Cultural Cross Sections Elena Poniatowska In this column that originally appeared in La Jornada, Elena Poniatowska considers the role of editors and talks with Diego Rabasa, founder of publisher Sexto Piso. Already precarious, the pandemic lockdown has made the plight of independent publishers and bookstores in Mexico in light of Covid-19 even more acute. To be an editor is to answer the call of the gods. It’s a vocation, a ministry, an immense privilege, to enter the Olympus of literature. To be an editor is to pick those who have talent and launch them. To be a publisher is to foretell: this one will make it. It’s also to disappoint and reject. I recall the Dutch printer Alexander Stolz in Mexico holding out to me his exquisite edition of Benjamin Constant’s Adolphe, as if it were a diamond, at the Fondo de Cultura Económica, and the paternal care that Arnaldo Orfila Reynal took with the anguished palavering of Fernando del Paso. To be an editor is to be a psychologist and to be bewildered as to how to treat each creature-author. Vicente Rojo was my editor, and we have loved each other deeply since, but I never gave him trouble. What must that genius from Pachuca named Yuri Herrera be like? What’s his soft spot? I have to handle Carlos Montemayor with kid gloves because he’s unpredictable. Federico Alvarez, director of the FCE in Spain, told me that seeing Elena Garro and Helena Paz enter the FCE in Madrid was like falling into... Continue reading at 'World Literature Today'
[ World Literature Today | 2020-06-03 21:05:48 UTC ]
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One of the biggest books of this past plague year was Erik Larson’s The Splendid and the Vile. The success of the book is no surprise, Larson’s books are perennial bestsellers and he’s a hell of a storyteller. But the core narrative, the perseverance of the British people in the face of Nazi... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-03-12 09:50:38 UTC ]
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The National Literacy Trust and the Premier League are teaming up to distribute nearly 25,000 books to five to 11-year-olds from disadvantaged backgrounds this World Book Day, Thursday (4th March). Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-03-02 18:07:28 UTC ]
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There’s something thrilling about watching a movie or a TV show and finding that you recognize the characters’ surroundings— that you have stood on that street corner or peered into that shop before the characters, before that story begins. As someone who has been basically nowhere, I find it... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-02-26 20:13:15 UTC ]
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Bonnier Books UK and Konnie Huq have teamed up with the National Literacy Trust to deliver a lockdown eco lesson on the Daily Mail website Mail+, with 8,000 copies of the author's latest book set to be donated to children in Bradford. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-02-26 08:40:56 UTC ]
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Saga Spain representatives say the Cuántica Activa Audiolibros catalogue's focus on self-help is a good fit for its emerging Spanish markets. The post Denmark’s Saga Egmont Acquires Mexico’s Cuántica Activa Audiolibros appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-02-25 16:24:32 UTC ]
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Islands of Mercy by Rose Tremain and The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams, both published by Chatto & Windus, are among titles longlisted for this year's £25,000 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-02-22 15:59:07 UTC ]
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All told, more than 90 small presses and independent bookshops are in the running now for the British Book Awards' annual honors. The post British Book Awards: Bookstore, Small Press Shortlists appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-02-21 16:10:23 UTC ]
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The shortlist for this year's Aspen Words Literary Prize features three novels and two short story collections. The post Aspen Words’ $35,000 Literary Prize Names Its 2021 Finalists appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-02-17 16:38:14 UTC ]
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Bookstore sales fell 15.2% in December, the smallest monthly decline since February, but sales fell 28.3% for the year, according to preliminary estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-02-17 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Self-care and non-fiction subscription box business Wildwoman has launched its own online bookstore to help cope with the pandemic's effects on business. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-02-16 04:31:10 UTC ]
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Alison Jones, founder of Practical Inspiration Publishing, is coming to the end of a 1,000-day running challenge to raise funds for the National Literacy Trust. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-02-16 00:52:37 UTC ]
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Chicago’s only Black woman-owned bookstore opened in the summer of 2019. Over the past two years, Semicolon has served as a vital and vibrant cultural hub and gallery space. Last summer, as the coronavirus began to tear through our country and small businesses had to close their doors, Semicolon... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-02-12 16:25:48 UTC ]
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HarperCollins is donating 50,000 books to organisations supporting families during the Covid-19 crisis, including titles by Michael Morpurgo, Ant Middleton and David Walliams. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-02-11 05:16:31 UTC ]
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Yesterday’s slate of Super Bowl commercials can be divided into two heavily-overlapping camps: cringey pop-culture nostalgia garbage fronted by stars you hoped were better than that, and expensive “unify the divided country through capitalism” garbage fronted by stars you hoped were better than... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-02-08 16:56:30 UTC ]
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After a year spent pivoting out of necessirty, booksellers now see online sales as a permanent part of their business model. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-02-05 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Some fun news (thank goodness!): China’s first 3D-printed bookstore has just been built in Shanghai and is scheduled to open to the public at the end of January. With a floor area of thirty square meters, it can accommodate fifteen readers at a time. The bookstore is in Wisdom Bay Innovation... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-01-28 16:35:33 UTC ]
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Given that we’re all justifiably afraid about the breath of others right now, it’s a weird time to be dating. While the warmer months at least offered the possibility of outdoor meetings, now it’s winter and, like all other things, dating has become an exercise in futility and endless Zoom... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-01-28 15:42:07 UTC ]
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It’s rare to see Raven Leilani’s Luster next to Doctor De Soto, William Steig’s children’s book about a mouse that performs dental surgery—but this is par for the course at Oh Hello Again, Seattle’s newest bookshop. Oh Hello Again, rather than shelving books by genre and author, categorizes... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-01-22 16:19:24 UTC ]
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Arts Council England (ACE) is awarding £152,000 to help public libraries buy e-books and digital audio products after demand soared during the pandemic. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-01-21 11:35:36 UTC ]
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Bookstore sales were $485 million in November, down from $618 million in November 2019, according to figures from the U.S. Census Bureau. The 21.5% decline was the smallest monthly drop since spring. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-01-19 05:00:00 UTC ]
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