Does it matter if Joseph Mitchell embellished his journalism?

He is long known to have used composite characters and a new biography will reveal more embellishments – but perhaps that’s the magic of his workOver the weekend, the feathers of American literary journalists ruffled lightly in the breeze of a review that appeared in the New York Review of Books. The review, written by longtime New Yorker staff writer Janet Malcolm, was of an upcoming biography of another New Yorker staff writer, Joseph Mitchell, due to be published in the United States on 28 April. Malcolm’s review can be read as a pre-emptive defence of Mitchell’s legacy as one of the giants of American literary journalism. The biographer in question, Thomas Kunkel, has apparently found more evidence of what was already somewhat known: that Mitchell embellished his nonfiction, often condensing characters and facts to smooth out his stories. In one already well-known example, a long piece called Old Mr Flood condenses several men’s stories into the titular Mr Flood. Mitchell admitted this openly in a preface to the book later published under that name.He has mixed up nonfiction with fiction. He has made an unwholesome, almost toxic brew out of the two genres. It is too bad he is dead and can’t be pilloried. Or perhaps it is all right that he is dead, because he is suffering the torments of hell for his sins against the spirit of fact. And so on.Every writer of nonfiction who has struggled with the ditch and the bushes knows what Mitchell is talking about, but few of us... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2015-04-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #roman empire

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Chicago Tribune Drops Printers Row Journal Print Edition

December 27 will mark the final appearance of the print section, which was launched with great fanfare as a 24-page weekly supplement in 2012. In addition to books reviews, it featured author interviews, essays, literary news and a weekly work o ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2015-12-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Black authors don’t write only for white women | Dreda Say Mitchell

Yes, book publishers have a problem with writers of colour – it’s just not the one Man Booker prizewinner Marlon James describesThere are so few ethnic minority voices in publishing and the media that when one criticises another it has come to be regarded as a form of strike-breaking. Knowing... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-12-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A female author's revelation: When the men stopped mattering

There are few things more revealing than a fervent hobby. If you expose someone's passionate pastime, you somehow learn more about him than the activity alone should reveal. Think Vladimir Nabokov's butterflies, or George W. Bush's portraits. As for me, I've practiced only one activity with... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2015-11-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Farrow & Ball's How to Decorate to Mitchell Beazley

Mitchell Beazley has acquired a new book from heritage paint and paper brand Farrow & Ball. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-11-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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John Freeman on Transitioning from Critic to Literary Journal Entrepreneur

Writer and editor John Freeman discusses his transition from book criticism to editing Granta, and now, to launching his own journal, Freeman's. The post John Freeman on Transitioning from Critic to Literary Journal Entrepreneur appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-11-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Editorial staff quit Elsevier journal en masse

All six editors and all 31 editorial board members of research journal Lingua have resigned last week in protest over publisher Elsevier's high subscription rates and failure to embrace open access. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-11-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Obituary: Philip Joseph 1922-2015

It was standing room only at Golders Green Crematorium on Sunday (1st November) as family and friends from the many walks of his long life gathered to bid farewell to Philip Joseph, founder of Exclusive Books in South Africa and Books etc, a chain which enlivened London’s high streets before... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-11-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Book chain founder Philip Joseph dies

Bookseller Philip Joseph, who co-founded UK bookshop chain Books Etc with his son Richard Joseph, has died. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-10-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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‘Journalism is the most fun you can have with your pants on’

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[ The Guardian | 2015-10-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Book of You to Michael Joseph

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[ The Bookseller | 2015-10-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Does Banned Books Week Really Matter Anymore?

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-09-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Crowdfunding Journalism to Confront the Media Industry's 'Huge Problem'

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[ Editor & Publisher | 2015-09-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Mitchell: 'ethnicity should not define us as writers'

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[ The Bookseller | 2015-09-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Michael Joseph signs heat's Isabelle Broom

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[ The Bookseller | 2015-09-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Size Doesn’t Matter

Perspectives on scale from two publishing CEOs. The post Size Doesn’t Matter appeared first on Folio:. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2015-09-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Greg Iles and others on how literature, journalism renew Civil Rights-era cold cases

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[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2015-09-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The first-person essays boom: top editors on why confessional writing matters

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[ The Guardian | 2015-09-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Fall Regional Bookselling Shows 2015: No Matter Where You Live, There's a Book for There: TK# Picks from Booksellers

Booksellers from across the country share standout books with strong regional ties. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-09-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Story Behind (and Tips From) the Most Successful Crowdfunding Campaign in the History of Journalism

A simple WordPress blog named #NoHaceFaltaPapel didn’t exist a year ago. Well now it’s a publishing company whose El Español is responsible for the largest crowdfunding campaign for journalism to date. ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2015-08-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Steven Mitchell stands out during USC's scrimmage

JuJu Smith-Schuster is the heir-apparent to Nelson Agholor as USC's No. 1 receiver. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2015-08-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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