Jamie Byng: ‘Listening to letters being read out is quite something’

The Canongate Books boss on the success of Letters Live, performances of notable correspondence by leading lights of stage and screenJamie Byng, 46, son of the 8th Earl of Strafford, grew up in Hampshire and studied at the University of Edinburgh. After graduating he joined Canongate Books as an intern and bought out the struggling Edinburgh publishing house two years later, aged just 25. His successes include the UK publication of Yann Martel’s Life of Pi, which won the Man Booker prize in 2002 and sold more than 3m copies. In 2013 he set up Letters Live, “a celebration of the enduring power of literary correspondence” based in part on Shaun Usher’s Letters of Note books. Letters Live returns to London’s Freemasons’ Hall on Thursday 10 March.How did Letters Live come about?In 2013 we published two books about letters on the same day. One was Simon Garfield’s To the Letter, which is a history of letter-writing. The other, Letters of Note, grew out of Shaun Usher’s website, which compiles great correspondence throughout history. We decided to promote both books by getting people to read out letters in a live setting. Nick Cave had a letter in Shaun’s book and he’s a good friend, so it was very straightforward to call him up and say “How’s about it?” Gillian Anderson went totally nuts for a Katharine Hepburn letter to Spencer Tracy. Everyone I asked who was around – Benedict Cumberbatch, Matt Berry, Neil Gaiman, Bruce Robinson – said yes. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2016-03-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #nick cave #good friend #gillian anderson #benedict cumberbatch #neil gaiman

Other news stories related to: "Jamie Byng: ‘Listening to letters being read out is quite something’"


Jamie Byng: ‘Listening to letters being read out is quite something’

The Canongate Books boss on the success of Letters Live, performances of notable correspondence by leading lights of stage and screenJamie Byng, 46, son of the 8th Earl of Strafford, grew up in Hampshire and studied at the University of Edinburgh. After graduating he joined Canongate Books as an... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-03-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Useless spies save Britain in the brilliant Slow Horses – what you should watch, listen to and read this week

A funny spy thriller, a classic album, a blockbuster feminist exhibition, a good book about a bad childhood and the end of our summer of sport Continue reading at The Conversation

[ The Conversation | 2024-09-06 15:43:26 UTC ]
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A page-turner: how to get your reading groove back | Letters

Readers share their tips on discovering new authors and reading more widelyIn addition to the excellent advice provided in your article on reading (The experts: librarians on 20 easy, enjoyable ways to read more brilliant books, 25 April), I would add the following. The old adage of not judging... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-04-28 16:39:44 UTC ]
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8 Books to Read after Listening to the Podcast EMPIRE

After you've listened to the EMPIRE podcast, these history and historical fiction books will deepen your understanding of the subject. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-10-19 10:32:00 UTC ]
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10 New Full-Cast Audiobooks to Listen to for an Incredible Reading Experience

A full cast of narrators brings an audiobook to life in totally new and unexpected ways. Here are some of the latest you can't miss. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2022-07-21 10:36:00 UTC ]
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“You cover that acid in comfort.” Read Toni Morrison’s 1973 edit letter to Lucille Clifton.

In addition to being a prolific novelist, Toni Morrison was a prolific editor. She was committed to championing Black writers, both through her role as senior editor at Random House and her work with writing collectives like The Sisterhood (which included literary giants like June Jordan, Alice... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2021-12-10 18:40:25 UTC ]
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Listen to the first ever recording of James Joyce reading from Ulysses.

On February 2, 1922, Sylvia Beach, through her legendary bookstore and occasional imprint Shakespeare and Company, published the entirety of James Joyce’s modernist novel, Ulysses. (It was also Joyce’s 40th birthday.) Two years later, she sought to have at least some of it recorded in Joyce’s... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2021-02-02 15:29:36 UTC ]
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Read an open letter from publishing professionals condemning Trump enablers’ book deals.

As you may remember, about a week ago, Senator Josh Hawley challenged the results of the election, encouraged the storming of the Capitol, and then complained about Simon & Schuster canceling his book deal, calling the publisher’s decision “Orwellian” (how?) and “a direct assault on the... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2021-01-19 16:20:57 UTC ]
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Read Shirley Jackson’s Eerily Contemporary Letter About Fear

Author Shirley Jackson often responded to readers’ letters; this one, written in 1962 after republication of her historical fiction for juveniles, The Witchcraft of Salem Village, seems uncannily prescient for our times. –Laurence Jackson Hyman, editor of the forthcoming The Collected Letters of... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-10-30 08:49:48 UTC ]
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Audible rolls out text captions feature to read while you listen

A new Audible Captions feature launching in September, allowing people to read along to their audiobooks, will only be available to US customers, the firm has said. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-07-18 23:46:46 UTC ]
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Amazon's rumored wearable device reads your emotions by listening to your voice

Amazon already brings joy to the millions of people who receive its packages, but now it wants to know how you’re feeling during the other 1,400 minutes in your day. Bloomberg reports that Amazon is developing a new wearable device “that can discern the wearer’s emotional state from the sound... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2019-05-23 14:16:00 UTC ]
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Kindle Unlimited brings endless reading and listening to customers

Amazon already gives Prime customers access to a Kindle lending library, allowing the user to "borrow" books each month. But for some of the more voracious types, this may not provide enough material for a month's worth of entertainment. For those customers, the retail giant has unveiled Kindle... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2014-07-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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De Los Reads: Paola Santos' 'How to Eat a Mango' and other Latino authors we're reading in October

Paola Santos' picture book encourages young readers to appreciate nature's gifts and the love that comes with them. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2024-10-03 19:53:20 UTC ]
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De Los Reads: Here's what we're reading in June

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[ Los Angeles Times | 2024-06-10 22:12:36 UTC ]
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Reading Radically: A Reading List of the 1960s and 70s Protest Movements to Understand Activism Today

On April 23, 1968, protesting Columbia University students took over Hamilton Hall, and over the next few days, occupied three more Columbia buildings and the President’s office. At issue were Columbia’s connection to the Vietnam War (through its affiliation with a weapons research think tank)... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2024-05-13 08:55:34 UTC ]
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De Los | Reads: 9 books to read during the holidays by Latinx authors

If you want inspiration for the new year, the nonfiction section has a self-care title that promises a meditative reading and a graphic novel about the Latinx leaders who changed the history of the U.S. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-12-13 18:42:26 UTC ]
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‘Didn’t read it, will not read it’: Harry and Meghan of little interest to Montecito neighbours

The world’s fastest-selling memoir is merely an episode in a soap opera in the Sussexes’ adopted Californian hometownOn the day Prince Harry’s controversial, headline-grabbing memoir Spare officially became the fastest-selling non-fiction book in history, the bookstore in his adoptive hometown... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-01-21 14:25:09 UTC ]
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New Right to Read Bill Expands School Library Access, Students’ Rights to Read

The Right to Read Act was introduced in Congress October 6. Here's what it is and how it could impact libraries and book bans nationwide. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2022-10-10 14:39:31 UTC ]
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2 great thrillers to read now -- and 2 for your summer reading list

Get ready for summer with domestic suspense novels by Lisa Scottoline, Sally Hepworth, Katie Gutierrez and Amanda Jayatissa Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2022-05-14 12:00:14 UTC ]
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Reading Short Stories is Helping Me Fall in Love With Reading Again

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[ Book Riot | 2021-11-18 11:36:00 UTC ]
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