Remembering Joan Didion: ‘Her ability to operate outside of herself was unparalleled’

The American author was not only brilliant but also generous and kind to younger writers, writes Emma BrockesThere is that famous photo of Joan Didion, taken in Malibu in 1976, in which she leans on a deck overlooking the beach, cigarette in hand, scotch glass at her elbow, and regards her family – John Dunne, her husband, and their then 10-year-old daughter, Quintana – through lowered, side-long eyes. Like other iconic photos of Didion from the period, she is at one remove from the group, off to the side and in this case, looking not at the camera but at her family as they look at the camera. It’s the pose Didion perfected, in life as in art, and when news of her death at the age of 87 broke on Thursday, it was a shock to see another frame from that sequence surface online. In it, Didion, eyes fixed forward, smiles broadly at the camera in the conventional style – a rare glimpse behind the persona.The paradox of Didion was not unusual among writers, whose confidence is often born of a million anxieties. But her ability to operate outside herself – to measure the gap between inside and out and slyly mock any effort to conceal it – was unparalleled. She was, famously and by her own account, diffident, brittle, runtish, prone to migraines, afraid of the telephone, and as she wrote in the preface to her 1968 collection Slouching Towards Bethlehem, “bad at interviewing people”, apparent deficits that, in Didion’s hands, were of course precisely what permitted her entry to... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2021-12-24 18:44:54 UTC ]
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Comics Publisher Last Gasp Shuts Down its Distribution Operation

The iconic San Francisco publisher and distributor is getting out of the distribution buisness after December 2016 and will focus on its publishing operations. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-12-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Dazzling star' Carole Blake remembered at funeral

The funeral service for Carole Blake, held yesterday at Golder’s Green Crematorium, was as eclectic as the woman in whose loving memory everyone had gathered. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-11-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bertelsmann reports 'record' nine-month operating result

Penguin Random House's parent company Bertelsmann, which has a 53% stake in PRH, says it is expecting its annual group profit to exceed one billion after reporting a record operating result for the first nine months of its current fiscal year. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-11-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Remembering Carole Blake, Literary Agent

Literary agent and bestselling author Carole Blake, a familiar face in the UK and global book community, passed away on October 25, 2016. The post Remembering Carole Blake, Literary Agent appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-10-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Rodale Names Beth Buehler Chief Operating Officer

Additionally, Women's Health publisher Laura Frerer-Schmidt promoted to oversee corporate sales. The post Rodale Names Beth Buehler Chief Operating Officer appeared first on Folio:. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2016-09-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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How Bourne Was Born: Three Key Operatives in the Franchise

As the fifth Bourne film is released, a trio of author Robert Ludlum's publishing colleagues think back on his writing and the book business. The post How Bourne Was Born: Three Key Operatives in the Franchise appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-07-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers Remember Daniel Berrigan

Three religion publishers are reissuing books on and by Daniel Berrigan, the radical, peace-loving Jesuit priest who died this spring. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-06-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A Day to remember: Sylvia grabs third monthly E-Book Ranking number one

Sylvia Day’s One With You (Michael Joseph) has easily romped to the top of The Bookseller’s April E-Book Ranking, outselling the second-placed title by a factor of over four to one. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-06-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BBC unveils 'unparalleled' Hay Festival presence

The BBC will give this year's Hay Festival "unparalleled coverage" across television, radio and online as part of their ongoing global partnership. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-05-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Remembering Gary Pulsifer

Dedalus publisher Erin Lane gives a personal tribute to late Arcadia founder Gary Pulsifer. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-04-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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IAB Releases HTML5 Ad Validator, Aimed at Creatives and Ad Operations Teams

The Interactive Advertising Bureau planned to release a new tool Monday that allows ad designers, developers and ad operations teams to verify that their HTML5 ad units meet the current bureau's guidelines.The tool, which works for mobile and desktop, analyzes elements such as file weights,... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2016-04-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Remembering the Indy and C&A | Letters

The Independent | Asa Briggs | English National Opera | C&A | Selfish geneAll thinking people will agree that the print world is a poorer place without what you call the “class act” of the Independent (Editorial, 26 March). It simply doesn’t suffice to “regret its fate” as you say and move... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-03-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Samhain Publishing to Shut Down Operations

The pioneering romance ebook publisher Samhain Publishing will begin shutting down publishing operations due to a steady decline in ebook sales. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-02-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Harper Lee remembered by a president, publishers and more

Although for decades she only had one published book to her name, Harper Lee influenced generations of readers worldwide who fell in love with her novel "To Kill a Mockingbird." Lee, who died on Friday at 89 in her hometown Monroeville, Ala., is being remembered not only by figures in the... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2016-02-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Mobile operator Three to introduce ad blocking

Move to ‘give customers more control, choice and greater transparency’ will prompt concern among digital publishers and advertisersMobile company Three is to introduce ad blocking across its UK and Italian networks, making it the first major European operator to do so.Three has struck a deal... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-02-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Remembering Harper Lee

For Richard Jackson, owner of Square Books in Oxford, Miss., "To Kill a Mockingbird" is unquestionably one of the most “beloved stories in all of American culture.” Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-02-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Mattel and Hasbro may be looking to merge their operations

Mattel Inc. and Hasbro Inc. may be looking for a bigger toy box. The two toy manufacturers have held talks about merging their businesses, according to Bloomberg News, which cited people familiar with the matter. Hasbro approached Mattel late last year, and talks have continued sporadically. Both... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2016-02-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Mall Operator Says Comment ‘Not Intended To Represent Amazon’s Plans’

General Growth Properties states that its CEO's comment about Amazon bookstore expansion "was not intended to represent Amazon's plans" after widespread speculation about hundreds of new stores sweeps industry. The post Mall Operator Says Comment ‘Not Intended To Represent Amazon’s Plans’... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-02-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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