I first met Peter Owen in the late 1980s, when he published some short stories that I had written about Saudi Arabia. I was invited to interesting parties at his house in Holland Park, west London, and at various embassies where he would launch the many translations of literary fiction he published. He genuinely liked writers, perhaps seeing his own single-minded obstinacy reflected in ours. My friend Francis King used to say that he had an unerring eye for quality in books, and Doris Lessing said of him: “I have admired Peter and his lone stand for years. He has published books that otherwise would not have been published. We owe a great debt to him and the few like him.”In February he and his daughter Antonia came to lunch. Peter kept staring at a carved bookcase that, he said, reminded him of the furniture in the house where he had grown up in Germany. I was afraid he didn’t know who I was, but suddenly he looked at me very sharply and asked, “Where did Nina [a character in one of my novels] come from?” Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2016-07-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
The chatshow host’s new novel centres on Irish lives dominated by shame and repression. Yet, after ‘decades of darkness’, the country’s legalisation of abortion and gay marriage have made him hopefulGraham Norton’s second novel, A Keeper, had not gone to press before this interview, so his... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2018-10-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Born in Ealing, west London, half a century ago to an English mother and a Sudanese father, Kamal Ahmed explores what it means to be mixed-race in Britain today. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-09-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Benedicte Page reflects on the current status of literary fiction and the role of independent publishers in the book industry. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-08-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Super Thursday will fall on 4th October this year, The Bookseller can reveal, when a whopping 544 new hardbacks will be hitting shelves—40 more than on last year’s equivalent day—all vying for a slice of the lucrative Christmas book market. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-07-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Bloomsbury has bought IB Tauris (IBT), the academic publisher based in West London with an office in New York. The price was £5.8 million. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-05-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
From Finland by way of Kosovo, as well as the UK, Israel, Nigeria, Sweden, Spain, and the United States, the writers of our roundup are producing thrillers, literary fiction, memoir, children's historically reflective work and, of course, children's stories. The post Bologna Rights Roundup: Nine... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-03-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
With biography, autobiography, children's literature, new Nordic noir, literary fiction, and a mystery that rides with the Tour de France, we look at several interesting sales stories and rights action the authors of which include a Syrian concert pianist. The post Rights Roundup: Eight Titles... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-02-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Topped by Margaret Atwood, the UK’s Top 10 bestselling authors of literary fiction last year features only one male writer, Haruki MurakamiFlying in the face of Norman Mailer’s infamous comment that “a good novelist can do without everything but the remnant of his balls”, Haruki Murakami was the... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2018-01-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Author Jilly Cooper has said that literary fiction should not receive state support, arguing instead that the money would be better spent on the declining newspaper industry. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-01-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
I’m not surprised sales of literary fiction are in decline – too many authors fail to engage their readers with any sort of story• Tim Lott is an author and journalistFollowing the announcement from Arts Council England that sales of literary fiction are plummeting, it is suggested that arts... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2018-01-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
'Overall the books selling well' in the UK 'are not literary,' Arts Council England's commissioned report from the Canelo team announces. The post Arts Council England’s Alarm for Literary Fiction: ‘The Problem Is a Real One’ appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-12-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Arts Council England’s report into the crisis in literary fiction should serve as a "wake up call" to the industry which needs to "radically rethink" how it presents the genre, the chief executive of Curtis Brown has warned. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-12-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Arts Council England has pledged to engage with more bookshops, fund more writers and lobby the government to provide tax relief to independent publishers following a report finding that “the general trend for literary fiction is a negative one”. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-12-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Since its inception in 2014, BookCon has mainly drawn women in the 18 to 30-year-old age bracket, but organizer ReedPop is adding more programming for the 2018 event to attract readers interested in literary fiction, mystery/thriller, sci fi/fantasy and romance. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-12-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
In our digital age, Kazuo Ishiguro’s Nobel prize is a reminder that it is still novels that ask the biggest questionsIt’s always entertaining to observe the interaction between the news media and a writer who has just won the Nobel prize. The all-time best was obviously Doris Lessing, who when... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2017-10-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Arts Council England is broadening its literature work, which has previously concentrated on areas such as poetry and translated literature, into a new emphasis on literary fiction. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Australian publisher Black Inc, which specialises in literary fiction and non-fiction, is to launch in the UK this September. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-06-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Tyrus Books, which published crime and literary fiction, is closing six months after S&S acquired its parent company, Adams Media, from F&W. Christian imprint Howard Books is being relocated to the publisher's New York City headquarters and losing its publisher in the move. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-04-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Amazon Publishing, the largest publisher of translations, will be at the London Book Fair with a rights list of suspense, memoir and literary titles. The post Amazon Publishing at London Book Fair: Literary Fiction, Suspense, Memoir appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-03-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
At a time when literary fiction has a chance to illuminate the struggles and needs of many, the leading Arabic fiction prize's shortlist makes the point. The post The International Prize for Arabic Fiction’s Shortlist: Strong on Issues appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-02-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this