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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The celebrated American poet and winner of the 2020 Nobel Prize in Literature died on October 13 at her home in Cambridge, Mass. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-10-13 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Ed Nawotka discusses how right now, AI needs publishing at least as much as publishing needs AI. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-10-13 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Writers are often advised to write as if we are dying. Awake to our mortality, the theory goes, we will write with urgency and acuity about what matters. We will write honestly, vulnerably, bravely without fear of judgement. We will write for the pure readers: ourselves and our loved ones. We... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-10-11 08:50:48 UTC ]
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Novelist Cindy Fazzi says authors interested in addressing the great issues of the day should avoid preaching and focus on telling a good story. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-10-06 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Pufflings, the small chicks of the Atlantic puffin, are struggling due to a lack of food and warming ocean temperatures. Continue reading at CBC
[ CBC | 2023-10-01 08:30:00 UTC ]
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The Olivier award-winning actor, whose major film roles included Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter series, has died• ‘An actor who let his heart and soul crack open’: David Jays on Michael Gambon• A life in pictures – gallerySir Michael Gambon, whose extraordinary acting career took him from... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-09-28 11:39:05 UTC ]
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After a long run with weekly sales ahead of 2022, unit sales of adult fiction titles were down 0.2% in the year-to-date after sales fell last week. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-09-28 04:00:00 UTC ]
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My sophomore novel, Evil Eye, follows Yara Murad, a Palestinian American woman who begins to confront the psychological and interpersonal aftermath of her emotionally volatile childhood as her carefully constructed life begins to fall apart. In drafting this novel, which explores post-traumatic... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-09-22 08:35:35 UTC ]
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Last spring, I approached Nickolas Butler, internationally bestselling author of the novels Shotgun Lovesongs, The Hearts of Men, and Godspeed, to be the judge for this year’s Insider Prize, American Short Fiction’s annual literary award for incarcerated writers in Texas. He’d worked with... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-09-22 08:15:30 UTC ]
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Genre fiction by such authors as Colleen Hoover, N.K. Jemisin, and Rebecca Roanhorse remains extremely popular with readers. As publishers increase their output to meet demand, booksellers are making more and more room on their shelves for the titles. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-09-22 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The co-owner of San Francisco's Bookshop West Portal and founder of onetime Bay Area bookselling staple A Clean Well-Lighted Place for Books, died on September 6. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-09-18 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Drag performers who read stories to children at libraries across Canada have faced an increase in protests calling the events destructive for kids, and in some cases, even threats of violence. But the king and queens say they won't let that stop them, because storytimes are about joy and literacy. Continue reading at CBC
[ CBC | 2023-09-16 08:00:00 UTC ]
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‘Kill the Rich’ by Jack Allison and Kate Shapiro is a lacerating satire of America’s gonzo culture—and no one comes out unscathed. A provocative book title doesn’t always telegraph to readers what awaits inside. When it comes to those self-help books that include a naughty little swear on the... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2023-09-16 03:00:00 UTC ]
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From the dark heart of a misguided follower to the young hand of a diarist whose words outlived her, these novels encompass the full spectrum of humanity. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2023-09-15 16:58:33 UTC ]
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Today, the National Book Foundation announced the longlist for the 2023 National Book Award for Fiction. The ten titles on the longlist were selected from a pool of 496 books submitted for consideration by their publishers; this year’s judges for Fiction are Steph Cha, Calvin Crosby, Silas... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-09-15 14:15:56 UTC ]
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Looking for a work of science fiction that will make you really think? Welcome to these philosophical sci-fi books! Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-09-15 10:33:00 UTC ]
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Get away from it all with a journey to the most magical libraries in fiction from the Library of Zosma to the Great Libraries of Austmeer. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-09-12 10:34:00 UTC ]
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Following a contentious meeting last week, Nielsen won't change panel currency used to write deals but will make Amazon first-party data part of offering. Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2023-09-07 20:12:10 UTC ]
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The eminent art book publisher and longtime president of the publishing house he founder with his father, Harry N. Abrams, died on August 28 at his home in North Salem, N.Y. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-09-05 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Bestselling author Sarah Young, whose 2004 title 'Jesus Calling' is one of the most successful devotionals of all time, died on September 1. She was 77. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-09-02 04:00:00 UTC ]
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