Indonesia is the country of focus at the London Book Fair this year and recently at Frankfurt - to what extent do you think Indonesian literature is finally having it's moment in the spotlight? I cannot say for certain what these one-off ‘spotlights’ on Indonesian literature would mean for Indonesian literature in the long term. But it is an encouraging sign; the relatively short three-and-a-half-year gap between Frankfurt Book Fair (FBF) 2015 and London Book Fair (LBF) 2019 means we are still—or possibly even more—interesting to the publishing industry. And while I wish more Indonesian writers are being translated into English—and translated well—some of us are starting to break through internationally. It always takes one or two to pave the way. For me personally, FBF was a game changer in many ways. Before that we didn’t have the publishing infrastructure necessary with which to promote our literature abroad. We didn’t have literary agents – in fact I only knew of one, and he used to work for my Indonesian publisher Gramedia. It was he who took a chance on the English version of my first novel, Amba/The Question of Red, and brought it to Frankfurt Book Fair in 2013, where the novel was picked up by Ullstein Verlag and published in Germany in 2015, ahead of the FBF. So I was very fortunate. A few months later, I landed a literary agent in New York, through whom I managed to sell world rights to other European markets. Later this year, I signed up with another literary... Continue reading at 'British Council global'
[ British Council global | 2019-02-08 10:06:53 UTC ]
In 'Transcendent Kingdom,' Yaa Gyasi's second novel, she focuses on America — its promise and peril — and on one Ghanaian American family in Alabama. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2020-08-27 16:49:47 UTC ]
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A story collection offers a cleareyed survey of the Black American experience, and a debut novel traverses hundreds of versions of Earth. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2020-08-27 09:00:05 UTC ]
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The London Book Fair was planned to be the platform for Thames & Hudson to reveal its revamped branding, after discussions aroun its key series led to a period of visual reflection Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-08-26 11:14:16 UTC ]
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Janet, the acerbic narrator of Lucie Britsch’s debut novel Sad Janet, is a resister. She’s sad—has been for most of her life—and doesn’t want to take the pills that big pharma, her mother, and the culture at-large is pushing on her to “fix” her. She’s content with sadness, and she’s not into the... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2020-08-26 11:00:00 UTC ]
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Bolinda has scooped a “laugh out loud” romantic comedy by debut author Aly Mennuti, featuring a literary agent based partly on the author's own, Simon Trewin. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-08-25 02:20:12 UTC ]
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Tinder Press has acquired a debut novel by Naomi Ishiguro, former bookseller and bibliotherapist at Mr B’s Emporium in Bath. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-08-20 02:07:21 UTC ]
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Rebecca Watson’s debut novel has a simple story line and an experimental approach. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2020-08-18 07:39:15 UTC ]
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From The New Yorker’s archive: short stories by Zadie Smith, Jennifer Egan, and Stephen King. Continue reading at New Yorker
[ New Yorker | 2020-08-16 10:00:00 UTC ]
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Allen & Unwin is publishing Victoria Park, the debut novel of British teacher Gemma Reeves, set in contemporary east London. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-08-14 03:42:15 UTC ]
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The most iconic short stories in the English language, as determined by that “weird and wiggly” hive-mind, the American cultural consciousness. | Lit Hub Jill Filipovic on how Boomers—“the generation with the least stable marriages in American history”—changed family life forever. | Lit Hub... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-08-13 10:30:25 UTC ]
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Last year, I put together this list of the most iconic poems in the English language; it’s high time to do the same for short stories. But before we go any further, you may be asking: What does “iconic” mean in this context? Can a short story really be iconic in the way of a […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-08-13 08:50:36 UTC ]
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Xander Miller’s debut novel asks how we can stay together when the world is coming apart. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2020-08-11 18:21:58 UTC ]
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“The Party Upstairs” focuses on the tenants of one building on Manhattan’s Upper West Side Continue reading at The Economist
[ The Economist | 2020-08-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Fourth Estate has won a five-publisher auction for the “dazzling” debut novel from PRH assistant editor Kasim Ali, in a six-figure two-book deal. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-08-06 21:45:48 UTC ]
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“The Party Upstairs” focuses on the tenants of one building on Manhattan’s Upper West Side Continue reading at The Economist
[ The Economist | 2020-08-06 14:59:44 UTC ]
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Raven Leilani’s debut novel follows an interracial, intergenerational affair as it leads to an unusual redefinition of family. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2020-08-06 09:00:04 UTC ]
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Jennifer Hofmann’s debut novel follows a Stasi agent trying to make sense of his past. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2020-08-04 12:00:00 UTC ]
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For 18 seasons, he served as creative director and producer of the global phenomenon ‘America’s Next Top Model.’ But his debut novel isn’t the juicy tell-all you might’ve expected. Makeup artist and stylist Jay Manuel has spent more than 20 years in the fashion industry, most famously serving as... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2020-08-03 12:15:52 UTC ]
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A Chicago brewery is partnering with Hat and Beard Press to cross-promote craft beer and a new collection of short stories by Sam Weller by brewing an Imperial stout with a label that replicates the cover of 'Dark Black.' Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-08-03 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Ashley Hickson-Lovence, Abir Mukherjee, Courttia Newland, Guy Gunaratne, Paul Mendez and Okechukwu Nzelu on why British writers of colour are left out of the conversationAfter this week’s Booker prize longlist was announced, the Times asked “Where are the new male hotshot novelists?” I was... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2020-07-31 14:10:18 UTC ]
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