Essay “Literature was a vast minefield occupied by enemies,” Roberto Bolaño, who enjoyed accruing enemies in the pantheon of Latin American letters, writes in the short story “Meeting with Enrique Lihn” (New Yorker, December 22, 2008): except for a few classic authors (just a few), and every day I had to walk through that minefield, where any false move could be fatal, with only the poems of Archilochus to guide me. It’s like that for all young writers. There comes a time when you have no support, not even from friends, forget about mentors, and there’s no one to give you a hand; publication, prizes, and grants are reserved for the others, the ones who said “Yes, sir,” over and over, or those who praised the literary mandarins, a never-ending horde distinguished only by their aptitude for discipline and punishment—nothing escapes them and they forgive nothing. Aptitude for discipline and punishment Bolaño himself had aplenty, too. And in spite of his precarious health, he had stamina. At a young age, he had made up his mind he would die. Who cared if he annoyed others? His mission, as is clear from The Savage Detectives (1998), was to upend that tradition, to take it by the neck and expose its platitudes. What is the use of sacred cows if not to be desecrated? Indeed, every tradition needs an enfant terrible, maybe more than one. When was the last time a rabble-rouser came along in Latin American literature? As Bolaño put it in... Continue reading at 'World Literature Today'
[ World Literature Today | 2022-02-28 21:05:10 UTC ]
A new children’s bookshop in Hitchin is specialising in inclusive titles, including books that celebrate neurodiversity. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-10-11 14:30:39 UTC ]
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The audio version of an in-depth article on how science fiction’s hopes and fears can inspire humanity’s response to the climate crisis. Continue reading at The Conversation
[ The Conversation | 2021-10-11 09:13:49 UTC ]
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Danis Goulet's Night Raiders had the widest theatrical opening of any movie by an Indigenous Canadian filmmaker. But while the movie examines very real — and heartbreaking — events, Goulet opted to do so through the lens of science fiction. ... Continue reading at CBC
[ CBC | 2021-10-10 08:00:00 UTC ]
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We interviewed booksellers about their experience of the pandemic and their customers. Continue reading at The Conversation
[ The Conversation | 2021-10-07 05:14:45 UTC ]
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The best science fiction and fantasy book deals of the day, curated by Book Riot Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-10-04 13:01:44 UTC ]
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The bestselling, Hugo Award–winning science fiction series, which has reimagined the space opera and spawned an acclaimed television series, will wrap up this November with 'Leviathan Falls.' Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck, the writing duo known by the pseudonym James S.A. Corey, discusses their... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-10-01 04:00:00 UTC ]
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At Time, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Richard Powers discusses his newest novel, Bewilderment, which is set during a period that resembles our own—but not quite. ” I was thinking a little bit along the lines of the form that science fiction writers like to call the ‘near-term future,'” Powers... Continue reading at The Millions
[ The Millions | 2021-09-29 20:30:41 UTC ]
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Romance, crime and science fiction novels are among the five shortlisted books for the £20,000 Kindle Storyteller Award, which this year received a record number of submissions. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-09-29 00:11:05 UTC ]
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Shah Muhammad Rais, who was made famous in The Bookseller of Kabul, has vowed to keep his bookshop open, despite having had only two customers since the Taliban retook the country in the middle of August. Founded in 1974 Rais’s store has seen regimes (along with foreign powers) come and go, and... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-09-28 15:00:23 UTC ]
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And of course it includes a two-story library — modeled on the Bodleian at Oxford University — for his massive collection of books. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2021-09-28 09:00:26 UTC ]
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The best science fiction and fantasy book deals of the day, curated by Book Riot Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-09-27 12:35:52 UTC ]
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One of the greatest science fiction writers, Asimov’s work has had a lasting effect thanks to his prescient takes on technology, climate collapse and humanity’s future. Continue reading at The Conversation
[ The Conversation | 2021-09-24 15:01:23 UTC ]
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With clone emperors in haute couture and exotic wolf-lizards poised to attack, Foundation and For All Mankind herald a new era of ravishing spectaculars. Can they do for sci-fi what Game of Thrones did for fantasy?Dynastic infighting, the decline and fall of a mighty empire, tyrannical rulers... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2021-09-23 15:57:15 UTC ]
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As the agency develops plans for exploring the moon and Mars, it's seeking cutting-edge research that could turn science fiction into reality. Continue reading at Wired
[ Wired | 2021-09-22 21:04:50 UTC ]
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“The Body Scout,” “Light From Uncommon Stars” and “No Gods, No Monsters” tell stories of genetic dystopias, musical gifts and mythic creatures. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2021-09-21 09:00:09 UTC ]
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The best science fiction and fantasy book deals of the day, curated by Book Riot Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-09-20 12:33:19 UTC ]
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Mary Shelley was goth before it was cool. She wrote Frankenstein—sometimes described as the world’s first science fiction novel—as part of a horror story writing game. She lost her virginity to Percy Shelley on top of her mother’s grave. (To be fair, it was one of her main leisure spots, but... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-09-17 16:41:12 UTC ]
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The best science fiction and fantasy book deals of the day, curated by Book Riot Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-09-13 12:33:54 UTC ]
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Far too many times, I’ve been in a bookshop or a school and heard adults persuade a child away from a picture book and encouraged them to read ‘something more appropriate’. There’s a huge notion in this country that picture books are for younger children and a step into ‘proper reading’. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-09-13 08:06:26 UTC ]
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Sophie Lambert has been appointed to Bookshop.org's advisory board, as the company continues to grow and embarks on future development plans. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-09-08 04:20:35 UTC ]
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