Interviews Emilio Fraia’s Sevastopol, out this summer from New Directions, is the sort of book that beguiles and dazzles in equal measure. Consisting of three disparate stories—of a mountain climber attempting to scale Mt. Everest, a mysterious loner who vanishes into the Brazilian countryside, and an avant-garde production set during the Crimean War—the book is an enigma: Is it a linked collection, a “novel-in-stories,” or something else entirely? Fluidly translated by Zoë Perry, the work came together over an extended period, with sections first published in Granta’s Best Young Brazilian Novelists issue in 2012 and the New Yorker in 2019. Fraia, who lives in São Paulo, spoke over email about Sevastopol, the shadowy realms of fiction, and the “Fora Bolsonaro” movement, among other things. Anderson Tepper: Emilio, before I ask you about the book, I want to know how things are in Brazil right now and what is happening with the pandemic. Emilio Fraia: So far, some 560,000 Brazilians have died, the direct result of Bolsonaro’s criminal conduct during the pandemic. He has made countless statements against the vaccine, against wearing masks, and in favor of ineffective drug therapies. At no point during this tragedy has the president uttered a single word of true grief for victims of the virus. And as if that weren’t enough, now his government is embroiled in a bribery scandal involving the purchase of overpriced vaccines, and every... Continue reading at 'World Literature Today'
[ World Literature Today | 2021-08-09 20:31:30 UTC ]
It’s a confusing thing, being Irish. We’re European with none of the sophistication, and for a tiny island, we have an impressive lack of consistency. That said, we also have an impressive literary output. Our politics, social movements, and religions have born enough conflict to make a canon... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2019-11-15 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Forty years ago, VC Andrews’ novel about incest, rape and murder-by-doughnut was declared ‘deranged swill’, but new books under her name still sell. Why?Forty years ago this month, Flowers in the Attic, the debut novel of one VC Andrews was published. A review in the Washington Post didn’t mince... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2019-11-14 14:02:15 UTC ]
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Arrow will publish a "breathtaking" debut novel by Paula Greenlees, inspired by the three years she lived in Singapore. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-11-13 19:37:40 UTC ]
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ALMOST NO CONTEMPORARY literary fiction recounts the experience of getting an abortion. Perhaps this is because it can seem politically suspect to write in a nuanced way about its difficulties; opponents of legal abortion are all too eager to turn any mention of these difficulties into evidence... Continue reading at Los Angeles Review of Books
[ Los Angeles Review of Books | 2019-11-07 13:30:09 UTC ]
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Shannon Pufahl’s “On Swift Horses” weaves an entanglement of attractions in postwar California. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2019-11-05 10:00:10 UTC ]
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From meditations on the d/Deaf experience to short stories blurring the mythic and the gothic with the everyday, from mixing the personal and political to a young woman uncover the truth about her family’s past – four outstanding writers have today been named on the shortlist for The Sunday... Continue reading at British Council global
[ British Council global | 2019-11-04 12:55:09 UTC ]
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Constable has signed a fresh biography of George Orwell by D J Taylor, whose earlier book on the writer, published in 2003, won the Whitbread Prize. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-11-04 09:52:59 UTC ]
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You go to a coffee shop in order to focus on your craft. What do you order? A. A black coffee. B. An almond milk matcha. What is your critically acclaimed debut novel about? A. A man getting stuck on a subway train and revisiting the weight of all of the mistakes he’s made in […] The post... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2019-11-01 11:00:37 UTC ]
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While you're perusing the literary fiction shelves, create a haunting atmosphere with these eerie literary fiction titles for Halloween and beyond. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2019-10-31 10:40:16 UTC ]
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Oneworld has bought a debut novel from Irish writer Frances Macken, billed as “a major voice in contemporary fiction”. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-30 07:19:30 UTC ]
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We chatted with Rena Barron about her debut novel KINGDOM OF SOULS, the process of writing it, the story and the excitement behind it. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2019-10-29 10:40:44 UTC ]
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WHEN YA PUBLISHER Houghton Mifflin Harcourt put out Ariel Schrag’s Adam in 2014, it felt predetermined that this debut novel would eventually become a movie. Indeed, the promotional materials included a trailer for an imagined film, a digital elevator pitch. Moreover, as a preexisting YA... Continue reading at Los Angeles Review of Books
[ Los Angeles Review of Books | 2019-10-26 17:00:36 UTC ]
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While all fiction writers can pull characters from their imaginations and commit them to the page, most readers can’t do what Charley Sutherland can: pull characters from the page and commit them to the real world. Sutherland’s fantastical ability is at the center of H.G. Parry’s debut novel The... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2019-10-25 08:46:30 UTC ]
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Granta Books has snapped up the debut poetry collection and debut novel of Betty Trask and Eric Gregory award-winning poet and writer Daisy Lafarge. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-23 10:48:08 UTC ]
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Legend Press has bagged a “warm and poignant” debut novel exploring identity, race and mental illness by writer and painter Alex Morrall. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-22 16:25:02 UTC ]
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While literary fiction often sidesteps the climate crisis, eco-horror is filling the breach. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2019-10-19 09:00:04 UTC ]
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W&N has landed the "virtuoso" debut novel from poet Sam Riviere in a multi-publisher auction. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-18 05:10:37 UTC ]
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News and Events WLT Photo by J. Foley Opale World Literature Today, the University of Oklahoma’s award-winning magazine of international literature and culture, announced late Wednesday evening that Ismail Kadare is the 26th laureate of the renowned... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2019-10-16 22:21:35 UTC ]
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SEQUELS IN LITERARY FICTION are rare. There’s a risk in returning to characters whose arcs have been resolved or purposely left in ambiguity. A second book may rob readers of the pleasure of imagination, thus undoing some of the magic of the original novel. But sometimes a character so compels... Continue reading at Los Angeles Review of Books
[ Los Angeles Review of Books | 2019-10-16 17:00:57 UTC ]
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Head of Zeus imprint Zephyr has pre-empted the debut novel from Aardman Animations creative director Finbar Hawkins in a two-book deal. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-11 03:38:34 UTC ]
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