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 ]
London Book Fair is online this year. On 30 June, the focus falls on making words travel, with a programme addressing writers, translators, and the ways that books can travel across borders. The British Council is partnering with English PEN and the Literary Translation Centre on three free... Continue reading at British Council global
[ British Council global | 2021-06-02 10:20:41 UTC ]
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Neither authors nor publishing houses have figured out how to turn the new president into a compelling villain. Continue reading at The Atlantic
[ The Atlantic | 2021-06-02 09:00:00 UTC ]
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Experience a day in the life of an indie bookseller, working at Bosch&deJong boekverkopers, a small bookstore in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-06-01 10:35:00 UTC ]
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Samir Mansour's bookstore was a cultural magnet for residents of the Gaza Strip until an Israeli airstrike leveled it. Now he has to start over. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2021-06-01 08:00:49 UTC ]
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This August, former Waterstones children's laureate Malorie Blackman will release the conclusion to her Noughts & Crosses series, Endgame (Penguin Random House Children’s UK). Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-05-29 00:40:24 UTC ]
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Mya-Rose Craig is a Bristol-based ornithologist who has been blogging about birds as Birdgirl since she was 11. She first gained fame after being featured on the 2010 BBC Four documentary “Twitchers: A Very British Obsession”, and has appeared on “Springwatch”, “Countryfile” and “The One... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-05-28 04:43:18 UTC ]
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Pulitzer-winning reporter Andrea Elliott sells her debut to Random House, Atria takes three from Armando Lucas Correa, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-05-28 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Cairo publisher and bookseller Ahmed Rashad on how the pandemic makes the digital transformation more urgent than ever. The post In Egypt, Publishers Are Moving to E-Commerce appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-05-27 14:54:26 UTC ]
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Publishers Weekly has named the L.A.-based indie bookstore Eso Won Books its Bookstore of the Year, and Simon & Schuster sales rep Toi Crockett has been named PW Sales Rep of the Year. The announcement was made at the inaugural U.S. Book Show. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-05-25 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Phyllis Mandel, retired senior v-p of fulfillment at Bantam, BDD, and Penguin Random House distribution facilities, died on May 20 in Cape Cod—the day after her 75th birthday. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-05-24 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Source of Knowledge has been a Newark mainstay for decades. It survived the past year thanks to the generosity of its customers and an owner who provides more than just books. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2021-05-22 09:00:26 UTC ]
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News and Events Mariah Rust and Xin Xu recently were named the recipients of the fourth annual translation prize for students sponsored by World Literature Today at the University of Oklahoma. Consistent with World Literature Today’s commitment to... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2021-05-20 16:07:11 UTC ]
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Pankaj Mishra and Arundhati Roy attack Penguin Random House India for putting out book by a prime minister they say has mishandled Covid and persecuted writersLeading Indian authors Pankaj Mishra and Arundhati Roy have spoken out against Penguin Random House India’s decision to publish and... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2021-05-20 12:53:37 UTC ]
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At the literary haven Powell’s in Portland, I limited myself to 16 books, including a little something for my grandson. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2021-05-19 16:44:24 UTC ]
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Finished before his death in December, le Carré gave his blessing to publish the novel, which follows a bookseller who becomes embroiled in a spy leakSilverview, a final full-length novel by John le Carré, in which the late author delves into “the soul of the modern Secret Intelligence Service”,... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2021-05-19 13:00:09 UTC ]
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Shola von Reinhold wins the award for small publishing houses with their novel LOTE, but financial reward split among 10 publishersThe Scottish author Shola von Reinhold has won the Republic of Consciousness prize for small presses for their “dazzling” queer debut novel LOTE. But the £20,000... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2021-05-19 12:17:35 UTC ]
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Paul Von Drasek, who worked in the sales departments at a number of publishing companies over the course of his 40-year career, died on May 16 at age 71. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-05-18 04:00:00 UTC ]
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From Sally Rooney to Raven Leilani, female novelists have captured the literary zeitgeist, with more buzz, prizes and bestsellers than men. But is this cultural shift something to celebrate or rectify?In March, Vintage, one of the UK’s largest literary fiction divisions, announced the five debut... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2021-05-16 06:00:48 UTC ]
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Writer Kirstin Innes talks to The Bookseller about some of the most exciting and experimental Scottish female voices being published today. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-05-15 00:01:08 UTC ]
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Joel Friedlander, the author, blogger, book designer, publisher, and publishing industry consultant, died on May 7 of cancer. He was 73. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-05-11 04:00:00 UTC ]
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