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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Irish President Michael D Higgins has led tributes to poet Thomas Kinsella, who died on 22nd December, aged 93 Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-23 15:24:54 UTC ]
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Unless an author is a household name or has a celebrity endorsement, the hardcover fiction list can be elusive for first-timers. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2021-12-23 10:00:01 UTC ]
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Dolly Parton will headline the audiobook cast of her debut novel Run Rose Run (Century) along with singer and songwriter Kelsea Ballerini in the role of protégée to Parton’s character. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-21 02:34:41 UTC ]
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Hachette Children’s Group has inked a deal for Demon in the Wood by bestselling Shadow and Bone series author Leigh Bardugo, the first graphic novel set in the Grishaverse universe, with illustrations by Dani Pendergast. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-17 07:47:02 UTC ]
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When it comes to great novels, this year felt like an embarrassment of riches. The books collected here are ambitious—in intellect, in scope, in subject matter, and in size. Some are perfect encapsulations of the unique problems of our time, while others illuminate the human threads that connect... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2021-12-16 12:05:00 UTC ]
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Details of Anthony Horowitz’s third official James Bond novel, With a Mind to Kill, have been revealed ahead of publication in May 2022. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-16 11:24:58 UTC ]
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Juhea Kim's "Beasts of a Little Land" captures the dualities of Korean history but ties up symbols too tightly in the service of grand ambitions. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2021-12-14 15:00:20 UTC ]
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Hamish Hamilton has acquired Cursed Bread, an "enthralling" new novel by Booker-nominated author Sophie Mackintosh. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-14 06:49:35 UTC ]
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A student of mine was writing a memoir about being in an abusive marriage. She’d divorced her husband in middle age and returned to college, and her prose was stark and beautiful. After a few months, however, her classmates grew restless. “He was horrible,” they said. “A bullying jerk.” Still,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-12-13 09:51:42 UTC ]
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Rice, whose books have sold more than 150 million copies worldwide, died of complications from a stroke on December 11. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-12-13 05:00:00 UTC ]
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The American author Anne Rice, best known for Interview with the Vampire, has died aged 80 with Chatto & Windus paying tribute to the "true one-off". Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-12 22:02:56 UTC ]
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Books by Akala, Alex Wheatle and Elle McNicoll are among 20 titles featuring in New Writing North's new project, focused on celebrating diverse literature in schools. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-11 02:47:53 UTC ]
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Mike Sellars’ horror novel, featuring a zombie-infested Waterstones store, has gone to northern independent press Northodox. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-08 08:34:19 UTC ]
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“Learwife,” by J.R. Thorp examines one of the more mysterious aspects of Shakespeare’s play. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2021-12-07 12:00:00 UTC ]
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A recent roundup of the ‘best books of 2021’ had every possible genre of novel – with the unsurprising exception of romanceIn the four months since my first novel came out, I’ve had the same conversation probably a dozen times.“What’s it about?” a well-meaning stranger will ask. “Well,” I’ll... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2021-12-05 15:25:24 UTC ]
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Novelists and short-story writers have created some classic narratives about man’s best friend, the dog. But what are the very best stories and novels about dogs? Where should we begin in assessing the classic, canonical literature that features dogs? From Homer’s Odyssey onwards – where the... Continue reading at Interesting Literature
[ Interesting Literature | 2021-12-03 15:00:29 UTC ]
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“Crime and Punishment” was a turning point for the Russian writer — and for literature. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2021-12-03 13:00:00 UTC ]
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For her first title with Farshore, Jennifer Killick has conjured an exciting, chilling tale of friendship. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-03 05:05:12 UTC ]
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Scottish crime writers including Val McDermid, Abir Mukherjee and Louise Welsh are among a new cohort of tutors featuring on Inverness writing centre Moniack Mhor's 2022 programme. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-01 15:01:56 UTC ]
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The translation of Deceit by ‘groundbreaking’ author Yuri Felsen, who died in Auschwitz in 1943, is set to come out next MayThe debut novel by Yuri Felsen, an author once regarded as the “Russian Proust” whose work has been forgotten since he died in Auschwitz in 1943, is set to be published in... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2021-12-01 14:12:48 UTC ]
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