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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Florence's English-language Paperback Exchange bookstore is as old as Christ was when he died and relies on the shop owners' good taste—and that of its customers—to stay in business. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-11-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Australia's Bookworld has guaranteed that it will beat Amazon and other online competitors' prices by 10%. But are they risking losing too much profit? Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-11-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The awarding of this year's $150,000 FIL literature prize to Peruvian Alfredo Bryce Echenique, an accused plagiarist, has divided writers and critics across Latin America. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-11-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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After Hurricane Sandy swept through the Northeast, some bookstores were left all but untouched; others face major damage.After Hurricane Sandy swept through the Northeast, some bookstores were left all but untouched; others face major damage. This is a partial list of bookstores that were in the... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-10-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Pippa Middleton book: On Thursday her 416-page glossy hardback will be released in Britain. The title of the Pippa Middleton book of recipes and party planning tips? "Celebrate: A Year of British Festivities for Families and Friends" Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-10-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon is said to be negotiating to acquire Saraiva, Brazil's dominant bookseller, with 102 stores. Is it realistic? We break down the facts and scenarios. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-10-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Looking ahead to Finland's turn as Guest of Honor at the Frankfurt Book Fair, lit organization FILI is offering translation support to international publishers. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-10-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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It's all too easy to forget in English-speaking countries that the e-reading selection often isn't as diverse in other parts of the world, where local authors are often kept out of the equation. The Portuguese may know that all too well, which makes Kobo's arrival in their country a potential... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2012-09-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The letter of gratitude Salman Rushdie wrote to independent bookstores has been made into a poster that will be hung in some stores. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-09-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The 'Find Waldo Local' campaign, held nationwide for the month of July, had customers hunting for Waldo in independent bookstores and businesses. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-08-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Is there a future for independent bookstores in general and Kepler’s Books in particular? That was the question posed by Future Search leaders Sandra Janoff and Michael Pann-witz to nearly 80 booksellers, publishers, distributors, authors, and community supporters who gathered at the Oshman... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-08-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Academic press Sage has launched an e-bookstore, part of its online social science platform Sage... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-06-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Broadway Books in Portland, Oregon, saved from shutting its doors when the owner's son tweeted a plea to help save it, is now celebrating its 20th birthday. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-05-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hachette Livre has today (4th May) reduced the retail prices of ebooks to the level of the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-05-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The American Prospect is looking to raise half a million dollars this month, and gain $700,000 worth of pledged support for the new fiscal year starting in July, in order to avoid suspending publication, cutting back frequency or complete closure. Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2012-05-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Nothing has challenged bricks-and-mortar bookstores to reconsider their physical space and what they carry more than the recession and the rise of ebooks. Recently, two independents announced that they will reduce their space. Third Street Books in McMinnville, Ore., which expanded in 2006, is... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-04-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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When looking at an effort with the scale of World Book Night U.S.—half a million books will be given away to strangers across all 50 states on April 23—it’s helpful to consider some numbers: 25,000 “givers” have volunteered to give away their allotment of books to people, many of whom they’ve... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Pulitzer Prize winner A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan (Alfred A Knopf) is among the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-04-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Google will end its Google eBooks reseller program which allowed independent bookstores to sell ebooks through Google's platform. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-04-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Google said the program, which allowed independent bookstores to sell ebooks through their Web sites, was not a success. Bookstores said it was a valuable platform that allowed them to give customers something they wanted. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2012-04-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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