The fake author who fooled the publishing world is brought back to life in a diverting tale that treads familiar ground“Sometimes, a lie’s more truth than the truth,” drawls author JT Leroy, speaking down a crackling telephone line. This straightforward dramatisation of Savannah Knoop’s 2008 memoir Girl Boy Girl: How I Became JT LeRoy details the scandalous, six-year-long ruse created by Knoop (Kristen Stewart) and author Laura Albert (Laura Dern) in the early noughties. Jeremiah Terminator LeRoy wasn’t just Albert’s pseudonym; he was a full-blown literary persona with a salacious backstory of poverty and child abuse that made the teenager’s acclaimed semi-autobiographical novels appear more authentic.When Albert meets her boyfriend’s shy, androgynous sister Savannah, she sees an opportunity to realise the reclusive LeRoy (the hunched, shuffling Stewart is perfect casting) and turn him into a celebrity phenomenon. Albert styles herself as LeRoy’s mad British manager Speedie; magazine covers and multimillion dollar film adaptations follow. For those familiar with the story, this version of LeRoy’s rise and fall won’t offer new revelations. Still, Dern brings a hungry, manic energy to Albert, a sad and troubled woman who used LeRoy as a vehicle to process her own childhood trauma, while Stewart’s performance is typically interiorised and exacting. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2019-08-18 07:00:10 UTC ]
Publishing staff, in rows over authors from Mike Pence to Woody Allen, are voicing their reluctance to work on books they deem hateful. But is this really ‘younger refuseniks’, or a much older debate?In the 1960s, Simon & Schuster’s co-founder Max Schuster was facing a dilemma. Albert Speer,... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2021-06-03 12:12:23 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Interviews Photo by Oluwaseyi Johnson / Unsplash I was lucky to meet Romalyn Ante when I was invited to read at a virtual event organized by R. A. Villanueva and hosted by Books Are Magic in August 2020. Ante was the guest of honor at the event,... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2021-06-02 11:57:51 UTC ]
More news stories like this
London Book Fair is online this year. On 30 June, the focus falls on making words travel, with a programme addressing writers, translators, and the ways that books can travel across borders. The British Council is partnering with English PEN and the Literary Translation Centre on three free... Continue reading at British Council global
[ British Council global | 2021-06-02 10:20:41 UTC ]
More news stories like this
In March of 2004, my family and I were at home in Taiwan for the national election, and I got into my first-ever screaming match with a perfect stranger. The election choice, as always, was between the Kuo Ming Tang, which favors reunification with China; and the Democratic People’s Party, which... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2021-06-01 11:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
“I always pushed myself to go higher,” Johnson wrote in her posthumous memoir “My Remarkable Journey” Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2021-05-29 11:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Roxane Gay Books will focus on underrepresented fiction, nonfiction and memoir writers, with or without agents. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2021-05-26 09:00:15 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The renaissance man and author of the forthcoming memoir 'Unrequited Infatuations' shared his reflections on how the religion of rock ‘n roll shaped a decades-long career as a producer, solo artist, member of the E Street Band, activist, and actor on TV shows including 'The Sopranos.' Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-05-26 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Headline has landed Sex Bomb, a "hilarious, compelling and conversation-starting" memoir from stand-up comedian, podcast host and writer Sadia Azmat. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-05-24 11:30:11 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Katherine Johnson’s work as a NASA mathematician was essential during the space race, if underappreciated. A new memoir sheds light on her story. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2021-05-21 15:20:36 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Randa Jarrar’s memoir Love Is An Ex-Country focuses predominantly on the years leading to the 2016 election, a period, which, like now, was characterized by heightened Islamophobia, misogyny, homophobia, anti-immigrant sentiment, and racism. Jarrar embarks on a road trip inspired by Tahia... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2021-05-21 11:00:43 UTC ]
More news stories like this
News and Events Mariah Rust and Xin Xu recently were named the recipients of the fourth annual translation prize for students sponsored by World Literature Today at the University of Oklahoma. Consistent with World Literature Today’s commitment to... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2021-05-20 16:07:11 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Actress Miriam Margolyes’ memoir of "extraordinary adventure" will be published by John Murray in September. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-05-19 23:43:16 UTC ]
More news stories like this
'WAKE: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts' by Rebecca Hall and Hugo Martinez is a riveting combination of memoir and inspirational scholarship. In this eight-page excerpt Hall's efforts to research a slave revolt in 1712 mark the first steps of a quest that will take her to 18th... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-05-19 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
'We are proud to stand with our author,' said the head of Portfolio Books, promising that the memoir 'Flamin' Hot' will still be released June 15. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2021-05-19 00:04:48 UTC ]
More news stories like this
From Sally Rooney to Raven Leilani, female novelists have captured the literary zeitgeist, with more buzz, prizes and bestsellers than men. But is this cultural shift something to celebrate or rectify?In March, Vintage, one of the UK’s largest literary fiction divisions, announced the five debut... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2021-05-16 06:00:48 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The pop star seems to have entered her memoir era at 19. Her new book, "Billie Eilish," uses photos and spare captions to document her life for fans. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2021-05-11 12:00:32 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Bonnier Books UK has bought comedian Josh Widdicombe’s first book, billed as part-childhood memoir, part-comic history of 1990s television and culture. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-05-07 23:03:11 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Forty years ago, IBM researcher Charlie Bennett helped usher in the study of quantum mechanics’ impact on computing. IBM is still at it—and so is Bennett. In May 1981, at a conference center housed in a chateau-style mansion outside Boston, a few dozen physicists and computer scientists gathered... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2021-05-07 08:00:30 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Verso has acquired Becoming Abolitionists: Police, Protests and the Pursuit of Freedom, a memoir by Derecka Purnell. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-05-05 20:05:47 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Williams Collins has pre-empted a memoir by political columnist and commentator Daniel Finkelstein uncovering his family’s devastating experiences of persecution during the Second World War. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-05-05 16:01:10 UTC ]
More news stories like this