Literature on Lockdown: #CultureConnectsUs

For many, staying indoors is an unsettling experience. It’s been heartening to see the imaginative leaps being taken by many organisations and artists to help us through – sitting-room gigs, free theatre streams, virtual tours of museums and archives and galleries – but given the limitless choice of the internet, sometimes it’s hard to find your way around.Tonight, for example, you’re meant to be watching the ballet with one friend, seeing a play with another, while a third FaceTimes you so you can cook a new recipe together. You’ll almost wish it was a regular weekend again; one where you lie face-down on the floor, accuse your partner of something you know they didn’t do, and complain about how you’ve spent all day staring at a screen.So now, in these overwhelming, overloaded times, it’s the perfect opportunity for the British Council Literature team to launch our new blog series, Literature on Lockdown. For while books have never been the flashiest art form, book people are experts in the art of being alone. We know better than almost anyone how one person can find an intense connection, an exciting new idea, or a more vibrant world than the one outside their window, by quietly spending time with the work of another.The British Council Literature blog will offer you a path through the wealth of corona-content, presenting an overview of the different ways the literature community – in the UK and internationally – is continuing: how they are fostering relationships... Continue reading at 'British Council global'

[ British Council global | 2020-04-06 11:36:00 UTC ]
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Other Publishing stories related to: 'Literature on Lockdown: #CultureConnectsUs'


Zadie Smith’s New Book Was Written During Lockdown. It’s Optimistic.

The author’s latest collection shows how few novelists seem to genuinely love human beings the way she does. Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2020-07-21 19:06:23 UTC ]
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Spain’s Book Market: 40 Percent More Online Buying During Lockdown

A new study of the book market in Spain shows consumers are reading more during the pandemic lockdown, buying more books online, and still prefer print over digital. The post Spain’s Book Market: 40 Percent More Online Buying During Lockdown appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-07-21 14:30:43 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #post spain #pandemic lockdown #lockdown appeared #books online #prefer print #book market


Lockdown diaries: the education entrepreneur

I was in the Soho Theatre last May, watching comedian Rob Auton perform ‘The Talk Show’. He told a great joke. It’s hard working from home, he said, when “the only solid work colleagues are the table legs.” Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-07-20 23:03:54 UTC ]
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Ann and Jeff VanderMeer on Fantasy’s Influence on Today’s Literature

At Electric Literature, Ann and Jeff VanderMeer take a look at fantasy’s impact on comtemporary pop culture, in their introduction to the new collection, The Big Book of Modern Fantasy. “Fantasy becomes something of use to a writer to make a political or social statement,” they write. “It’s not... Continue reading at The Millions

[ The Millions | 2020-07-20 20:30:05 UTC ]
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How Fantasy Literature Helped Create the 21st Century

The following is the introduction to The Big Book of Modern Fantasy, edited by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer, to be published by Vintage Books on July 21, 2020. Introduction copyright (c) 2020 by VanderMeer Creative, Inc. Fantasy is a broad and various category that on the one hand can feature... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2020-07-16 11:00:00 UTC ]
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Auctions and pre-empts hotting up after lockdown, agents say

Publishers are clamouring to land debuts and big-name authors via auctions and high pre-empt bids as they look for sure-fire hits following months of disruption, agents say. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-07-14 07:30:14 UTC ]
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What we've learnt about lockdown reading

The past few months have restricted physical access to bookshops, interrupted supply chains and created a raft of logistical complexities for the publishing industry. Even with restrictions easing, traditional consumer marketing and PR are trickier to execute safely. However, our data at The... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-07-07 15:24:03 UTC ]
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Lockdown diaries: the festival programmer

This spring/summer was meant to look very different (a statement that could be applied to literally any person on the planet, I know, but bear with me just so I can give context). After 10+ years working my way up through the arts, and a particularly big year at Cheltenham last year delivering... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-07-06 22:10:05 UTC ]
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Lockdown diaries: the publishing entrepreneur

Boilers are the masters of timing – they know the exact moment to inflict maximum disruption. Mine decided to call time on Monday 23 March 2020 a day that saw the biggest highs and lows of my entrepreneurial life. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-07-02 19:02:34 UTC ]
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Author A G Smith launches project for marginalised voices writing on lockdown

Author A G Smith has launched Paperchains, a project that aims to publish a book of writing by prisoners, homeless people and members of the armed forces about the coronavirus lockdown. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-29 23:21:12 UTC ]
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Lockdown diary: the book distributor

Survival mode; that’s how lockdown began for me, coming, as it did, off the back of two close family tragedies - the loss of both of my sisters in February and March respectively. “If only,” one family gag went, “we can get through April without anybody kicking the bucket we’ll be okay.”  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-29 19:53:35 UTC ]
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Publishing Awards Notes: Madrid’s Desperate Literature Prize Goes to Angela Finn

One of the lesser known prizes for short fiction in Spain names its winner as Australia's high-profile Miles Franklin Literary Award issues its 2020 shortlist. The post Publishing Awards Notes: Madrid’s Desperate Literature Prize Goes to Angela Finn appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-06-26 17:54:35 UTC ]
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Report: 2019 Diversity in Children’s and YA Literature

The Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) has released the results of its 2019 survey on diversity in children's and YA literature.  Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2020-06-26 17:38:28 UTC ]
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Lockdown diaries: the apprentice artworker

I have always had an interesting relationship with books as a result of my dyslexia. As a child I hated reading and it was not until I was fifteen that I started to enjoy it. I decided I wanted to work in publishing, which felt like a pipe dream for several years. So, when I got my job at... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-24 06:28:10 UTC ]
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Library Campaign calls for government action over post-lockdown 'danger' to service

The Library Campaign has called for the government to do more to secure the facilities' future after the Covid-19 crisis. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-23 21:52:04 UTC ]
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Libraries to reopen on 4th July as lockdown eases

Libraries in England will be able to reopen from 4th July as the country's lockdown measures continue to ease, Boris Johnson has announced. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-22 22:02:41 UTC ]
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China Bestsellers May: ‘Online Literature’ Powers a Trilogy

Book market developments in May point to growth in China's already powerful 'online literature' sector, led by the 'Ran Freely' trilogy by Wu Zhe. The post China Bestsellers May: ‘Online Literature’ Powers a Trilogy appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-06-22 14:38:30 UTC ]
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We've come a long way with LBGTQ+ literature

In 2012, the literary critic Suzi Feay lamented the lack of new lesbian voices in UK publishing. Describing what she saw as “a shortage of lesbian writers in Britain today”, she wondered who would follow in the footsteps of established authors like Ali Smith, Sarah Waters and Jeanette Winterson.... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-22 12:20:04 UTC ]
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Lockdown learning helps education market rise as study guides’ sales surge

Though Nielsen has been unable to provide volume sales throughout the lockdown, the presence of multiple study guides in the bestseller lists points to a relative purple patch for the education sector. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-19 11:00:02 UTC ]
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Lockdown learning helps education market rise as study guides’ sales surge

Though Nielsen has been unable to provide volume sales throughout the lockdown, the presence of multiple study guides in the bestseller lists points to a relative purple patch for the education sector. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-18 19:58:31 UTC ]
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