Jennifer Egan: ‘Twitter doesn’t make me feel optimistic about human nature’

The Pulitzer prize-winning author discusses her follow up to A Visit from the Goon Squad and how imagining a new technology set her writing freeWhen Jennifer Egan bought her house in Brooklyn 20 years ago, it had been on the market for eight months. The owners were an elderly couple, and the place was distressed. “There were holes in the floor and the walls were drab,” says Egan, sitting in the kitchen of what is now a beautifully renovated property, full of lovely art and restored period details. Remembering how it was fills the 59-year-old novelist with a peculiar and very specific dread. “What really made it gloomy – and I’m very conscious of this – was that the family who’d lived here, the child had grown up, the parents had gotten old, and I think they’d stopped seeing it. There are moments when I think: is that happening now?”It’s the condition in which most of us live – after a while, we stop seeing our surroundings – and one against which Egan’s skill as a novelist is set. She is highly attuned to the falsifying effects of nostalgia, complacency, solipsism and ignorance of history, and to the delusions of uniqueness that dog every age. She is obsessed, for example, with the 1870s, “an amazing decade, because, except for the telegraph, almost none of the inventions we take for granted now – electricity, say – existed yet. And yet, 20 or 30 years later, there were cars. I think we underestimate the degree to which the change we experience is what it’s always been... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2022-04-16 08:00:03 UTC ]
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Twitter is reportedly struggling to break even as advertisers continue to flee

Twitter’s ad business is reeling, with its daily revenue reportedly falling by 40 percent from a year ago. According to The Information, over 500 of the company’s top advertisers have paused spending on the platform since Elon Musk’s October takeover. Despite that, Twitter is still attracting... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-01-18 18:54:25 UTC ]
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The Making of ‘Tephlon Funk’: PW Talks with Stephane Metayer

'PW' talks with Stephane Metayer about the making of 'Tephlon Funk!,' a fast-paced paranormal adventure graphic novel set in the Queensbridge housing projects in New York City in the 1990s. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-01-18 05:00:00 UTC ]
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A Summary and Analysis of Maya Angelou’s ‘Life Doesn’t Frighten Me’

‘Life Doesn’t Frighten Me’ is a well-known poem by Maya Angelou (1928-2014). It is the title poem from Angelou’s 1993 collection Life Doesn’t Frighten Me, which was marketed as a children’s book although Angelou did not originally conceive the poems as being specifically for children. A brave,... Continue reading at Interesting Literature

[ Interesting Literature | 2023-01-07 15:00:10 UTC ]
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12 Sci-Fi Stories to Help Make Sense of the Climate, Risk, and Our Digital Lives

Don’t miss these short stories featuring firefighting drones, lab-grown mammals, long-buried fan fiction, and much more. Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2022-12-30 10:50:00 UTC ]
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After Further Revue, Twitter to Shut Down Newsletter Publishing Platform Jan. 18

Twitter is shutting down Revue, the newsletter publishing platform it acquired in January 2021. Revue founder Martijn de Kuijper said in a post on the company's website that the platform will shut down Jan. 18 and all data will be deleted, adding, "This has been a hard decision because we know... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2022-12-14 23:00:00 UTC ]
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How Publishers Make Old Books New Again

Pluck any classic novel from a bookstore shelf and it will most likely feature an introduction by a contemporary writer. Especially inspired pairing of authors can imbue an old text with new relevance, highlight its enduring influence, or even become a new selling point for a backlist title. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-12-09 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Springer Nature Acquires Medical Journal ‘Cureus’

Springer Nature leadership talks of creating 'a dynamic, open repository of medical knowledge' with its Cureus acquisition. The post Springer Nature Acquires Medical Journal ‘Cureus’ appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-12-07 17:04:53 UTC ]
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The Morning After: Apple has ‘fully resumed’ advertising on Twitter, according to Elon Musk

