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 ]
Leaving our earthly bodies and living forever as a machine isn't just a thing of modern science fiction. These transhumanist ideas date back to the 18th century. Continue reading at The Conversation
[ The Conversation | 2021-05-17 05:22:55 UTC ]
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The latest installment in MIT’s Twelve Tomorrows series toggles between utopian and dystopian. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2021-05-10 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Led by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association, several professional writers' organizations and authors have formed the #DisneyMustPay task force, petitioning Walt Disney Co. to honor author contracts. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-04-29 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Coalition of author groups call for Disney to pay outstanding royalties owed to writers of novels and comics including Star Wars, Alien and Buffy the Vampire Slayer series it now ownsA task force made up of science fiction and fantasy, romance, crime and horror authors has been formed in an... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2021-04-28 17:07:11 UTC ]
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New figures from the Publishers Association show fiction and audiobooks did particularly well, with value of consumer sales up 7% on 2019 despite bookshop closuresFiction sales in 2020 soared by more than £100m for UK publishers, as readers locked down at home made their escape into books, with... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2021-04-26 23:01:49 UTC ]
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It sounds like science fiction but the demonstration by Elon Musk’s neurotechnology company Neuralink is a brain-machine interface in action. Continue reading at Stuff
[ Stuff | 2021-04-15 02:20:13 UTC ]
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An indie bookshop in Brigg, north Lincolnshire, was forced to close on Tuesday (13th April) after only a day's post-lockdown trading, following a break-in that left the shop unsafe for customers. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-04-13 17:09:48 UTC ]
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Middle grade books in SPAAAAACE! Check out some middle grade science fiction comics set in space, including On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-04-13 10:36:00 UTC ]
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“The Memory Theater,” “On Fragile Waves” and “Victories Greater Than Death” take readers tumbling through realms and ever stranger stories. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2021-04-13 09:00:08 UTC ]
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Writings by Brenda Peynado, Elizabeth Hand, Izumi Suzuki, Bruce Sterling and more. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2021-04-06 13:00:00 UTC ]
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If you need a little optimism about the future (and who doesn't?), pick up these hopeful science fiction and fantasy books, including LaGuardia by Nnedi Okorafor and Tana Ford. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-04-02 10:32:00 UTC ]
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Jaeger’s 1920s novels, ‘The Question Mark’ and ‘The Man With Six Senses,’ are H.G. Wellsian works of love and science. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2021-03-24 16:24:26 UTC ]
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The UK arm of Bookshop.org, the online retailer that partners with indie bookstores, has a new initiative on the way: it’s launching a series of online events for its customers as well as customers of unaffiliated indies. For the first event on March 23rd, Bookshop is partnering with Faber to... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-03-11 19:42:27 UTC ]
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The familiar Amazonian preview called 'Look Inside' gets a storefront cousin in Jellybooks' new 'Discovery,' using QR codes to offer samples. The post UK: Jellybooks Pilots Bookshop ‘Peek Inside’ Capacity at Blackwell’s appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-03-11 16:45:04 UTC ]
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As China’s science fiction authors are elevated to the status of oracles, Qiufan’s career—and his genre’s place in society—have gone through the looking glass. Continue reading at Wired
[ Wired | 2021-03-09 12:00:00 UTC ]
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The parasites, hybrids, and vampires of her science fiction make the price of persisting viscerally real. Continue reading at New Yorker
[ New Yorker | 2021-03-08 11:00:00 UTC ]
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The legacy of science fiction author Octavia Butler is to be explored at the Barbican's New Suns feminist literary festival this month. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-03-04 07:24:31 UTC ]
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The awards recognize outstanding literary achievements in 12 categories, including the Ray Bradbury Prize for Science Fiction, with winners to be announced April 16. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2021-03-02 15:00:14 UTC ]
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Back in 2018, an advert for what seemed like the perfect job for book lovers went viral after Sonu Shivdasani, founder of Soneva luxury holiday resorts, and Philip Blackwell, c.e.o. of Ultimate Library—a company that creates bespoke book collections for hotels and private clients—came up with... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-02-25 23:24:10 UTC ]
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Onto March, and with any luck, you'll soon be able to find some of the covers in our monthly round-up on the shelves of your local bookshop before too long. A fine treat it will be too, as there are plenty of lively illustrated children's jackets here, as well as a handful of lovely treatments... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-02-25 12:50:29 UTC ]
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