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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William Heinemann to publish Tom Hanks short stories

Cornerstone imprint William Heinemann is publishing a collection of short stories from actor Tom Hanks, anticipated to be a "major publishing event" for PRH this autumn. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-02-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors join Julian Barnes in condemning US authors' admission to Booker prize

Writers including AS Byatt and Philip Hensher say Commonwealth and British writers face greater struggle to find readers, now ‘dice are loaded’ AS Byatt, Philip Hensher and Susan Hill have joined authors backing Julian Barnes’s call for the Man Booker prize to exclude US writers once again, a... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-11-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Arundhati Roy to publish second novel after 20 years

Penguin Random House has acquired a new novel from Arundhati Roy, The Ministry of Utmost Happiness, for June 2017: her first work of fiction since The God of Small Things (Harper Perennial) won the Booker prize almost 20 years ago. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-10-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Forgotten Georgette Heyer stories to be republished

Three short stories by the queen of Regency romance have been discovered by her biographer and are being reprinted in a new volumeA trio of forgotten stories by the queen of Regency romance Georgette Heyer have been uncovered by her biographer and are due to be published, for the first time in... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-09-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Corsair buys Roxane Gay short stories

Little, Brown imprint Corsair has acquired Difficult Women, a collection of short stories by US writer Roxane Gay, for publication in January 2017.   Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-09-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Lena Dunham releasing first fiction book

Actress-turned-author Lena Dunham is trying her hand at writing fiction as she prepares to release a collection of short stories next year. Continue reading at Stuff

[ Stuff | 2016-08-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ursula K Le Guin to publish Earthsea story in print for first time

The Daughter of Odren will be published in new omnibus edition of the much-loved fantasy sequence to mark the 50th anniversary of The Wizard of EarthseaA story from Ursula K Le Guin’s world of Earthsea that has never been published in print before is due to be released to mark the 50th... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-07-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Lee Child to write more Reacher novels

Transworld has signed a new contract with international bestselling writer Lee Child for three further thrillers plus a volume of short stories and a novella. New books in the deal will feature maverick ex-military policeman Jack Reacher. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-06-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bryan Cranston returning to television

US actor Bryan Cranston will return to television executive producing and starring in a series based on the short stories of science fiction author Philip K Dick, Variety magazine has reported. Continue reading at Stuff

[ Stuff | 2016-05-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Book Deals: Week of March 14, 2016

Sally Kim closes her first deal as Putnam’s editorial director, Booker Prize–nominee Paul Kingsnorth closes a double at Graywolf, Norman Ollestad sells his new novel to Counterpoint, and more in this week's notable book deals. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

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Jeffrey Deaver talks about the latest Lincoln Rhyme novel 'A Steel Kiss'

Deaver has written 37 novels, three collections of short stories, and dabbled in everything from folk music to an audio-only drama. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2016-03-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Terry Pratchett short story collection coming this summer

Penguin Random House Children’s will this summer publish a second collection of short stories from Terry Pratchett. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-03-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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2015 fiction quiz: Can you recognize these opening lines?

How many have you read? Test yourself by seeing if you can match first lines to the titles of the Monitor's favorite novels (and one collection of short stories) from 2015. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2015-12-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Popular U.K. Band Taps Author for Promotional Push

Author Stuart Evers recently collaborated with U.K. folk trio Daughter, writing three short stories that provide the visuals for three music videos promoting Daughter's second album. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-12-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Short story vending machine promises old-school distractions

In the French city of Grenoble, there are unusual vending machines that don't dispense soda or snacks -- they print out short stories that look like paper receipts instead. These machines were built by a publishing company called Short Éditi... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2015-10-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This Week's Bestsellers: October 26, 2015

A pair of YouTube vloggers have the #4 book in the country, with ‘The Amazing Book Is Not on Fire.’ Plus Brandon Stanton tells more Humans of New York stories, Nobel and Booker Prize–winning authors get a sales boost, and much more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-10-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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How Solitude Can Change Your Brain In Profound Ways

A little time alone can go a long way in spurring your creative thinking and strengthening relationships.I recently got back from a week of solitude in a house off Buzzards Bay in Massachusetts. I was there to focus on finishing my book of short stories without distraction, conversations,... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2015-10-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The world's first true Instagram novel

Instagram has seen its share of photo essays, profiles and short stories. But no one has used the image-sharing network to publish an entire novel - at least not until Matilda and Harry. Continue reading at Stuff

[ Stuff | 2015-10-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'100 Years of Best American Short Stories' is vital yet flawed for loading the canon

When sickly Bostonian Edward J. O'Brien put together the first "Best American Short Stories" anthology in 1915, short stories were considered junky pop culture. He was hoping that his project would elevate the short-story form. He had no idea he was launching a series that would last a century... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2015-10-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Gardam to receive Charleston-Chichester Award

Writer Jane Gardam is to be awarded the Charles-Chichester Award for a Lifetime's Excellence in Short Fiction at a special event held at this year's Charleston Small Wonder Short Story Festival. Gardam, who is the author of short stories as well as novels including the Old Filth trilogy, will... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-07-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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