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 ]
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Cormac McCarthy, Whose Sentences and Cynicism Reshaped American Letters, Dies at 89

Cormac McCarthy, whose inimitable literary style and uniquely bleak outlook on human nature combined to ensure his status as a behemoth of contemporary American letters, died of natural causes at his home in Santa Fe, N.M., on June 13. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-06-13 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Nathaniel Rich Reads His Story Hidden Bayou

Emergence Magazine is an online publication with annual print edition exploring the threads connecting ecology, culture, and spirituality. As we experience the desecration of our lands and waters, the extinguishing of species, and a loss of sacred connection to the Earth, we look to emerging... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-06-12 08:51:53 UTC ]
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Help dad get through his reading list this Father’s Day

If you’re tired of hearing your dad talk about how he can never find time to get through his reading list, it’s time to nip that in the bud. This Father’s Day, give up a subscription to Headway Premium, the top-rated learning app that makes it easier than ever to learn something new every... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2023-06-12 08:00:00 UTC ]
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A summer reading list for the modern leader

Succession, shipwrecks, and a romantic comedy top my list of leisure reads Hello and welcome to Modern CEO! I’m Stephanie Mehta, CEO and chief content officer of Mansueto Ventures. Each week this newsletter explores inclusive approaches to leadership drawn from conversations with executives and... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2023-06-12 07:00:00 UTC ]
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Summer Book Preview and 9 Thrillers to Read

Gilbert Cruz is joined by The Times’s thriller columnist, Sarah Lyall, to talk about some great suspenseful titles to check out this summer. And the editor Joumana Khatib gives her picks for books to look out for between now and Labor Day. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-06-09 19:53:20 UTC ]
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24 New Fiction Books to Read This Summer

A sequel to Colson Whitehead’s “Harlem Shuffle,” new stories from Jamel Brinkley, a debut novel about a teenager who worked for Andy Warhol — and more. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-06-09 09:01:29 UTC ]
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What Should You Read Next? Here Are the Best Reviewed Books of the Week

Jenny Erpenbeck’s Kairos, Deborah Levy’s August Blue, and Frieda Hughes’ George: A Magpie Memoir all feature among the Best Reviewed Books of the Week. Brought to you by Book Marks, Lit Hub’s “Rotten Tomatoes for books.” * Fiction 1. Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck (New Directions) 10 Rave • 3... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-06-09 08:53:52 UTC ]
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7 Splash-Proof and Water-Proof Kindle Cases for Summer Reading

Grab one of these waterproof Kindle cases before you head out on any summer adventures. Your book/ereader will thank you.- Kate Krug Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-06-07 10:32:00 UTC ]
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Reading at Full Volume: Seven Books That Feature Rock Music

I’ve been working on a theory about novelists lately: most of us wish we were rock stars. I’m basing this on a few things, like, for example, who wouldn’t want to be a rock star? Also, with all our anonymity, social anxiety disorders, and how we tend to be at our best while wearing sweatpants […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-06-07 08:52:59 UTC ]
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10 New Manga Releases of June 2023 to Round Out Your Summer Reading List

The new manga releases out June 2023 include isekai, a slice-of-life romance, a new story from the creator of Chainsaw Man, and much more! Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-06-06 10:31:00 UTC ]
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WATCH: Dua Lipa visits a women’s prison reading group.

Working with the Booker Prize Foundation, Dua Lipa recently visited HMP Downview, a women’s prison in Surrey, to get a firsthand glimpse of Books Unlocked, a program set up by the BPF and the National Literacy to foster a culture of reading for incarcerated people. Lipa, who recently launched a... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-06-02 14:54:54 UTC ]
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What We're Reading: Hay Festival

Take a look at previous What We’re Reading blogs for more reading inspiration. Hungry Ghosts, by Kevin Jared HoseinI'm thoroughly enjoying Hungry Ghosts, the debut novel by Kevin Jared Hosein, who won the Commonwealth Short Story Prize in 2018, and whom I had the pleasure of hearing read at the... Continue reading at British Council global

[ British Council global | 2023-06-01 06:19:41 UTC ]
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10 books to add to your reading list this June

Bethanne Patrick's 10 recommended books for June include long-awaited fiction from Lorrie Moore and Jenny Erpenbeck, strong debuts and surprising histories. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-05-31 13:30:42 UTC ]
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ChatGPT is basically a Gen X’er who stopped reading in 12th grade.

Turns out our soon-to-be AI Overlord, ChatGPT, has a worldview based in the 19th-century canon, Gen X sci-fi favorites, and the social dynamics at Hogwart’s School For Lil Magicians. According to this profile at Business Insider, a data scientist has reverse-engineered ChatGPT’s reading list by... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-05-30 15:25:12 UTC ]
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9 Science Fiction Reads for Every Mood

Whether you're looking to belly laugh, contemplate the future of humanity, or dig into conspiracy theories, I have a sci-fi read for you! Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-05-30 10:34:00 UTC ]
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New Historical Fiction to Read This Summer

These books rewind time, depositing readers in the Cumbrian countryside, coastal Maine, rural Wyoming and beyond. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-05-26 15:30:50 UTC ]
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Publishing On and Off the Page: A Reading List of Books About Book People

Readers love to read about book people almost as much as writers love to write about them (I love to do both). My latest novel, On Fire Island, follows uber-talented young book editor, Julia Gold and literary wunderkind, Benjamin Morse, through their journeys on and off the page. Threaded in... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-05-26 08:52:35 UTC ]
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Read Marilynne Robinson’s 1988 review of Raymond Carver’s final collection.

Raymond Carver, one of the most beloved and influential short story writers in the history of American fiction, was born eighty-five years ago today. Below is a New York Times review of Carver’s final story collection, Where I’m Calling From, written by future Pulitzer Prize (and Orange Prize,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-05-25 17:31:12 UTC ]
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What We're Reading: Hay Festival special

Take a look at previous What We’re Reading blogs for more reading inspiration. Hungry Ghosts, by Kevin Jared HoseinI'm thoroughly enjoying Hungry Ghosts, the debut novel by Kevin Jared Hosein, who won the Commonwealth Short Story Prize in 2018, and whom I had the pleasure of hearing read at the... Continue reading at British Council global

[ British Council global | 2023-05-25 16:57:18 UTC ]
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A More Introspective End of the World: A Reading List of Quiet Apocalypse Books

Apocalypse brings to mind cataclysmic events, often involving Mad Max-esq fighting, cannibalism, and what horrors one must endure, or commit, to survive. I love such stories. I like to imagine that I would survive, thrive even, conveniently forgetting that my life of indoor pursuits, reading,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-05-25 12:26:54 UTC ]
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