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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ABC accuses News Corp and Daily Mail of amplifying misogynist Twitter abuse of Lisa Millar

Trolling of News Breakfast host over her outfit reported by the media outlets with screenshots and abusive tweetsLATEST: ABC host Lisa Millar admits anger but also hope after news sites republish ‘foul’ online abuseGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastThe ABC... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-03-07 03:08:44 UTC ]
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Netflix making live-action 'One Piece' from popular manga

Hit Japanese manga “One Piece” is coming to Netflix as a live-action series — a development that’s both exciting and worrisome for fans who have seen mixed success in a growing list of Hollywood adaptations Continue reading at ABC News

[ ABC News | 2023-03-06 02:32:30 UTC ]
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Don’t write what you know, write what you feel: bestselling authors offer tips on World Book Day

Malorie Blackman advises budding authors to pick up on news stories, but Julia Donaldson warns of pitfalls – and Alan Moore says you should read terrible books as well as good onesThe key to being a good writer? It’s being a good reader, authors including Carol Ann Duffy and Alan Moore have said... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-03-02 15:43:52 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #news stories #alan moore #lee child #important things #world book


How NASA pulled off the DART mission, making science fiction a reality

In a test of planetary defense capabilities, NASA and Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory crashed a spacecraft to alter an object’s orbit. NASA is No. 17 on Fast Company’s list of the World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies of 2023. Explore the full list of companies that are reshaping... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2023-03-02 07:00:00 UTC ]
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Springer Nature Acquires TooWrite for Its Writing Researchers

The 'research solutions' division of Springer Nature acquires the TooWrite platform, still in development, for research writers. The post Springer Nature Acquires TooWrite for Its Writing Researchers appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-02-14 18:04:52 UTC ]
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Zibby Books Makes Its Debut

Leading bookfluencer and budding book business entrepreneur Zibby Owens discusses the newly launched Zibby Books; her first bookstore, Zibby’s Bookshop, which will open in Santa Monica, Calif., this month; and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-02-10 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Adelaide Books Promises to Make Things Right with Authors

The owner of the hybrid publisher has promised representatives from the Authors Guild that he will address the myriad complaints brought against his company that have piled up for about five years. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-02-01 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #hybrid publisher #authors guild


For Aleksandar Hemon, Writing is a Search for a Form That Doesn’t Yet Exist

Aleksandar Hemon is the author of The Lazarus Project, which was a finalist for the 2008 National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award, and three books of short stories: The Question of Bruno; Nowhere Man, which was also a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award;... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-01-24 09:53:24 UTC ]
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“Phenomenal” woman Meena Harris makes the leap from t-shirt branding to book publishing

Phenomenal Media, a company launched by Kamala Harris’ niece that celebrates underrepresented women, is debuting a new partnership with Hachette Books. In 2016, Meena Harris started designing statement t-shirts that quite literally made a statement. Her most famous one read “Phenomenal Woman,”... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2023-01-24 08:00:00 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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