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 ]
The "boomerang" nature of time was discussed at the Vintage for Change evening, along with teen revolution and the sensibilities of sexbots, as Jeanette Winterson and six other authors considered the “turbulent times” of present day. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-04-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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We must redefine Facebook as a publisher and not a platform so it bears responsibility for its content, says Pam Rudd. Tobacco was once ubiquitous yet many managed to quit, says Bob Walsh. We must view social media the same wayI do not believe we need to rewrite most of our regulation to... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2019-04-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The market for updating fairytales, myths and legends for a contemporary readership has swelled, with a slew of new Rebel Girls as protagonists. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-04-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ian McEwan and Jeanette Winterson are among the authors joining Hay Festival this year as the 2019 programme is unveiled, with a new EU project launching. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-03-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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British musician Stormzy is joining the cast of the BBC One adaptation of Malorie Blackman’s YA novel Noughts & Crosses (Penguin Random House Children's). Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-03-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Eight writers, including California residents Rebecca Solnit and Young Jean Lee, were named winners of the annual Windham-Campbell Prizes, some of the richest and most prestigious literary awards in the world. The announcement was made Wednesday in London, at an event hosted by Damian Barr, the... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-03-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Digital Age was still off in the distance when “Future Shock” arrived in America’s bookstores, offering readers a sobering forecast of a future where change and information would be arriving at such a dizzying pace that humankind would be overwhelmed. As the book became a global bestseller... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-02-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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John Boyne, Malorie Blackman and literary agent-turned-author Sam Copeland were some of the speakers at the Penguin Random House Children’s Showcase, with themes around transgender issues, experiences of psychosis and how to cope with anxiety as a small child. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-02-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ian McEwan will join writers James Ellroy, Jeanette Winterson and Robert Macfarlane on the Southbank Centre’s Summer 2019 Literature Season, with a packed programme of more than 25 events taking place from April to August. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-02-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Canongate has acquired the new adult novel from Scarlett Thomas, Oligarchy, billed as “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie for the digital age”. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-01-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Southbank Centre is expecting 87,000 visitors to this year's event, which will welcome authors and illustrators such as Cressida Cowell, Malorie Blackman, Chris Riddell, Jacqueline Wilson and David McKee. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-01-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This year's Hay Festival Winter Weekend, featuring writers such as Rose Tremain, Horatio Clare, and Jeanette Winterson, drew record ticket sales of over 9,000. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-11-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Kamila Shamsie has been awarded 2017's £10,000 London Hellenic Prize, given to the best book inspired by or relating to Greece, for Home Fire (Bloomsbury). Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-11-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Kamila Shamsie, Mohsin Hamid and Neel Mukherjee have all been shortlisted for the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature 2018 worth $25,000 (£19,200). Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-11-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[caption id="attachment_138869" align="alignright" width="290"] The November cover, captured on a Google Pixel 3 by Michael Graydon and Nikole Herriott.[/caption] “It’s not necessarily a redesign,” cautions Bon Appétit creative director Michele Outland. “We’re calling it a refresh.” Terminology... Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2018-10-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Malorie Blackman, Alex T Smith, Abi Elphinstone and Sibéal Pounder are amongst the authors behind next year’s expanded line-up of £1 World Book Day (WBD) titles. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-10-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Philip Pullman, Kamila Shamsie, Carol Ann Duffy, and Tara Westover are some of the authors whose books have been shortlisted by bookshops for 2018's Books Are My Bag Readers Awards. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-10-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Malorie Blackman is publishing a fifth book in her Noughts & Crosses series, inspired by Brexit, Trump and the rise of the far-right in Europe. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-09-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Francesca Cavallo and Elena Favilli, creators of 'Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls,' were named PW Star Watch Superstars at a party at Marquee New York in Manhattan on September 12. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-09-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Praised for 'heralding a "rebellious" new generation through their work,' Timbuktu Labs' Francesca Cavallo and Elena Favilli share this year's highest PW Star Watch honor–and trip to Frankfurter Buchmesse. The post Frankfurt-Bound: ‘Rebel Girls’ Cavallo and Favilli Named PW Star Watch 2018... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-09-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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