Robert Gottlieb: the editor who changed American literature

The man who ushered classics like Catch-22 into the world, Gottlieb has reason to brag. But in his new memoir Avid Reader he prefers to downplay the editor’s role Joseph Heller, the author of Catch-22, once gave an interview where he credited his editor with kicking his work into shape. After the interview ran, Heller got an irritated phone call. The caller was his editor, Robert Gottlieb. Gottlieb told Heller to knock it off. “I felt then, and still do, that readers shouldn’t be made aware of editorial interventions,” Gottlieb writes in his new memoir, Avid Reader: A Life. “They have a right to feel that what they’re reading comes direct from the author to them.”Gottlieb’s book is full of stories like that one. He is a very unassuming person, for an alleged legend – a characterization he laughs at to me, saying his daughter pokes fun at him for so often being called it. Yet beginning at Simon & Schuster in the 1950s and 1960s, flourishing at Knopf in the 1970s and 1980s, and with a brief but memorable detour to the New Yorker (as an editor), Gottlieb’s editing pen has touched the manuscripts of most of the important American writers of the 20th century – and several of the British ones, too. He did it, though, as much from behind the scenes as he possibly could. “I’ve given very few interviews,” he told me when I met him at his book-lined townhouse on New York’s East Side. He is only giving this one now, he says, because he needs to help the publisher sell his book. ... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2016-09-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #avid reader #simon schuster #20th century

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Literary magazines can be life-changing – but they need more support

The UK’s literary magazine scene is crumbling due to rising print costs. But I’ll keep printing my own magazine, which gives writers of colour a voice, for as long as I canTen years ago, Jeff Sparrow, editor of Overland, which describes itself as Australia’s only radical literary magazine, wrote... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-10-10 10:30:07 UTC ]
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Sub-Saharan Africa Publishing and Literature Sector Study

Sub-Saharan Africa Publishing and Literature Sector Study The British Council wishes to engage a researcher to conduct in-depth research into the trade publishing and literature sectors in six countries in Sub-Saharan Africa which provides market insights and focuses on innovative practice and... Continue reading at British Council global

[ British Council global | 2023-10-06 14:19:45 UTC ]
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Jon Fosse Wins 2023 Nobel Prize in Literature

Norwegian author Jon Fosse has won the 2023 Nobel Prize in Literature “for his innovative plays and prose which give voice to the unsayable.” This story is developing. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-10-05 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Finalists for 2023 NBA in Young People's Literature Announced

The National Book Foundation has revealed the five finalists for the 2023 National Book Award for Young People's Literature. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-10-03 04:00:00 UTC ]
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How the nation's most famous newspaper editor took on Trump and his own reporters

Former Washington Post editor Martin Baron joins the L.A. Times Book Club Oct. 11 to discuss "Collision of Power," his book about Trump, Bezos and the future of journalism. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-10-02 13:00:31 UTC ]
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How Iowa City, Hub of Literature, Became a Landmark for Cinephiles

The literary world knows Iowa City as home to America’s first creative writing program and a UNESCO City of Literature, but it’s also a landmark city for cinephiles. In the early 1960s, Refocus debuted in Iowa City as one of the largest cinematography and still photography festivals in the... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-09-29 08:25:20 UTC ]
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Read the Winners of American Short Fiction’s 2023 Insider Prize, Selected by Nickolas Butler

Last spring, I approached Nickolas Butler, internationally bestselling author of the novels Shotgun Lovesongs, The Hearts of Men, and Godspeed, to be the judge for this year’s Insider Prize, American Short Fiction’s annual literary award for incarcerated writers in Texas. He’d worked with... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-09-22 08:15:30 UTC ]
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‘I didn’t think it was possible to be a novelist’: Julian Barnes on literature, loss – and his late friend Martin Amis

The Booker winning author talks about how his most recent work was inspired by Hilary Mantel, and the way the books world has changed since his debut was published more than 40 years agoToo many people have been dying lately,” Julian Barnes reflects over the phone from his home in north London.... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-09-16 08:00:25 UTC ]
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New Literature in Translation

PW spoke with the publishers bringing David Diop, Annie Ernaux, Yoko Tawada, and others to U.S. readers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-09-15 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Here’s the longlist for the 2023 National Book Award for Translated Literature.

Today, the National Book Foundation announced the longlist for the 2023 National Book Award for Translated Literature. The ten titles were originally published in seven different languages—Arabic, Dutch, French, German, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish—and were selected from a pool of 154 books... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-09-13 19:15:43 UTC ]
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Here’s the longlist for the 2023 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature.

Today, the National Book Foundation announced the longlist for the 2023 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature. The ten titles were all written by newcomers to the National Book Awards, and were selected from a pool of 348 books submitted for consideration by their publishers. This... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-09-13 14:15:55 UTC ]
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2023 NBA Longlist for Young People's Literature Announced

The National Book Foundation has revealed the 2023 National Book Award longlist for Young People's Literature. The five finalists will be named on October 3, and the winner will be announced during the awards ceremony on November 15 in New York City. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-09-13 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Robert E. Abrams, Abbeville Press Cofounder, Dies at 80

The eminent art book publisher and longtime president of the publishing house he founder with his father, Harry N. Abrams, died on August 28 at his home in North Salem, N.Y. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-09-05 04:00:00 UTC ]
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A Reading List of Realistic Portraits of Mothers and Daughters in Literature

When reading about mothers and daughters, we might feel grateful we didn’t have to endure such conflict and trauma. We might long for what we, ourselves, never had. But then again, we might feel seen. More often, literature reflects troubling, toxic, or estranged mother-daughter relationships... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-09-01 09:35:26 UTC ]
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Bonnie Garmus wrote 'Lessons in Chemistry.' She learned the formula for TV would bring changes

The British author discusses having her bestselling book adapted for an Apple TV+ series starring Brie Larson: "It's different from my vision, but it doesn't mean that it's not as good at all." Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-08-31 10:00:32 UTC ]
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Cosmopolitan Kills Travel Booking Product CosmoTrips Following Leadership Change

The Hearst Magazines title Cosmopolitan has killed its CosmoTrips booking product, which it introduced last August in a bid to add another stream of reader revenue to its business, Adweek has learned. According to a person familiar with the situation, CosmoTrips was wound down following a series... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2023-08-30 11:38:30 UTC ]
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India’s Jaipur Literature Festival Heads for Three US Cities

Stops in the states of Texas, Colorado, and New York are planned for the Jaipur Literature Festival's international tour in September. The post India’s Jaipur Literature Festival Heads for Three US Cities appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-08-28 18:36:15 UTC ]
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Which European city appears the most often in literature?

If you guessed London, you’re right—London is mentioned at least three times more often than any other European city. (Wonder why?) As Travel Daily reports, a digital printing company called Aura Print has apparently processed the entire Google Books database to “identify the cumulative mentions... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-08-22 14:51:06 UTC ]
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Christopher Carduff, 'Wall Street Journal' Books Editor, Dies at 66

Carduff, who was named books editor at the 'Wall Street Journal' in 2017, was also a contributing editor for the Library of America Series and the publishing consultant to John Updike's literary trust. He died on August 14. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-08-17 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Ben Greenberg Named EIC Amid Changes at Random House

With the upcoming retirement of senior v-p and deputy publisher of Random House Tom Perry, Greenberg has been promoted to editor-in-chief and Hilary Redmon will succeed Greenberg as editorial director of nonfiction. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-08-17 04:00:00 UTC ]
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