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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20 Must-Read Works of Historical Fiction Set in Mexico

Want to read more historical fiction set in Mexico? We've got you covered with these 20 absolute must-read books! Continue reading at Book Riot

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Portable Reading Delights: Summer 2023 YA Paperback Releases

Get ready for all things reading outdoors or indoors beside a window with these summer 2023 YA paperbacks. Continue reading at Book Riot

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Transgender woman, bookstore, teacher sue over Montana law banning drag reading events

A transgender woman, the owners of an independent bookstore and an educator who teaches in costume are among those challenging Montana's first-in-the-nation law that bans people dressed in drag from reading to children in public schools or libraries Continue reading at ABC News

[ ABC News | 2023-07-07 01:02:34 UTC ]
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Transgender woman, bookstore, teacher sue over Montana law banning drag reading events

A transgender woman, the owners of an independent bookstore and an educator who teaches in costume are among those challenging Montana's first-in-the-nation law that bans people dressed in drag from reading to children in public schools or libraries Continue reading at ABC News

[ ABC News | 2023-07-07 00:47:04 UTC ]
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Catch Up on Your Mid-Year Reading Goals with These 8 New Manga Releases for July 2023

The manga new releases out July 2023 include a sweet high school romance, adventures at magic school, a body swap horror story, and lots more! Continue reading at Book Riot

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Blurred Lines: A Reading List of Metafiction

It’s that spooky frisson that makes you, for a split second, want to throw your book across the room. Or chuckle. Or flail, blindly, for the familiar barrier between storyworld and readerworld—you know, your world. There’s nothing as electric as an experimental flourish executed well, and... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

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15 Small Press Books You Should Be Reading This Summer

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The Library Community Rallies Around the Freedom to Read

The 2023 American Library Association Annual Conference concluded on June 27, in Chicago, with the ALA reporting a solid bump in turnout over 2022. The library community rallied around the freedom to read with a clear stand against censorship. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-06-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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10 books to add to your reading list this July

Bethanne Patrick's 10 recommended books for July include memoirs on mothers and art, histories of muscle and heat, a new caper from Colson Whitehead and more. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

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8 Great Books to Read About the Relationship Between Humans and Animals

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ALA, AAP Reaffirm Landmark Freedom to Read Statement on 70th Anniversary

First adopted in 1953, the reaffirmation this week comes amid an unprecedented surge in book challenges and legislative attacks on the freedom to read. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-06-26 04:00:00 UTC ]
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ALA 2023: Judy Blume Offers a Rousing Defense of the Freedom to Read

Keynoting a resurgent ALA Annual Conference, the author talked about her experiences with books bans in the 1980s and thanked librarians for their ardent defense of banned books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-06-25 04:00:00 UTC ]
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This Bestselling Author Says Publishers Rejected His New Thriller Because He’s White. I Read It, and I’m Not So Sure.

If you believe that the role of a novel is to instruct readers on correct moral positions, then Trial is a masterpiece. Continue reading at Slate

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20 Must-Read Historical Fiction Books Set in India

India is a land of great linguistic, cultural, and religious diversity. Here are 20 of the best examples of historical fiction set in India. Continue reading at Book Riot

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Literary Concertos: A Reading List of Novels Inspired by Other Art Forms

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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

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Help dad get through his reading list this Father’s Day

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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

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