Facebook execs who turn to Twitter for publisher charm offensive

These are the Facebook execs using Twitter to promote the social network and attack its critics. The post The Facebook execs who turn to Twitter for publisher charm offensive appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2018-02-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bloomberg’s Twitter network TicToc is getting 750,000 daily views

Along with platforms like Snapchat and Apple News, Twitter has an opportunity to cozy up to publishers where Facebook has disappointed them. The post Bloomberg’s Twitter network TicToc is getting 750,000 daily views appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2018-01-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Harper’s Magazine May Try To Dox A Whistleblower–And Media Twitter Is Pissed

An upcoming article may reveal the creator of the infamous “Shitty Men in Media” list. Now women in the industry are fighting back. Earlier today, rumors began circulating on Twitter that a well-known magazine is planning to publish an article about the so-called “Shitty Men in Media” list. The... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2018-01-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Book review: Gabriel's Bay by Catherine Robertson

This is the perfect read for this time of year when we're still happy to escape into a good book at the beach or under a shade tree and take the time to savour, in this instance, the leisurely revelation of the people who live in Gabriel's Bay. Continue reading at Stuff

[ Stuff | 2017-12-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Internet giants such as Facebook and Twitter must be made accountable for content they publish | Letters

Ian Bartlett says the ruling that Uber is a transport company not a digital service could also change the way we view other digital giants; and Derek Wyatt suggests a post-Brexit Britain could create a Global Digital Foundation to address these issuesUber is officially a transport company and... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-12-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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How the Kremlin Tried to Pose as American News Sites on Twitter

The Kremlin-backed Russian Internet Research Agency operated dozens of Twitter accounts masquerading as local American news sources that collectively garnered more than half-a-million followers. More than 100 news outlets also published stories containing those handles in the run-up to the... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2017-12-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hillwalkers fall foul of Twitter crackdown | Brief letters

Twitter and Russia | Men of letters | Swaths blasted | Evolving words | Robert Mugabe backwardsTwitter ruthlessly rooted out the duplicate accounts of a friend who was using one for himself and one for the hillwalking group whose Facebook page he moderates, and has banned him from returning. So... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-11-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Best of the week: Twitter live video lures publishers

This week, our top stories covered publishers’ interest in Twitter live video, Facebook’s sports streaming rights push and more. The post Best of the week: Twitter live video lures publishers appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2017-10-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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As Facebook Live video dreams fade, publishers look again to Twitter

Twitter's approach to promoting and monetizing live video is winning fans among publishers. The post As Facebook Live video dreams fade, publishers look again to Twitter appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2017-10-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook and Twitter could face 'online abuse levy'

The government wants firms such as Facebook and Twitter to publish annual reports on abuse. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2017-10-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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140 Characters, the Defining Quirk of Twitter, Becomes a Relic of the Past

Twitter's 140-character limit died today after a long battle with Facebook. It is survived by brands, publishers and personalities, who will miss its insistence on wit and getting to the point.That's right: Twitter is expanding its character limit on text posts to 280 characters from 140,... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2017-09-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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At This Year’s Frankfurt Rights Meeting: ‘Change Is the New Constant’

In its 31st year, Buchmesse's annual Rights Meeting on 'Book Fair Tuesday' focuses on Asian licensing, social media, and a burgening audio market. The post At This Year’s Frankfurt Rights Meeting: ‘Change Is the New Constant’ appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-08-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Twitter will render children illiterate in 20 years says Jacobson

Novelist Howard Jacobson has said children may be illiterate in 20 years' time, thanks to the rise of smartphones and social media platforms such as Twitter. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-08-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Twitter plans to shut down SnappyTV in favor of new TV-clipping tool

SnappyTV allows publishers to share TV clips across Twitter, Facebook and other platforms. Twitter is replacing it with a tool that only works for Twitter. The post Twitter plans to shut down SnappyTV in favor of new TV-clipping tool appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2017-07-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Former energy chief turns literary fiction publisher

Former energy chief Louise Boland is launching a new publisher focusing on contemporary literary fiction. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Judge says Twitter can proceed with lawsuit to increase transparency about government surveillance

Transparency reports about government data requests have become very common from tech companies such as Facebook, Twitter and Google. But while these firms publish reports, their hands are tied when it comes to what they can reveal. Twitter wants to change that. A federal judge in California... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2017-07-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ockham NZ Book Awards: Catherine Chidgey, Victoria University Press the big winners

Waikato author Catherine Chidgey was the big winner at this year's Ockham New Zealand Book Awards. Continue reading at Stuff

[ Stuff | 2017-05-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Families of San Bernardino attack victims accuse Facebook, Google and Twitter of aiding terrorism in lawsuit

Relatives of the victims of the San Bernardino terrorist attack filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday against Twitter, Google and Facebook, accusing the tech giants of knowingly supporting Islamic State and its extremist agenda. The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2017-05-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bluebird partners with Twitter on authors' food tour

Pan Macmillan imprint Bluebird is partnering with Twitter to launch its first “How to Eat Well” tour in June. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-05-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In Facebook’s shadow, Twitter cozies up to video publishers with reliable cash

Twitter has been promoting publishers' videos, which has helped publishers find new audiences and make money on the platform. The post In Facebook’s shadow, Twitter cozies up to video publishers with reliable cash appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2017-04-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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