According to Elon Musk, Apple has “fully resumed” advertising on Twitter. The billionaire made the comment during a Twitter Spaces conversation he broadcast from his private plane on Saturday evening. On November 28th, Musk claimed Apple had “mostly stopped advertising on Twitter” and threatened... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2022-12-05 12:15:07 UTC ]
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Engadget Podcast: Kindle Scribe review and the rise of Twitter clones

Finally, a Kindle you can write on! This week, we dive into Cherlynn’s review of the Kindle Scribe, Amazon’s first e-reader that can also capture handwritten notes. The hardware is great, but as usual, Amazon’s software feels half-baked. Also, Devindra and Cherlynn discuss the rise of new... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2022-12-02 13:30:56 UTC ]
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Can U.S. Printers Make a Comeback?

The CEO of Worzalla says that with Chinese dominance of the industry threatened by frequent lockdowns and high shipping costs, now is the time for American printers to expand. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-12-02 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Disney built an AI that can easily make actors look younger or older

Disney researchers have developed an artificial intelligence system that seemingly makes it far easier to make an actor appear younger or older in a scene. While artists will still be able to make manual adjustments to make sure the effect looks as realistic as possible, the AI tool could take... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2022-12-01 15:45:09 UTC ]
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Springer Nature Announces a Transformative Agreement in Mexico

With a stand at Guadalajara's fair, Springer Nature says it has the largest transformative agreement in Latin American markets. The post Springer Nature Announces a Transformative Agreement in Mexico appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-11-28 17:24:32 UTC ]
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Make Yourself at Home: Meet the U.S. Team at Nosy Crow Inc.

The U.K. children’s book publisher spreads its wings into the North American market. (Sponsored) Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-11-28 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Elon Musk never cared if Twitter was a business failure – he wants a political win | Richard Seymour

The social platform’s new billionaire owner wants to rebalance information ecologies in favour of the rightWhy bother reinstating Donald Trump’s Twitter account? Twitter owner Elon Musk, having said that no such decisions would be made until a content moderation council was established, made the... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-11-22 14:09:26 UTC ]
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Springer Nature Signs Open-Access Agreement with Japanese Universities

The new open-access agreement announced by Springer Nature is arranged with 10 members of Japan's Research University Consortia. The post Springer Nature Signs Open-Access Agreement with Japanese Universities appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-11-21 21:29:28 UTC ]
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Heartstopper author Alice Oseman: ‘If you don’t have sex and romance, you feel like you haven’t achieved’

The writer and illustrator on turning her ‘weird hobby’ into a bestselling YA series and Netflix hit, the importance of asexual representation and lessons from her fans on love bitesAt 28, the author and illustrator Alice Oseman recently achieved what so many of her peers cannot: she bought a... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-11-19 09:00:53 UTC ]
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What happens to Substack if Elon Musk ruins Twitter?

While some of the most popular writers on the publishing platform were able to convert their sizable Twitter following into newsletter subscriptions, a huge Twitter presence isn’t necessarily a prerequisite for Substack success. In just a few weeks, Elon Musk has created a number of questions... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2022-11-18 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon Makes Cuts to Its Book Group

As part of a companywide effort to reduce costs, Amazon has eliminated an unspecified number of jobs in its Books business. Word of the reductions came in a letter sent yesterday to employees from CEO Andy Jassy describing “role eliminations” in the company's Books and Devices units. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-11-18 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Rob Delaney Wants You to Know How He’s Feeling (It May Ruin Your Day)

In his memoir “A Heart That Works,” the comedian and actor grapples with the pain of losing a child, and how to keep living. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2022-11-12 10:00:26 UTC ]
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David Walliams recorded making derogatory remarks about BGT contestants

Exclusive: Britain’s Got Talent judge made sexually explicit comments about participant, leak showsThe Britain’s Got Talent judge David Walliams made derogatory and sexually explicit remarks about contestants during the recording of an episode of the ITV show, according to a leaked transcript... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-11-10 10:00:02 UTC ]
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