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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If you're in the mood for a raucous graphic novel with perfect summer vibes, we got you. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2024-05-01 11:30:00 UTC ]
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The writer of The New York Trilogy, Leviathan and 4 3 2 1 – known for his stylised postmodernist fiction – has died from complications of lung cancer• Paul Auster – a life in quotes• Paul Auster – a life in picturesPaul Auster, the author of 34 books including the acclaimed New York Trilogy, has... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2024-05-01 04:02:37 UTC ]
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Report commissioned by HarperCollins shows that uptake in YA fiction in older readers is due to behavioural changes described as ‘emerging adulthood’ or delaying ‘adult’ lifeYoung adult fiction such as The Hunger Games, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder and the Heartstopper graphic novels might be... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2024-04-30 11:59:14 UTC ]
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Journalist Sasha Vasilyuk’s debut novel Your Presence Is Mandatory is a poignant look at the reverberating effects of war through the story of a Ukrainian World War II veteran’s struggle to hide a damaging secret for the sake of his family. Vasilyuk’s book begins with death—the first chapter... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2024-04-25 11:00:00 UTC ]
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It’s 2015. My partner and I are in Moab, Utah, for the summer, far from our home of Philadelphia. He is doing research for his dissertation. I am struggling to rewrite a novel that my editor says—and I agree—isn’t working. The desert landscape in southwest Utah is magnificent and to us wholly... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2024-04-19 08:53:24 UTC ]
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This spring has come with its fair share of excellent debut novels. Here are three more, for your reading pleasure. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-04-19 04:00:00 UTC ]
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In January 2016, I was an unpublished writer working on my first novel when I learned of an artist residency on a tiny island off the west coast of South Korea. Excited, I daydreamed of finishing my manuscript in my motherland, visiting family, and of course, eating an abundance of delicious... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2024-04-18 11:05:00 UTC ]
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New graphic novels for middle schoolers explore the poignant joys of summer camp for queer and nonbinary kids. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-04-12 04:00:00 UTC ]
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180 titles have been submitted for this year's German Book Prize, established to 'draw attention beyond national borders' to German fiction. The post German Book Prize: 180 Novels Submitted by 106 Publishers appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-04-10 17:03:14 UTC ]
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From books about disintegrating relationships and countries to a worker’s-eye view of Korea and a story of farmers in Brazil, the selected titles engage with current realities, say the judging panelKorean writer Hwang Sok-yong and German author Jenny Erpenbeck appear on this year’s International... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2024-04-09 13:00:09 UTC ]
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Every author wants to write a book like David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas. Two decades after it first hit the shelves, the author of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow celebrates its daring, dazzling appealPity the writer who believes they have written the next Cloud Atlas! A literary agent once... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2024-04-06 10:00:31 UTC ]
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Writer was also one of first female news reporters on British TV, interviewing stars such as Charlie ChaplinThe author Lynne Reid Banks, known for her novel The L-Shaped Room and her children’s book series The Indian in the Cupboard, has died at the age of 94.She died of cancer “peacefully with... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2024-04-05 14:04:44 UTC ]
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The genre has departed from classic themes, with new books dealing with war, politics and powerlessness – and sales have risen 54% year-on-yearHorror fiction is having a moment, according to data showing 2023 was a record-breaking year for book sales in the genre.Between 2022 and 2023, sales of... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2024-04-04 13:22:32 UTC ]
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I first met Crystal Hana Kim at Women and Children First Bookstore in Chicago in 2017 for a book event, just after she just won the 2017 PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers. She greeted me with warm enthusiasm and we spoke about Korean history. Her debut novel, If You Leave... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2024-04-02 08:54:17 UTC ]
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If you’ve ever loved a book so much that you wanted to eat it, or driven your loved ones crazy with puns, The Edible Book Festival might be for you. The festival started in 2000 and has expanded into many, loosely affiliated annual events, all taking place around April 1st. Created by librarian... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2024-04-01 14:00:36 UTC ]
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Laurent de Brunhoff, who revived his father's popular picture book series about an elephant king, has died. Continue reading at HuffPost
[ HuffPost | 2024-03-23 20:35:30 UTC ]
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The Suede bassist and author on writing without a safety net, terrifying himself for his next novel and which of the Thursday Murder Club books – by his brother Richard – he likes bestMat Osman is, along with Brett Anderson, a founding and current member of the band Suede, and the author of two... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2024-03-23 18:00:26 UTC ]
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The Prisoner’s Throne author Holly Black reflects on the rise of “romantasy” novels, explicit sex scenes, and BookTok. Continue reading at Slate
[ Slate | 2024-03-18 21:31:31 UTC ]
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Leslie Jamison’s new memoir Splinters follows the aftermath of divorce and the awakening of motherhood, but it explores desire more than it does any kind of death. Jamison wants to make meaning, to connect, to love, to feel, to mother, to write, and to revise her life endlessly. There are losses... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2024-03-08 12:00:00 UTC ]
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