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 ]
We talk a lot on these parts about supporting indie bookstores, but this story from The Washington Post adds an extra layer of of urgency: Patrick Darby, who worked as a bookseller at big chain stores for many years before starting his own shop, Novel Books, is in dire straits. Darby opened... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2019-12-04 20:41:36 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House US will donate up to 300,000 more children’s books to First Book, the literacy charity, on behalf of former US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-12-04 05:39:25 UTC ]
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As part of a series of promotions at WaterBrook and Multnomah, Laura Barker has been named executive v-p and publisher of the Penguin Random House imprints, effective immediately. She was previously v-p, editor-in-chief. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-12-04 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House UK has moved to a centralised rights team for the adult trade business, boosting the team by two and announcing a number of senior promotions. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-12-03 19:45:37 UTC ]
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Cultural Cross Sections Alizah Holstein I stepped out of Keflavík airport at 4:30 a.m. Far off in the dimly lit parking lot was the bus to Reykjavík—parked, empty, still off-duty. Winds buffeted me from above, the cold air curling its way up my wrists and... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2019-12-03 17:31:19 UTC ]
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It’s a writerly dream come true: a cocktail based on your book, prepared by a dedicated bookseller who has pored over your pages for references to alcohol or even flavors and scents he can interpret to concoct the drink. Nick Petrulakis of Booksmith in Brookline is the literary bartender in this... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2019-12-03 09:49:31 UTC ]
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London based-agency Anyways Creative has partnered with Penguin Random House US to launch a ‘Books Make Us Better’ campaign in the New York subway, ahead of the festive trading season. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-12-02 05:17:04 UTC ]
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Guide by the late Charles L Dobbins, known as the father of modern trapping, sees off polemical defence of traditional dairiesThe Dirt Hole and Its Variations might be a serious guide to hunting and trapping foxes, coyotes, bobcats and raccoons, but the double entendre has helped it land the... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2019-11-29 11:35:58 UTC ]
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Send your friends, family, and favorite bookstore and library workers warm holiday greetings with these 20 literary holiday cards! Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2019-11-29 11:34:57 UTC ]
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A bookseller counts Thanksgiving blessings and the opportunities they inspire. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-11-27 11:00:06 UTC ]
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San Diego's Mysterious Galaxy bookstore must find a new owner and a new location before its lease expires in less than 60 days. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-11-26 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Store owners from BXsellers, PW's bookstore Facebook group, are prepping special promotions for Black Friday and Small Business Saturday, focusing on loyalty discounts and gift card bonuses. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-11-26 05:00:00 UTC ]
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November is Picture Book Month, so these illustrated little gems are deservedly in the spotlight. In a recent blog post for Books Are Magic, novelist and bookstore owner Emma Straub curated a list of picture books. Among Straub’s picks for the best picture books of 2019 is a wonderful biography... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2019-11-25 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Montclair Book Center is 9,000 square feet of nooks, alcoves, labyrinths and warrens. “It’s like a time machine,” one customer says. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2019-11-23 10:00:19 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House has confirmed it will begin a staggered move to Embassy Gardens from April 2020. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-11-21 17:46:33 UTC ]
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Yesterday morning, Gordon Sondland, the Trump donor turned US ambassador to the European Union, gave explosive testimony in the impeachment inquiry—directly tying the president and his top allies, including Mikes Pence and Pompeo, to the Ukraine scandal. Comparisons to John Dean’s testimony that... Continue reading at Columbia Journalism Review
[ Columbia Journalism Review | 2019-11-21 12:58:24 UTC ]
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Random House announced today that they’ve acquired the rights to a series of books based on the New York Times Magazine’s extraordinarily popular “1619 Project,” which interrogates received perspectives on four centuries of slavery in America through essays, stories, histories, poems, and... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2019-11-20 13:52:40 UTC ]
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Discover the opportunities in buying and selling rights in Sharjah and the wider Arab Market at this free half-day seminar on Thursday 5 December 2019. The day, which forms part of The London Book Fair Market Focus Professional Programme will feature a fantastic line-up of speakers looking at... Continue reading at British Council global
[ British Council global | 2019-11-20 11:14:33 UTC ]
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At the 70th National Book Awards, held again this year at Cipriani Wall Street in lower Manhattan on Wednesday night, LeVar Burton presided over a smoothly run evening attended by a typically ebullient and dapper publishing industry crowd. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-11-20 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Ian Williams, winner of this year’s $100,000 Scotiabank Giller Prize for his debut novel Reproduction, began his acceptance speech Monday night with an emotional tribute. “Margaret Atwood over there is the first book I bought with my own money at a bookstore in Brampton,” he told the audience.... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2019-11-19 20:30:03 UTC ]
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