Naomi Alderman: ‘A writer’s job is courage. You’ve got to be as honest as you can”

The bestselling author of The Power talks about her new techno-thriller, coping with grief and finding hope in the darkest of storiesNaomi Alderman, author of the bestselling novel The Power, is just getting over Covid and feeling a bit wiped out. “But don’t worry, I still seem able to talk for England,” she says cheerfully from her home in north London, when we meet to talk about her new novel The Future. “I figured I might as well let people know that I’m an ambitious writer,” she jokes of her punchy titles. Our conversation ranges from the Old Testament (“I like Genesis much more than I like Leviticus”) to QAnon (“a new religious belief”) and AI, as well as private griefs and the unfolding tragedy in the Middle East.The 49-year-old describes herself as a “games writer turned novelist”: she co-created the Zombies, Run! app, which has 10 million users, “to make exercise a bit less bloody boring”. Just as she aims to keep people running, so she writes to keep people reading, taking the pacy, wildly inventive possibilities of gaming into her novels. Whereas Iris Murdoch used to write fiction in the mornings and philosophy in the afternoons, Alderman does books in the mornings and games after lunch – and she’s currently doing an Open University MA in classical studies, for good measure. “My trouble is I’m interested in everything.” Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2023-11-04 09:00:34 UTC ]

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Hachette’s Man in the Middle East

Matt Cowdery, Hachette's representative in the GCC, reflects on several publishing issues impacting the region including importation certificates, the Arab Spring and more. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-11-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Religion Update Fall 2013: Different Faiths, Side by Side

In our increasingly global society, books that compare and illuminate the worlds’ faiths can prove useful tools in fostering tolerance and cooperation. Today, with events in the Middle East still at center stage, understanding Islam in the context of other faiths dominates the field. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-10-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'The Wet and the Dry' is a nuanced cocktail of a book

Lawrence Osborne's 'The Wet and the Dry' is a paean to drinking, a travelogue unfolding largely through the Islamic states of the Middle East and a memoir of sorts."He who makes a beast of himself," Samuel Johnson famously observed, "gets rid of the pain of being a man." His subject is, of... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-07-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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These Digital Publishers Aren't Freaking Out Over Mozilla's Move

Mozilla was thrust back into the spotlight last week when the tech company again made clear it intends to block third-party cookies on Firefox. This week the Interactve Advertising Bureau fired back with another angry missive. But how are digital publishers taking the news? Doug Weaver, CEO of... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2013-06-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Foreign Affairs Launches Special Collection for iPad

Foreign Affairs will cover topics like crises in the Middle East, arms treaties and international law--and now they're writing about Game of Thrones. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2013-03-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A Minimalist Comic Book That Stares Straight Into Piet Mondrian’s Soul

Frédérique Rusch transforms Mondrian’s two-dimensional primary-colored grid into a three-dimensional space, with a subtle Charles Burns reference thrown in for good measure. It’s all wonderfully meta: The first page of this comic by Frédérique Rusch is a simple grid that you may or may not... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2013-03-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Friern Barnet library to be volunteer-run

A library in north London which was occupied by squatters will now be run by volunteers from the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-02-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Dan Brown to release new book in May

Dan Brown, bestselling author of The Da Vinci Code, is to release a new book in May called Inferno. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2013-01-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Impact of Evan Connell

Evan S. Connell, novelist, poet, short story writer, and bestselling author of Son of the Morning Star, Mrs. Bridge, Mr. Bridge, Deus lo Volt! and The White Lantern, among other books, died on January 9 at his home in Santa Fe, N.M., following several years of declining health. He was 88. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-01-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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I B Tauris title wins English PEN prize

A book on the the political uprisings in the Middle East has won an English PEN Award for... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-11-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sony Reader gets a new design, Evernote integration and a free Harry Potter book for $129

In the market for a new e-reader? One could certainly do worse than Sony's Reader line. The company's been packing features onto its devices, and the already leaked latest entry is no different, with upgrades over its predecessor, packed into a newly redesigned body with bigger, better looking... Continue reading at Engadget

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Stephen King to release audio digital story

Hodder & Stoughton will publish an original audio digital short story by bestselling author... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-02-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Jeremy Hunt to receive library petition

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Wed, 26/10/2011 - 09:15 Secretary of state Jeremy Hunt will be presented with a petition of more than 12,000 signatures tomorrow (27th October), demanding he intervenes to reverse the closure of six libraries in Brent, north London. Hunt has remained... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-10-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bloomsbury to launch Wisden India

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Mon, 10/10/2011 - 08:20 Bloomsbury is to launch cricketing imprint Wisden in India, signing a long-term licensing deal with sports and entertainment management firm FidelisWorld. Rights will also be extended to Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka,... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-10-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hachette opens Dubai office

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Thu, 29/09/2011 - 12:08 Hachette UK is opening a sales and marketing office in Dubai to cover the Middle East, with Matt Cowdery taking on the role of sales manager, Middle East. Group commercial director Richard Kitson said: "The establishment... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Print book sales decline in first half of 2011

Written By: Charlotte Williams and Philip Stone Publication Date: Fri, 08/07/2011 - 09:55 Print sales across the book market have dropped by 3% in the first six months of 2011, compared to the same period last year, with Jamie Oliver the bestselling author over the period, ahead of Julia... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Elliott & Thompson to link with Faber and Frances Lincoln

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Wed, 06/07/2011 - 15:29 Independent publisher Elliott & Thompson has appointed Frances Lincoln to be its sales representative in the UK and Ireland, with MDL continuing to handle all distribution. In another new appointment, Faber is to... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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S&S title to examine Arab spring

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Fri, 10/06/2011 - 10:44 BBC Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen is to write a book on the recent uprisings in the Middle East for publication in autumn 2012 by Simon & Schuster. Editorial director Mike Jones bought UK and Commonwealth rights excluding... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Big Green Bookshop reaches 96% of its financial target

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Tue, 05/04/2011 - 08:28 The Big Green Bookshop is celebrating after achieving 96% of its path to financial safety. The indie retailer based in Wood Green, north London, sent out a mass appeal to its customers a month ago asking them to buy one extra... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Collaboration will be major theme at BIC

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Thu, 24/03/2011 - 15:52 Setting books within the wider cultural scene and building collaborations are set to be key themes at this year's Book Industry Conference, as organisers revealed the event programme. BIC 2011, which takes place between... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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