Reimagining the Classics: A Conversation with Publisher Ilan Stavans, by Jenna Tang

Interviews Since 2015, award-winning Restless Books publisher Ilan Stavans has been immersed in bringing the literary classics to new audiences through Restless Classics. These editions come with introductions by prominent diverse writers from around the world—Jamaica Kincaid for Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe, Lauren Groff for Virginia Woolf’s Night and Day, Boris Fishman for Chekhov: Stories for Our Time, or Francine Prose for Frankenstein—and illustrations by a cadre of international artists like Eko and Keren Katz. They are geared toward young and often underserved audiences through programs like Classics Behind Bars, which brings them to incarcerated readers, and Restless Reads: A Virtual Classics Book Club, offered in conjunction with the New York Public Library. The following electronic conversation took place in April 2021. Jenna Tang: For starters, could you define what a literary classic means for you? Ilan Stavans: A literary classic is a book that knows how to be patient, a book with all the time on its hands, capable of waiting for the right readers to come by. It is also a book that “survives” translation. The classics are always in the process of being retranslated, in part because they are in the public domain but also because language ages, which prompts us to refashion them under a fresh new look. Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment, for example, has been rendered into English thirteen times; Kafka’s The... Continue reading at 'World Literature Today'

[ World Literature Today | 2021-05-12 15:41:23 UTC ]
News tagged with: #uncle tom #decades ago #single word #tabula rasa #king lear #books publisher

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Reimagining the Classics: A Conversation with Publisher Ilan Stavans, by Jenna Tang'


Scholastic to publish new Stiefvater

Scholastic has bought world rights in a companion book to the Shiver trilogy by Maggie Stiefvater... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-09-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #maggie stiefvater #companion book


Behind Time Inc. Purchase of American Express Publishing Lies a Long History

After a two-decade-long relationship between the magazine giant Time Inc. and American Express, Time Inc. plans to close quickly on its purchase of American Express’s publishing division. “This 20-year courtship is finally bei ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2013-09-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #long history #american express #publishing division


Publishing System Helps Writers Determine Audience Interest

InboundWriter wants to help big publishers and niche bloggers figure out how much demand there is for their idea in the Web ecosystem before they type a word or hit "publish." At least that's the idea behind the newest version of the startup's software, which the company said will be used by... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2013-09-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #search engines #research tool


Smashwords Reaches a Milestone: Publishes 250,000th Book

The Smashwords self-publishing platform has published a quarter of million books containing 8.5 billion words in six years in business. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-09-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #million books


Google+ rolls out features to help publishers build Web audience

SAN FRANCISCO — As part of its increasingly aggressive moves to get more people to use Google+ and to keep Facebook and Twitter from dominating the social networking business, Google is rolling out two new tools that it says will help authors and publishers build a bigger audience on the Web.     Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-09-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #bigger audience


10 Counterintuitive Tips for Self-Publishers

Bestseller Hugh Howey offers a list of tips that tend to surprise new writers, particularly those who are self-publishing or considering it. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-09-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Hybrid Author Hugh Howey on Self vs. Traditional Publishing

Hybrid author Hugh Howey previews his CONTEC seminar at the Frankfurt Book Fair by offering his hard won views on self vs. traditional publishing. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-09-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #traditional publishing


Storify Acquired by Web Publishing Services Company Livefyre

Storify, a digital storytelling tool used by journalists to surface conversations that originate on social media, has been acquired by the Web publishing services company Livefyre. Livefyre plans to fold Storify into its StreamHub product, which offers Web publishers tools for commenting, live... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2013-09-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #live chats #publisher clients #user-generated content #potential implications


Judge bars Apple from price-fixing deals with ebook publisher

Apple says it will appeal against a court ruling that bans the company from entering into deals with publishers that could allow ebook prices to be fixed or inflated. The case was raised by the Department of Justice and judge Denise Cote's decision is very much in line with what they were... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2013-09-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #-based company #ebook publisher #court ruling #ebook prices


Two 19th century Gothic classics get Goth YA makeovers

Gris Grimly punks up the 'Frankenstein' crew in his illustrated book, while Alison Croggon modernizes 'Wuthering Heights' in her YA novel 'Black Spring.'Those thoroughly satiated with beach days and summer blonds can seek refuge of a darker sort in two new novels for young adults in which... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-09-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #illustrated book #wuthering heights #young adults


Carlton to publish Springsteen title

Carlton Books is to publish a book chronology of Bruce Springsteen’s 17 studio albums to... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-09-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #carlton books #bruce springsteen


Major Publishers Untroubled by Ad Blocking

According to ad-blocking data provider PageFair, more users are now making use of browser plugins such as Adblock Plus to remove ads from the sites they visit. A recent report it published claimed the trend “is threatening the business mode ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2013-09-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ad blocking #remove ads #recent report


Andrews moves into publishing

E-book and print-on-demand publisher Andrews UK Ltd has set up a traditional publishing imprint... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-09-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Boston marathon bombing survivor Jeff Bauman to publish book

The wounded man in one of the most memorable photos of the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing, Jeff Bauman, will publish a book in April 2014, on the event's anniversary.The wounded man in one of the most memorable photos of the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing, Jeff Bauman, will... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-09-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #jeff bauman


Egyptian Publishers Diversify in Face of Uncertain Future

Ongoing political uncertainty has resulted in a depressed local book market leading Egyptian to look elsewhere in the Arab world and further abroad to bolster business. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-09-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #uncertain future #arab world


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 ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #top reviews #self-published books #blueink review #starred reviews


Publishing Hears Echoes of Netflix Business Model

Offering unlimited television shows and music for a flat monthly fee has worked for Netflix Inc. and Spotify AB. Will it work in the book industry? Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2013-09-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book industry


The View From The Tree : 6 Things Magazine Publishers Should Stop Doing Now

By D. Eadward Tree The future of publishing ain't what it used to be. A few years ago, "everyone" knew what was coming: except for a few old-timers and Luddites, consumers would soon switch entirely to digital... Continue reading at Publishing Executive

[ Publishing Executive | 2013-09-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #eadward tree


Bloomsbury acquires Hart Publishing for £6.5m

Bloomsbury has acquired legal publisher Hart Publishing for £6.5m. The addition of Hart... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-09-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Beijing 2013: Savvy Publishers, Closer Collaboration

Almost everybody reported increased sales to China, and no one had failed to note (and welcome) the changes within the Chinese reading and publishing community. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-08-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #closer collaboration #publishing community