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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Lilly Dancyger’s Memoir Is a Love Letter to Her Women Friends

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[ Electric Literature | 2024-06-06 11:00:00 UTC ]
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13 Queer Thrillers and Mystery Novels You Should Be Reading

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Authors, Publishers Sign PEN America Letter Protesting New South Carolina School Book Rules

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Spice Up Your Summer with Steamy Beach Reads

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12 Brilliant Short Stories by Asian Americans to Read For Free Online

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[ Electric Literature | 2024-05-30 11:00:00 UTC ]
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Do you miss childhood summer reading challenges? The National Book Foundation has one for adults.

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The Narrative Pleasures of Social Discomfort: A Reading List of School Reunion Stories

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Why You Should Let Your Family Read Your Memoir in Advance

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8 Incredible Books To Read For Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

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Read a poem written by America’s best young poets.

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'Harry Potter' set at an HBCU? LaDarrion Williams wrote the book he always wanted to read

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[ Los Angeles Times | 2024-05-03 10:00:51 UTC ]
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Frankfurt Joins European Network for Youth Reading Events and Festivals

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