A new collection of rejigged tales gets much closer to the spirit of these stories than the ‘traditional’ versions we’re force-fed There’s a book called Politically Correct Bedtime Stories, written by James Finn Garner, which used to be on my parents’ shelves, and is now on mine. Published in 1994, it was a massive bestseller in its time, satirising changing social attitudes and acting as an amusing corrective for the holier-than-thou: Little Red Riding Hood, for example, finds the wolf’s suggestion that it isn’t safe for a little girl to walk through the woods alone “sexist” and “offensive in the extreme… ” but, she says, “I will ignore it because of your traditional status as an outcast from society, the stress of which has caused you to develop your own, entirely valid, worldview”. It also stands as a reminder that the so-called culture wars, all that rightwing fury at the “tyranny of woke”, are simply the political-correctness-gone-mad wars of yesteryear rebranded for a new, digital age.Right-on children’s books have had a resurgence, as demonstrated by the success of series such as Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls. This autumn, children have been gifted four rejigged fairytales in the form of Vintage Children’s Classics’ new Fairy Tale Revolution series, which sees Bluebeard, Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel and The Ugly Duckling revisited by Malorie Blackman, Rebecca Solnit, Jeanette Winterson and Kamila Shamsie respectively. They are all just lovely: sweet and funny... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2020-11-04 09:00:13 UTC ]
Malorie Blackman answers our questions about the fifth novel in her Noughts and Crosses series, Crossfire (Penguin), which has been shortlisted for the YA Book Prize 2020. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-06 10:55:38 UTC ]
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[caption id="attachment_178530" align="alignright" width="215"] The March 2020 cover of Playboy.[/caption] It seems Playboy's Spring 2020 issue, on newsstands this week, will be its last. The 66 year-old magazine is ceasing regular production of its print edition and moving ahead with a... Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2020-03-18 21:08:45 UTC ]
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In this episode, writer, historian, and activist Rebecca Solnit reflects on her new memoir Recollections of My Nonexistence. Solnit talks to Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell about the deep impact of gendered violence on daily life and what it means to... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-03-12 08:49:53 UTC ]
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Katy Waldman reviews the writer Rebecca Solnit’s new book, “Recollections of My Nonexistence,” which is Solnit’s first to be billed as a memoir. Continue reading at New Yorker
[ New Yorker | 2020-03-11 10:00:00 UTC ]
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A teaser trailer for the upcoming BBC television adaptation of Malorie Blackman's Noughts + Crosses has been released. Jack Rowan appears in the trailer as Callum and Masali Baduza as Sephy, as they embark on a forbidden and passionate romance across race and class divides. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-02-14 00:25:57 UTC ]
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In this conversation with a featured speaker, PW checks in with Rebecca Solnit, who will give the afternoon keynote on Wednesday, January 22. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-01-10 05:00:00 UTC ]
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As the lines between journalism and advertising become increasingly blurred, media companies must be on high alert for potential pitfalls around the failure to properly disclose sponsored content. The proper characterization of content as commercial advertising, and the proper disclosure of... Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2020-01-09 00:40:34 UTC ]
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In our digital age, libraries are spaces for community and connection. The new State Library Victoria proves libaries have an exciting future. Continue reading at The Conversation
[ The Conversation | 2019-12-08 18:49:50 UTC ]
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Candice Carty-Williams, Malorie Blackman and Rowan Hisayo Buchanan are among the 20 authors shortlisted for this year’s Costa Book Awards. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-11-26 21:14:59 UTC ]
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Stormzy’s PRH imprint #Merky Books has snapped up Malorie Blackman’s long-awaited autobiography. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-15 15:45:56 UTC ]
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Rebel Girls has said they are "saddened" by the Turkish government’s decision to ban the sale of Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls to under 18s. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-06 20:39:58 UTC ]
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Over 250 writers including Sally Rooney, Jeanette Winterson and George Saunders have thrown their support behind novelist Kamila Shamsie after a German literary prize was rescinded due to her support of an Israel boycott. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-09-23 11:12:04 UTC ]
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Kamila Shamsie, award-winning British Pakistani author, was due to receive this year’s Nelly Sachs Prize—a biennial, €15,000 award given by the German city of Dortmund that recognizes “outstanding literary contributions to the promotion of understanding between peoples”—until yesterday, when the... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2019-09-19 17:32:17 UTC ]
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Rebel Girls has joined forces with the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and will donate $100,000 to the organisation over the next year. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-09-15 15:28:50 UTC ]
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The Booker Prize Foundation revealed the longlist for its literary award Tuesday, with Margaret Atwood, Salman Rushdie, Valeria Luiselli and Jeanette Winterson among the nominees. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-07-24 19:43:58 UTC ]
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Malorie Blackman returns to the realm of Noughts & Crosses with her fifth book in the series, Crossfire, which was inspired by the tumultuous nature of today’s political landscape. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-07-24 03:16:21 UTC ]
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A National Libraries Conference, due to take place later this month, aims to ensure the service’s “continued survival” in a digital age, organisers say. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-07-11 05:47:50 UTC ]
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EVERY YEAR, IT SEEMS, we receive a new diagnosis regarding the viability of books in the digital age: print is dead, print is back, the bookstore is dead, bookstores are back. The nostalgia for and anxiety about print is often reactive, hinting at other anxieties about feeling lonely and... Continue reading at Los Angeles Review of Books
[ Los Angeles Review of Books | 2019-07-06 19:00:22 UTC ]
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Publishers need to invest in marketing technology that will help them reach their audiences better in the digital age. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The counselling psychologist and author of All the Ghosts in the Machine discusses one of the most contentious issues of our ageElaine Kasket is a counselling psychologist based in London. Her first book, All the Ghosts in the Machine: Illusions of Immortality in the Digital Age, examines the... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2019-04-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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