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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'The Little Prince' Comes of Age

Next year will mark the 80th anniversary of the book’s publication, and celebrations are already underway in New York City, where Saint-Exupéry wrote his masterpiece. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-11-10 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Meet Percival Everett: 5 novels that showcase the L.A. writer's enigmatic style

Author and USC professor Percival Everett joins the Los Angeles Times Book Club on Nov. 16 to discuss "Dr. No" at the Autry Museum. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-11-08 21:41:13 UTC ]
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Brigitte Giraud Wins Goncourt Prize With Tragic Novel of Loss

The prestigious French literary award went to “Living Fast,” or “Vivre Vite,” which explores the causes of an accident that killed the author’s partner. Continue reading at The New York Times

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Louise Kennedy’s Debut Novel Taps Into Her Childhood Amid the Troubles

The book, “Trespasses,” captures the texture of life in Northern Ireland — details, objects and images that carry “incredible emotional weight.” Continue reading at The New York Times

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What I Write in My Journal is Just for Me (It is Not My Memoir)

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Booker prize winner urges people not to circulate pirated copies of his novel

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[ The Guardian | 2022-10-21 13:11:21 UTC ]
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Mary Karr on Navigating Memory While Writing Memoir

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Carmen Callil, pioneering champion of female writers, dies aged 84

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Harry Potter and Cracker actor Robbie Coltrane dies aged 72

The actor, known for playing Hagrid in the Harry Potter franchise and Fitz in the series Cracker, has died aged 72. Continue reading at BBC News

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Book Excerpt: ‘The Passenger,’ Cormac McCarthy’s First Novel in 16 Years

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September Religion Bestsellers: Jonathan Cahn Tops; ‘The Stranger’ Stays

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Deck the Shelves with Holiday Fiction: Christmas-Themed Novels

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Why Lydia Millet writes about what frightens her most

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Jada Pinkett Smith writing memoir about life, 'complicated marriage to Will Smith'

Jada Pinkett Smith's memoir will take readers on 'a rollercoaster ride from the depths of suicidal depression to the heights of personal rediscovery.' Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

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Al Pacino is reportedly writing his first memoir.

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'Black Hollywood' photo book stars Black actors at the center of film's golden ages

Photographer Carell Augustus' book recasts classic Hollywood films with Black actors. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

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7 Terrifying Horror Novels Perfect for Young Adult Readers

Kiersten White, the Bram Stoker Award-winning author of “The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein,” “Hide” and more, recommends a few of her favorite horror novels. Continue reading at The New York Times

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Lauren Groff’s next novel is set in the 17th-century American wilderness.

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How Lynne Tillman's 'Mothercare' helped me face my aging parents' future

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Tom Hanks is publishing a novel, and it sounds exactly like a Tom Hanks movie.

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