Jonathan Escoffery: ‘I was trying to write novels aged nine’

The If I Survive You author on the suspense of the Booker ceremony, Americans’ warped view of the Caribbean, and writing his next novel on the roadJonathan Escoffery, 43, was born in Texas and lives in Oakland, California. His debut, If I Survive You, about a second-generation Jamaican in Miami, where Escoffery grew up, was shortlisted for last year’s Booker and is currently on the shortlist of the Gordon Burn prize, announced on 7 March. The novelist Rumaan Alam has called it “a reminder of what fiction can do... It’s truly a feat that a book of short stories tackling such big stuff – family, love, violence, race – could be so damn funny.”What did it mean to be shortlisted for the Booker prize?It felt like I’d arrived in the UK for the first time, even though the book had been out for months. I’d already connected with readers outside the US because the book is partly set in Jamaica and talks about the African-Caribbean diaspora, but suddenly I was hearing from people in India and Australia. I’d watched the ceremony when Marlon James won with A Brief History of Seven Killings in 2015. I loved what that book did for Jamaica and to see it honoured in such a massive way was beautiful. I felt like that novel was capturing a history of tumultuous politics and rising crime I’d grown up hearing in a very matter of fact way from my parents: “This is what was happening in the 70s, this is why we left.” Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2024-01-27 18:00:42 UTC ]

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Benefits of The Booker Prize and Other Literary Awards for Writers (Besides the Money)

It's the height of literary award season and WD senior editor Amy Jones considers what prizes like The Booker Prize have to offer readers and writers. The post Benefits of The Booker Prize and Other Literary Awards for Writers (Besides the Money) by Amy Jones appeared first on Writer's Digest. Continue reading at Writer's Digest

[ Writer's Digest | 2019-10-14 19:33:33 UTC ]
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Booker Prize split between Atwood and Evaristo as judges rebel against rules

The Booker Prize has been jointly won by Margaret Atwood’s The Testaments (Chatto & Windus) and Bernardine Evaristo’s Girl, Woman, Other (Hamish Hamilton). Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-14 08:52:37 UTC ]
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Anthony Bourdain’s estate auction includes a lot of his early writings.

An auction of various things from the estate of Anthony Bourdain, the late writer, chef, and TV host, is happening now through October 30, and it includes a number of Bourdain’s early writings. The current bid for the original manuscript of A Chef’s Christmas, his 2002 holiday audiobook, is... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2019-10-10 18:10:41 UTC ]
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Günter Kunert, 90, Searingly Satirical German Author, Dies

In his poems, essays, short stories and novels, he highlighted the differences between East and West Germany, even after the Berlin Wall fell. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2019-10-07 22:40:33 UTC ]
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Where to Find Free Short Stories Online

Whether you're looking to break a reading slump or prefer short form writing, we've got the deets on where you can find free short stories online. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2019-10-07 10:37:57 UTC ]
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10 Edgar Allan Poe Quotes for Writers and About Writing

Here are 10 Edgar Allan Poe quotes for writers and about writing from the author of several short stories and poems, including "The Tell-Tale Heart," "The Fall of the House of Usher," and "The Raven." In these quotes, Poe covers poetry, dreams, madness, and more. The post 10 Edgar Allan Poe... Continue reading at Writer's Digest

[ Writer's Digest | 2019-10-07 05:00:10 UTC ]
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Mac Conner, Illustrator for Ads and Magazines, Dies at 105

In the 1950s and ’60s, Mr. Conner’s art helped sell airlines and overalls and accompanied short stories in The Saturday Evening Post and elsewhere. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2019-10-03 21:16:21 UTC ]
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Bloomsbury snares Kennedy's debut short story collection and novel in 9-way auction

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In ‘The Heart and Other Viscera,’ Félix J. Palma turns mundane moments into spellbinding tales

The collection of short stories reads almost like an assemblage of “Twilight Zone” episodes. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2019-09-20 15:24:51 UTC ]
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Booker Prize stresses 2019 winner remains undecided after bookshop error

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[ The Bookseller | 2019-09-17 10:52:14 UTC ]
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HQ to release eight forgotten short stories by Hurston

HQ has scooped a short story collection including eight "lost" stories by acclaimed Harlem Renaissance author Zora Neale Hurston. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-09-13 13:50:04 UTC ]
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Reading ‘Ducks, Newburyport’ is mentally taxing — and physically exhausting

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[ The Washington Post | 2019-09-11 12:30:00 UTC ]
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Free e-book: Hidden Words Hidden Worlds

Contemporary Short Stories from MyanmarIn 2017 the British Council produced an anthology of short stories from Myanmar.    In 2012 the British Council sought to take advantage of new freedoms in literature and travel through a programme of workshops. The aim of the five-year literature... Continue reading at British Council global

[ British Council global | 2019-09-10 08:55:33 UTC ]
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Jhumpa Lahiri on Editing an Anthology of Italian Fiction

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[ Literrary Hub | 2019-09-10 08:46:32 UTC ]
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'Wide-ranging and diverse' Booker Prize shortlist welcomed by trade, despite surprise omissions

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[ The Bookseller | 2019-09-04 10:36:45 UTC ]
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8 Creepy Short Stories to Keep You Up at Night

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[ Book Riot | 2019-08-14 10:34:44 UTC ]
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Booker tightlipped amid speculation Lee Child will judge 2020 prize

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[ The Bookseller | 2019-08-12 09:45:34 UTC ]
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Picador bags short stories and novel from Mary South

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Finally, some Proust short enough to finish. (New novellas discovered!)

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[ Literrary Hub | 2019-08-06 19:34:36 UTC ]
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