On Writers and Writing review – Margaret Atwood on her profession

Drawing on her panoramic reading and her experiences of the authorly life cycle, Atwood surveys her trade with a mix of seriousness and gentle fun“You may find the subject a little peculiar,” warns Margaret Atwood, before she discusses the writer’s relationship with mortality. “It is a little peculiar. Writing itself is a little peculiar.” Atwood’s survey of her profession makes this seem like an understatement: after all, she argues, writers have been placed in close company with the devil and the dead; they have secret identities and hidden doubles; they are death-defying magicians, self-erasing nobodies, even – if you want to get “murky and pretentious” – shamanistic travellers. This book prefers to stay on the side of clarity and self-deprecation, combining evidence drawn from her panoramic reading – one chapter deals with The Tempest, The Wizard of Oz and Klaus Mann’s Mephisto – with her own experiences of the life cycle of an author. She tempers the seriousness of her questions – What is a writer? For whom do writers write? – by poking gentle fun at her trade, describing the machine-like publishing industry as “cog eat cog”, and quietly mocking endless discussion panels. Yet Atwood sees her kind reflected everywhere – from Gilgamesh to The Beast With Five Fingers – and works hard on their behalf: advocate, analyst and always, writer.•To order On Writers and Writing for £7.99 (RRP £9.99) go to bookshop.theguardian.com or call 0330 333 6846. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2015-01-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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February 2015: Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review

Our January 2015 selection of reviews from BlueInk Review, a service which reviews self-published books. The post February 2015: Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-02-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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January 2015: Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review

Our monthly selection from BlueInk Review, a service which reviews self-published books, uncovers a superb memoir of a WWII concentration camp in Indonesia. The post January 2015: Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-01-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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December 2014 Top Reviews of Self-published Books from BlueInk Review

Our monthly selection of reviews from BlueInk Review, a service which reviews self-published books, includes several nonfiction titles in history, science and more. The post December 2014 Top Reviews of Self-published Books from BlueInk Review appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-12-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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November 2014 Top Self-published Book Reviews from BlueInk Review

The November 2014 selection of self-published book reviews from BlueInk Review includes paranormal fiction, young adult fiction, self-help and health. The post November 2014 Top Self-published Book Reviews from BlueInk Review appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-11-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Recent Top Reviews of Self-published Books from BlueInk Review

Our monthly selection of reviews from BlueInk Review, a service which reviews self-published books. The post Recent Top Reviews of Self-published Books from BlueInk Review appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-11-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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March’s Top Reviews of Self-published Books from BlueInk Review

This month's starred reviews of self-published books from BlueInk Review honor two works of fiction: a dystopian saga and a thriller set in Australia. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-03-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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February’s Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review

February's notable reviews of self-published titles include stars for a 'startling' memoir about the Vietnam War and a 'fascinating' exploration of human rights. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-02-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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January’s Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review

This month’s starred reviews of self-published books includes a pair of notable new novels, one about dysfunctional childhood in Western and another about a busy single mother. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-01-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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December’s Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review

This month's starred reviews of self-published books includes a "stellar" historical novel and a "touching" memoir of life as a teacher of disadvantaged students. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-12-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Banning bad reviews undermines the very purpose of reviews

In an interview with Poynter back at the beginning of November, BuzzFeed book editor Isaac Fitzgerald said that the site will not include negative reviews. "Why waste breath talking smack about something? You see it in so many old media-type places, the scathing takedown rip. If you can’t say... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2013-12-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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November’s Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review

This month's starred self-published books of note include a fictional tragedy in pre-colonial Nigeria and a memoir where beer pong meets sado-masochism. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-11-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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October’s Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review

This month's recipients of starred reviews from BlueInk include a novel about a schizophrenic New Yorker who believes he is Beethoven and a timely look at profiteering in American medicine. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-10-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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September’s Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review

This month's “starred” reviews of self-published books include a collection of spiritualist lectures, an examination of the Andean Q’ero faith and a pair of compelling novels. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-09-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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August’s Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review

Among this month's starred reviews: a novel in which the discovery of a sexy 19th-century manuscript leads to erotic adventures, and a comprehensive guide for psychotherapists. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-08-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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July’s Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review

This month's starred reviews from BlueInk Review of self-published books includes several "stay-up-all-night-until-your-eyes-bleed" thrillers, as well as a memoir from the ringmaster of The Big Apple Circus. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-07-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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June’s Top Reviews of Self-published Books from BlueInk Review

Self-published books receiving starred reviews from BlueInk this month include a novel about a wisecracking cat that investigates the death of its owner and a memoir of escaping Romania under Soviet rule. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-06-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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May’s Top Reviews of Self-published Books from BlueInk Review

This month's starred self-published titles include a novel about lesbian nuns in pre-WWII Germany and a memoir from the daughter of 1960s cult leaders, among others. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-05-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Kobo Clara Colour review: Judging books by their covers is now more fun

Kobo isn’t the first on the color-ereader scene; Boox and Pocketbook have had color ereaders and tablets for years. Both of those companies make beautiful, premium devices that are highly capable and customizable — but they don’t offer the plug-and-play ereader experience of a Kindle or Kobo. Of... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2024-05-23 13:00:13 UTC ]
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R.O. Kwon on Writing Her Way Into a Book’s Most Truthful Version

R.O. Kwon first novel, The Incendiaries, made my top ten list of books in 2018 for BBC Culture: “Kwon’s finely polished first novel is an explosive mix, tracking the evolution of a cult that turns to violence, bombing abortion clinics.” Her second novel, Exhibit, is more intimate, an artfully... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2024-05-21 08:54:03 UTC ]
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