Graham Norton: ‘In a world going to hell in a handcart, Ireland is a wonderful beacon’

The chatshow host’s new novel centres on Irish lives dominated by shame and repression. Yet, after ‘decades of darkness’, the country’s legalisation of abortion and gay marriage have made him hopefulGraham Norton’s second novel, A Keeper, had not gone to press before this interview, so his publisher ran off an A5 photocopy for me. After reading the first few pages, I thought they must have sent me the wrong book. Literary fiction this strong could not be the work of a TV star whose canon of previous works comprised one novel. Whoever wrote this clearly had to be an established author.When I tell Norton this, he does a little squirm beside me on the sofa. “Oh my God, that’s incredibly nice of you. I’m not very good at taking compliments, so let’s gloss over this bit, but I’ll just say thank you very much. Seriously, that’s really, really nice.”We’ve got to thank the church for what Ireland is now, because it is a reaction to all those decades of darknessPeople get stuck in their heads about the thing that’s wrong with their life – they forget to have a lovely time Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2018-10-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #gay marriage #publisher ran #literary fiction #tv star

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The Nationals’ heart-stopping ride to the 2019 World Series

With baseball on hiatus, Jesse Dougherty lets fans relive the team’s improbable run. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-03-27 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Help unemployed booksellers, shop here: The Bookstore at the End of the World

We’ve already brought your attention to the ways you can help bookstores (and bookstore workers) during the coronavirus pandemic, and here’s another one: a collective of recently laid-off booksellers has started an online storefront at Bookshop.org (in case you missed it, Bookshop is the new... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-03-25 15:14:23 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #coronavirus pandemic #online storefront #bookshop #bookstore


At On Air Fest, the Lit World Pivots to Audio

The fourth annual On Air Fest, held earlier this month in Brooklyn, prominently featured a number of figures and institutions from the book world, reflecting a growing publishing and literary presence in the podcast sector. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-03-24 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Brave new worlds

Today we face, as a trade, as businesses and as humans, an unparalleled challenge in the wake of the spread of the coronavirus, Covid-19, across the country and worldwide. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-20 12:12:30 UTC ]
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Bookselling at the End of the World

On the afternoon of Wednesday, March 18, 2020 I stood in an empty bookstore and cried. A friend had just sent a congratulatory text with a picture from the April issue of Alta Magazine. My wife and I were interviewed a few months ago for a profile of Point Reyes Books, the bookstore we’ve owned […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-03-20 08:49:38 UTC ]
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Clare Pooley | 'It is a book about the importance of community in a world where we are more connected than ever but more lonely than ever'

The sought-after first novel by former blogger Clare Pooley exposes the need for connection in the age of social media Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-20 07:25:26 UTC ]
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When Libraries Close, It Feels Like the End of the World

We're still early in this new coronavirus crisis, but it's not too early to think about what we want—and what we'll need—for our libraries in the future. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-03-20 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #coronavirus crisis #libraries


IPA and Norwegian Publishers Association Cancel Lillehammer’s World Congress

The 33rd biennial world congress of the International Publishers Association is the latest event to be canceled amid the fast rising coronavirus emergency. The post IPA and Norwegian Publishers Association Cancel Lillehammer’s World Congress appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-03-16 17:13:20 UTC ]
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Coronavirus: Sharjah’s World Book Capital Ceremony, Tech Forum, and More

Today, our listing of changes to plans amid the COVID-19 emergency features news from the UAE, Canada, the UK, France, and the United States. The post Coronavirus: Sharjah’s World Book Capital Ceremony, Tech Forum, and More appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-03-16 14:12:55 UTC ]
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We Need to Resacralize the World

BOTH JACK MILES’S Religion as We Know It: An Origin Story and Karen Armstrong’s The Lost Art of Scripture are contributions — powerful in their own ways — to the comparative study of religion. Miles was general editor to the Norton Anthology of World Religions, and his new book — more of a... Continue reading at Los Angeles Review of Books

[ Los Angeles Review of Books | 2020-03-16 12:30:52 UTC ]
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5 Matriarchal Worlds of Science Fiction and Fantasy

Fall into the matriarchal worlds of these science fiction and fantasy books for Women's History Month and beyond. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2020-03-16 10:34:17 UTC ]
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A Gay Man Remembers His Awakening, as AIDS Shook His World

Paul Lisicky, author of “Later: My Life at the Edge of the World,” talks about Provincetown, the challenges of memoir and learning not to suppress anger. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2020-03-15 09:00:05 UTC ]
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Thomas Piketty explains why the world is ripe for ‘participatory socialism’

The French economist, whose first “Capital” book in 2014 became a surprise bestseller with its deep analysis of income inequality over the centuries, is back—and this time offering solutions to the complex problem in his new book, “Capital and Ideology.” The recovery from the financial crisis... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2020-03-14 13:48:59 UTC ]
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Wildfire cuts 'major' world rights deal for The Persians

Wildfire has acquired an authoratative and accessible narrative history, The Persians, by Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones in a "major" deal.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-13 12:24:56 UTC ]
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Ever wonder what might have been? Here are some scenarios, courtesy of science fiction

‘The Man in the High Castle” and other alternative-history novels make us wonder. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-03-12 16:00:00 UTC ]
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What the Literary World Gets Wrong About Accessibility

Almost two years ago, I walked through a forest and found myself thinking of fairy tales. The forest is a magical place, so perhaps this is not surprising; what was surprising at the time was the creeping realization, as I walked among the trees, of how inaccessible the forest is for those who... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-03-12 08:48:53 UTC ]
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In ‘Short Life in a Strange World,’ paintings by Pieter Bruegel the Elder help an author make sense of his existence

Toby Ferris traveled across Europe to see all of the Dutch Renaissance painter’s surviving work. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-03-11 18:07:05 UTC ]
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World Book Day smashes Share a Million Stories target

World Book Day smashed its Share a Million Stories target within 24 hours of the event, with 1,218,230 stories shared by Friday 9th March. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-11 08:50:21 UTC ]
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Savidge takes up library role for BBC Novels That Shaped Our World

Simon Savidge has left his role at Liverpool Libraries to take charge of logistics for the BBC’s Novels That Shaped Our World libraries events programme. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-09 06:33:08 UTC ]
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With help from kids, a 90-year-old Sri Lankan author set a new world record for alternate endings.

If you thought the Choose Your Own Adventure books were magical, one Sri Lankan children’s book author might be up your alley. Sybil Wettasinghe, the 90-year-old author of The Umbrella Thief, a classic children’s book in Sri Lanka, set a new Guinness World Record yesterday with the publication... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-03-06 19:45:46 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #world record #classic children #sri lanka #children’s book