Book Reviews Apala Bhowmick The Aunt Who Wouldn’t Die (John Murray, 2019), by Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay, translated from the original Bangla by Arunava Sinha, is a fast-paced thriller about the rescue mission around the flagging finances of an erstwhile-affluent Bengali family who open a shop in the city that sells sarees. The narrators consist of three women of different generations of the family, lending the plot a delightful tripartite divide. It is a tale about the tenacity of the human spirit to withstand hardships and about human relationships that endure. This translation—of a difficult text to translate—possesses the rare quality of being appealing to both the English-speaking reader and to the audience who can understand the Bengali language. I’ve had a chance to read the original Bengali text as well, and the work has been successfully transferred, cultural flavor and all, into a rather curt and mercantile language like English. Speaking of mercantilism, the reader will be afforded a sidelong glance at upper-middle-class Bengali sentiments, at least at a certain point in the history of this community, toward professions like the merchant’s or the petit bourgeois shopkeeper’s. Words like shaashuri and Pishima have been retained, and the name Chakor Mitra, which the reader will encounter on the very first page, is phonetically funny but also funny when you know the implications of the first name when it’s used as a noun in... Continue reading at 'World Literature Today'
[ World Literature Today | 2020-03-10 15:47:11 UTC ]
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Former Barnes & Noble chair Leonard Riggio, powerhouse of modern bookselling, has died at 83, his family says Continue reading at ABC News
[ ABC News | 2024-08-27 17:25:53 UTC ]
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Len Riggio, who revolutionized bookselling—first by turning Barnes & Noble into the dominant bookstore chain in the United States, then by opening hundreds of superstores—died on August 27 from complications of Alzheimer's disease. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-08-27 04:00:00 UTC ]
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These excellent, thought-provoking sci-fi books have been banned and taught in classrooms in equal measure. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2024-08-22 10:30:00 UTC ]
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Our columnist takes a look at recent books by Sofia Samatar, Vajra Chandrasekera and Emet North. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2024-08-21 09:00:44 UTC ]
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Can anyone unseat Kristin Hannah as the bestselling historical fiction book of the moment? Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2024-08-20 10:15:00 UTC ]
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Nigerian historical fiction is thriving. Here are some excellent books to get you started. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2024-08-16 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Susan Wojcicki, best known as the head of YouTube but also a key player in convincing the book world to allow Google to scan books into its search engine, died of lung cancer on August 9. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-08-14 04:00:00 UTC ]
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New releases in fiction, nonfiction and comics that caught our attention. Hum by Helen Phillips Robots have become a regular fixture of the workforce, and humans are losing their jobs to AI. Climate change is wreaking havoc on the planet. It’s getting harder and harder for the average person to... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2024-08-10 19:43:55 UTC ]
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Readers respond to a piece by Zoe Williams in which she reflects on reading smut and notes how attitudes have changedIn her article on reading smut, Zoe Williams focuses on the difference between romance and erotica (My weeks of reading hornily: steamy book sales have doubled - and I soon found... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2024-08-09 16:55:05 UTC ]
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Betty A. Prashker, one of the first women to rise high in publishing’s editorial ranks and an enterprising editor of feminist nonfiction, died on July 30 at her daughter's home in the Berkshires. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-08-09 04:00:00 UTC ]
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She was the first openly gay woman to write a comic book about lesbians. She went on to write detective novels with a queer woman in the lead. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2024-08-08 19:59:24 UTC ]
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Good morning, Boston. Happy National Root Beer Float Day. Here are the five things you need to know in local business news to start your Tuesday, before you go get that Black Cow. The biggest business news of the day — unless you include the continuing Wall Street meltdown — is the finding by... Continue reading at Silicon Valley Business Journal
[ Silicon Valley Business Journal | 2024-08-06 10:16:18 UTC ]
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Cowboys, wide open spaces, and strong women are drawing Christian writers to stories set in the American West. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-08-06 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Distinct among the literary prizes for its emphasis on debuts, the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize has been recognizing “exciting emerging voices in contemporary fiction” since 2006. This year, a panel of readers and judges selected a longlist of 25 novels out of 144 debuts submitted for... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2024-08-01 14:21:54 UTC ]
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A24 has developed a cult following for its movie merch, thanks in large part to the cult following of the designers who create it. In mid-July, cult clothier Online Ceramics, known for Deadhead-inspired tie-dye tees and stylistic screen prints that knife classic horror graphics with... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2024-08-01 09:30:00 UTC ]
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Kevin Barry’s The Heart in Winter, Lev Grossman’s The Bright Sword, and Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s Long Island Compromise all feature among the best reviewed fiction titles of the month. Brought to you by Book Marks, Lit Hub’s home for book reviews. * 1. The Heart in Winter by Kevin Barry... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2024-07-31 12:18:55 UTC ]
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Author’s long-running high school book series sold more than 200m copies and led to a hit TV showFrancine Pascal, creator of the long-running Sweet Valley High book series, has died at the age of 92.According to the New York Times, the author died in New York City as as result of lymphoma. The... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2024-07-30 13:22:26 UTC ]
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The author of 'The Country Girls' and 'The Little Red Chairs,' among many others, was best known for challenging Irish literary taboos through candid depictions of the lives of Irish women in full revolt against the oppression of traditional values—especially those of the Catholic Church. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-07-29 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Her novels and short stories often explored the lives of willful women who loved men who were crass, unfaithful or already married. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2024-07-29 02:48:48 UTC ]
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After early novels that won international acclaim but were banned at home, the Irish author had a prolific career lasting more than half a centuryThe Irish writer Edna O’Brien, who explored the complications and contradictions of women’s lives in a literary career lasting more than half a... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2024-07-28 16:59:31 UTC ]
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