My friend Mary Cowan, who has died aged 99, rebelled against her privileged background and in the 1930s became a communist.She was born in Edinburgh, where her father, John Jameson, was the Conservative MP for Edinburgh West. Her mother, Margaret (nee Smith), was the daughter of a master of Balliol College, Oxford. Descended from the Forster family which had owned Bamburgh Castle, Northumberland, Mary and her cousins lived in the castle during holidays.In the 1930s Mary married Anthony Cowan. After the second world war they moved to Newton, near Edinburgh, where Mary raised their four children. With little formal schooling, mainly having been tutored at home, Mary read widely and grew critical of the role of British imperialism in the Middle East and Africa, no doubt influenced by her cousins Thomas and Edward Hodgkin, authors respectively of books on Africa and Palestine.She became active in the Medical Aid Committee for Vietnam, and in her 60s went to work in Vietnam, a country she felt great sympathy for as it emerged from the war. Mary admired the resilience and fortitude of the Vietnamese people. She was much valued for her work translating Vietnamese poetry from French into English; these and some of her own poems have been published, the latter in Singing in Tune with Time: Stories and Poems about Ageing (1993) and in the Scottish magazine Cencrastus.A keen reader of the Morning Star, Mary supported progressive, anti-imperialist change everywhere – in Cuba,... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2013-12-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
Author of a series of comic novels that focused on the tragi-comic nature of relationships and the general absurdities of lifeMavis Cheek, who has died aged 75, was the author of a series of comic novels that cast an acute eye on middle-class marriage and relationships and marked her out as one... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-07-04 16:07:50 UTC ]
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American editor who worked with many celebrated authors including Anthony Burgess, Doris Lessing and Joseph HellerRobert Gottlieb, who has died age 92, was the outstanding literary editor of the second half of the 20th century. Among the renowned novelists he worked with were Doris Lessing, Toni... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-06-26 16:14:17 UTC ]
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Caroline Raphael, who has died of Parkinson’s disease aged 85, was for 20 years editor-in-chief of The Good Hotel Guide. She had worked on every edition from the first, in 1978, until her retirement in 2021, when the 2022 edition had gone to press.The Guide was launched by the literary agent... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-05-28 16:03:11 UTC ]
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Children’s illustrator whose picture books with his wife, Elizabeth, and authors such as Ted Hughes, are enjoyed worldwideThe illustrator Gerald Rose, who has died aged 87, was the youngest winner of the Kate Greenaway medal for children’s book illustration, in 1960. Then still in his mid-20s... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-05-12 17:25:36 UTC ]
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Niels Aaboe, most recently an editor at Rowman & Littlefield as well as its Lyons Press imprint, died on April 17. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-04-24 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Publisher whose eponymous company changed the face of children’s nonfiction with its fact-filled illustrated booksPeter Usborne, who has died aged 85, created a publishing company that changed the look and feel of nonfiction books for children. Although they were widely used in schools, Usborne... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-04-14 15:02:43 UTC ]
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Award-winning author Julie Anne Peters, best known for her groundbreaking YA novels featuring complex LGBTQ+ characters navigating relationships and exploring issues of identity, died on March 21 following a long illness; she was 71. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-03-28 04:00:00 UTC ]
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I thought having a book published would turn me into the confident, self-assured person I always knew I could be. I thought everyone but my enemies would be happy for me, and I would be, too. I thought I would become a morning person. So when my publication date finally came around, I was very […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-03-13 08:54:19 UTC ]
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Author-illustrator, fine artist, and designer Ian Falconer, best known as the creator of witty picture books about headstrong, precocious piglet Olivia, died of natural causes on March 7. He was 63. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-03-08 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Author-illustrator Amy Schwartz, creator of more than 60 books for young readers, died suddenly on February 26 at her home in Brooklyn; she was 68. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-03-02 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Mari Costa’s new graphic novel 'Belle of the Ball' is a charming queer retooling of the high school love triangle. A 12-page excerpt. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-03-01 05:00:00 UTC ]
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On this week's episode of To Dine For, host Kate Sullivan welcomes Mary Calvi, Emmy-winning reporter and anchor at WCBS in New York City. Calvi is also the author of two historical fiction novels, including Dear George, Dear Mary: A Novel of George Washington's First Love. She has recently been... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2023-02-21 21:48:39 UTC ]
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Illustrator and author widely admired for The Church Mice, his series of children’s picture booksGraham Oakley, who has died age 93, was an illustrator and writer known almost entirely for one series of picture books: The Church Mice, published over a period of nearly 30 years from 1972.... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-01-24 17:41:11 UTC ]
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Natalie S. Bober, best known for her biographies for young readers, died on December 29 at age 92. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-01-10 05:00:00 UTC ]
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US science fiction writer whose novels combined a wide-ranging view of future technical developments with political speculationThe American science fiction writer Greg Bear, who has died aged 71 following heart surgery, was, as he put it “all over the map” as far as interests and subjects were... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2022-12-29 17:19:10 UTC ]
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Children’s book publisher Phyllis Fogelman, a champion of books by Black authors and illustrators and mentor to many in the children’s book industry, died on December 18 at age 89. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-12-22 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Ellen Wittlinger, whose YA novels have been praised for their depiction of memorable and realistic protagonists navigating provocative issues of adolescence, died on November 17 at 74. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-11-22 05:00:00 UTC ]
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After 19 years at Abrams, Michael Jacobs will step down as president and CEO later this month and will be succeeded by Mary McAveney, currently chief revenue officer and chief marketing officer at Open Road Integrated Media. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-11-09 05:00:00 UTC ]
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The following is an excerpt from Joy Harjo’s The Art of Memoir and appeared in Lit Hub’s The Craft of Writing newsletter—sign up here. * At unexpected points in life, everyone gets waylaid by the colossal force of recollection. One minute you’re a grown-ass woman, then a whiff of cumin conjures... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-10-21 08:53:59 UTC ]
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Publisher who founded Virago, which champions women’s writing and books on feminist topicsThe idea for the feminist publishing company Virago came to Carmen Callil, who has died aged 84, “like the switching on of a lightbulb”. Since the revelation occurred during drinks to mark the first issue... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2022-10-18 13:15:32 UTC ]
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