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 ]
News tagged with: #finding hope #north london #middle east #iris murdoch #write fiction #good measure #bestselling author

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‘I’m parking my guilt’: confessions of a celebrity children’s book ghost writer

As an author whose own books never find their way to supermarket shelves, it’s frustrating work – but it puts food on my family’s tableOnce a rare species, celebrity authored children’s books have become stalwarts of supermarket books aisles. Perfect for a grandparent hunting a last-minute... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-12-16 10:41:27 UTC ]
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#ReadingAfrica: Five Writers and Publishers Discuss the Continent’s Boundless Literary Landscape

Africa is a continent of 54 countries and some 1.4 billion people, speaking—and sometimes writing and publishing—in hundreds of languages. The book business on the continent is diverse and eclectic. We convened a group of several top practitioners to get a sample of the triumphs and challenges... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-12-08 09:57:24 UTC ]
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New Report Finds NYC Publishing, Bookselling Jobs Fell Between 2010 and 2020

In a report designed to measure the economic impact of NYC's various publishing segments, the first-of-its-kind study found that the number of book publishing jobs dipped 1.7% between 2010 and 2020, while bookselling jobs tumbled 37.1%. The average book publishing salary was $119,000, compared... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-12-01 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Koos Prinsloo: the cult Afrikaans writer has been translated to English – here's a review

Challenging myths about heterosexual white South African men, Prinsloo published four books of short stories in 12 years. Continue reading at The Conversation

[ The Conversation | 2022-11-28 05:37:53 UTC ]
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An Indigenous Writer Discovers New and Old Ways to Connect With the Land and With Each Other

Joshua Whitehead can’t be held by genre. Following on the success of his Lambda Literary Award winning novel Jonny Appleseed and poetry collection full-metal indigiqueer, Making Love with the Land is Whitehead’s first full-length work of creative nonfiction. But to describe this book as merely... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2022-11-23 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Are these America’s “most talented but underappreciated” writers?

On Friday, Longwood University announced the finalists for the 2022 John Dos Passos Prize, which is the oldest literary award given by a Virginia college or university, and which honors “one of America’s most talented but underappreciated writers. . . whose work offers incisive, original... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-11-21 14:30:02 UTC ]
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The Australian’s editor Chris Dore lost his job after attending News Corp event in California

Exclusive: Key Murdoch editor was at Wall Street Journal Tech Live event at Laguna Beach last month along with top News Corp executivesFollow our Australia news live blog for the latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastChristopher Dore lost his job... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-11-18 07:59:05 UTC ]
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Desperate Writer Query Template*

Esteemed Agent, I’m seeking representation for my [300,000-word rhyming memoir / novel-in-grocery-coupons / famous literary graves calendar**] which is a cross between [Maid and Green Eggs and Ham / a bag of Halloween candy and that novel-in-texts you just sold / an apple watch and a mortuary... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2022-11-11 12:05:00 UTC ]
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Meet Percival Everett: 5 novels that showcase the L.A. writer's enigmatic style

Author and USC professor Percival Everett joins the Los Angeles Times Book Club on Nov. 16 to discuss "Dr. No" at the Autry Museum. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-11-08 21:41:13 UTC ]
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Four Ukrainian Writers on Literature, Solidarity, and the Future of Justice

“Words and Bullets” is a project launched by the Ukrainian independent publisher Chytomo and PEN Ukraine with the support of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). It is a series of interviews with authors and journalists who became soldiers or volunteers following the Russian invasion of... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-11-07 09:53:45 UTC ]
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Julie Powell, Food Writer Known for ‘Julie & Julia,’ Dies at 49

She documented her attempt to cook every recipe in Julia Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” in a popular blog that became a best-selling book and a hit movie. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2022-11-01 17:10:48 UTC ]
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Carmen Callil, pioneering champion of female writers, dies aged 84

Publisher who founded Virago Press began as a campaigning outsider who introduced UK readers to authors including Angela Carter and Margaret AtwoodCarmen Callil, the publisher and writer who championed female writers and transformed the canon of English literature, has died of leukemia in London... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-10-18 09:09:25 UTC ]
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How Women Writers Speculated Fictional Futures Free From Patriarchal Control

It is a truth universally acknowledged that there are as many definitions of “feminism” and “science fiction” as there are people who identify as feminists and science fiction enthusiasts—in fact, that is part of what makes both of these communities attractive to many people. However, by 1981,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-10-11 08:53:20 UTC ]
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NI comic book artist's Marvel-lous dream job

Ruairí Coleman, from County Armagh, has worked on everything from Thor to Iron Man. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2022-09-24 05:42:24 UTC ]
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Writer Michael Malone, 80, Dies of Pancreatic Cancer

Novelist and television script writer Michael Malone, 80, died of pancreatic cancer on August 19. Malone was one of the first established writers to be published under the Sourcebooks Landmark imprint launched in 2001. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-08-23 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Michael Malone, wide-ranging novelist and TV writer, dies at 79

He wrote best-selling mysteries and family sagas, and also examined homophobia and sexual assault as head writer of the soap opera "One Life to Live." Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2022-08-23 02:01:50 UTC ]
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Poison pens: leading writers call for overhaul of UK’s Society of Authors

Literary world riven by conflict as trade union is accused of inappropriately taking sides in culture warIt is a literary row that threatens to consume the very organisation set up to protect authors’ rights. And, in spite of the involvement of three prominent names in children’s books, it has... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-08-21 09:00:05 UTC ]
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Chlöe Sevigny and Naomi Watts to star in Feud as “Capote’s women.”

In what feels like a truly inspired bit of casting, Chlöe Sevigny and Naomi Watts will star in the second installment of the FX anthology series, Feud, as “Capote’s women.” More specifically, the pair will play C.Z. Guest (Sevigny) and Babe Paley (Watts), New York socialites who featured... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-08-17 17:48:18 UTC ]
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‘More zeros than I’ve seen in my life’: the author who got a six-figure deal via ‘BookTok’

After she was dropped by her agent, Alex Aster turned to a books-obsessed corner of TikTok to gauge interest in her YA novel … and now Lightlark is one of the most eagerly anticipated releases of the yearHaving finally published her first novel, Alex Aster was feeling disheartened. The book had... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-08-16 13:32:30 UTC ]
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Messy and Honest Is My Memoir M.O.

In Knocking Myself Up: A Memoir of My (In)Fertility, Michelle Tea chronicles her path to pregnancy and motherhood as a 40-year-old, queer, uninsured woman. The tone is irreverent, the storytelling is hilarious, and the topic—choosing to exercise one’s reproductive freedoms—is extremely timely.... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2022-08-15 11:00:00 UTC ]
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