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 ]
News tagged with: #jennifer egan #feel optimistic #human nature #goon squad #human beings #prize-winning author

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10 Books to Make You a Better Writer

Seasoned author and writing mentor Beth Kempton shares 10 books that will improve your craft. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-08-03 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Twitter’s rebrand to X could worsen its legal and financial problems

Twitter’s rebrand to X is well underway. The name and iconic bird logo have been (mostly) stripped from the company’s San Francisco headquarters, and an “X” has replaced the blue bird atop twitter.com. Elon Musk has said the change is about more than just the name. He wants to turn the service... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-07-25 23:39:14 UTC ]
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Interconnected Ecologies: A Conversation with Kathryn Savage, by Jennifer Croft

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[ World Literature Today | 2023-07-19 18:29:25 UTC ]
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Exclusive Cover Reveal of Jennifer Croft’s “The Extinction of Irena Rey”

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[ Electric Literature | 2023-07-07 11:00:00 UTC ]
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How botanist James Wong is using Instagram to reshape our relationship with nature

He released an eight-episode documentary entirely via 90-second Reels, and the result is stunning. British botanist James Wong broke into TV in his twenties with the BBC series Grow Your Own Drugs, and although he’s gone on to be an award-winning garden designer and best-selling author of... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2023-07-06 07:00:00 UTC ]
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Animated GIF generator from Picsart makes AI fun again

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[ Engadget | 2023-07-03 17:59:35 UTC ]
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8 Great Books to Read About the Relationship Between Humans and Animals

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[ Book Riot | 2023-06-29 10:35:00 UTC ]
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Springer Nature Issues Its New ‘Progress Report’

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-06-28 20:01:57 UTC ]
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Apple has posted the entire first episode of ‘Silo’ on Twitter

Apple is borrowing a marketing tactic from Twitter pirates. The company made the unusual move of uploading the entire first episode of its series Silo to the social platform, allowing anyone there to watch the opening installment for free. The gambit follows Twitter’s move to allow longer video... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-06-27 18:24:03 UTC ]
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Authors of ‘And Tango Makes Three’ Sue Over Florida Law Driving Book Bans

The authors of a picture book about a penguin family with two fathers sued the state and a school district that removed the book from libraries. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-06-20 14:25:50 UTC ]
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Coffee House Press Names Executive Editor and Makes Additional Hires

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-06-13 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Interview: Three Books That Make Tess Gunty Angry

“So many come to mind,” says the author, whose novel “The Rabbit Hutch” won a National Book Award last year and will be out in paperback this month. “I guess I’m often furious?” Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-06-08 09:00:31 UTC ]
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Twitter's ad sales have reportedly dropped by 59 percent since last year

Twitter's advertising revenue is down 59 percent during a five week stretch between April 1st and early May compared to the same period last year, The New York Times has reported. It regularly falls short of sales projections, and things aren't likely to change soon (apparently despite the... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-06-06 09:25:43 UTC ]
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A Kids' Book Brings Biblical Wisdom to Big Feelings

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-06-06 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Nonprofit To Make Book Fairs Accessible to Underserved Students

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[ Book Riot | 2023-06-01 18:58:52 UTC ]
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U.S. Book Show: Human Connection Powers the Book Business

Editors and literary agents on the mechanics—and the emotions—behind the publishing business, what makes a bestseller, and how book bidding wars can cloud expectations. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-05-25 04:00:00 UTC ]
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How Should We Feel About Barnes & Noble Now?

Barnes and Noble is putting on the costume of a local indie bookstore, but their inner mechanics are still all big-box chain corporation. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-05-23 10:36:00 UTC ]
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The Morning After: Meta could launch a Twitter competitor next month

Meta has long been rumored to be building a platform to rival Twitter. After months of speculation, there are finally some details on how it might turn out, according to digital media marketing expert Lia Haberman, who has heard about the app through content creators approached by Meta.Haberman... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-05-22 11:15:43 UTC ]
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Meta’s rumored Twitter competitor could launch as early as next month

Folks are spending less time on Twitter since Elon Musk bought the social media site last year, but there’s still plenty of demand for similar platforms like Mastodon and Bluesky. To that point, Meta has long been rumored to be building its own platform to rival Twitter. After months of... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-05-19 18:16:25 UTC ]
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10 of the Best Cozy Manga That Feel Like Warm Hugs

For quiet days under the sun, check out 10 of the best cozy manga that will provide warmth and tenderness in your life. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-05-19 10:31:00 UTC ]
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