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 ]
Although Clive Staples Lewis (1898-1963) – known as ‘Jack’ to his friends and family – is best-known for his seven children’s fantasy novels set in the land of Narnia, C. S. Lewis wrote a number of other works – fiction and non-fiction, science fiction and literary criticism – which have […] Continue reading at Interesting Literature
[ Interesting Literature | 2020-10-29 15:00:09 UTC ]
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These mathematical science fiction books use mathematics in world-building to advance the plot and build characters. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-10-28 10:37:00 UTC ]
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One of my most vivid childhood memories took place in an English bookshop in Causeway Bay, a short minibus ride from my family home in Hong Kong. I was a voracious reader growing up, eyes constantly trained on any printed text available, even during dinnertime and when brushing my teeth. Intent... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2020-10-22 11:00:06 UTC ]
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TAMSYN MUIR’S DEBUT NOVEL, Gideon the Ninth, the first in her Locked Tomb trilogy, exploded into the world to universal critical acclaim last year. The series doesn’t fit nearly into the castles-versus-spaceships division that characterizes much of mainstream science fiction and fantasy. It has... Continue reading at Los Angeles Review of Books
[ Los Angeles Review of Books | 2020-10-21 17:00:28 UTC ]
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North London indie stalwart Muswell Hill Bookshop is to close, following the retirement of its owner, Ivan Beal. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-10-20 23:21:36 UTC ]
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London bookshop Heywood Hill has launched a competition to provide one book-lover with a free book every month for life. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-10-19 13:58:51 UTC ]
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Totnes Bookshop in south Devon is being closed in its current form by the trust that owns its lease and will reopen as a box office for local events. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-10-19 11:36:36 UTC ]
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If you thought the landscape of classic SFF was exclusively male, peep these science fiction and fantasy stories by women, including Octavia’s Brood: Science Fiction Stories from Social Justice Movements edited by Walidah Imarisha and adrienne maree brown. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-10-14 10:37:00 UTC ]
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Recent releases include “The Midnight Bargain,” “The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue” and “Piranesi.” Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2020-10-14 09:00:04 UTC ]
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Bookshop.org, a retail site billed as a way for indies to counter Amazon’s online dominance, has today revealed the members of its UK board. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-10-13 09:56:56 UTC ]
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If you have been into your local bookshop recently, you will have noticed the beginnings of an extraordinary time for readers. We have had our ‘super Tuesday’ where an unprecedented number of books have been released in the lead up to Christmas 2020. The outbreak of COVID-19 resulted in many... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-10-09 06:31:40 UTC ]
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Look for the green stucco house with a porch near the Mt. Washington Whole Foods. Continue reading at Baltimore Sun
[ Baltimore Sun | 2020-10-07 22:23:53 UTC ]
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The Victoria & Albert Museum is closing its dedicated bookshop and making 103 roles redundant across its retail and visitor experience teams as the Covid-19 crisis hits its finances. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-10-05 09:58:53 UTC ]
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Mainstream economics is suffering an identity crisis, which began with The Great Recession and has reemerged during the current pandemic. In response, a growing collection of voices has advocated looking beyond the field—in particular, to science fiction—as a way to imagine it anew. Although... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-10-05 08:48:01 UTC ]
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Are these the end times? Who knows! Settle into this current quasi-dystopian reality with recent books by American writers of color. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-10-02 10:35:59 UTC ]
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Love in Colour by Bolu BabalolaEvery story in this collection of love stories by Bolu Babalola has been adapted from ancient folklore from all around the world. Babalola chooses to centre women in these stories, giving the women unique and passionate perspectives on love. While the original... Continue reading at British Council global
[ British Council global | 2020-10-01 09:59:00 UTC ]
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Jo Fletcher Books, Quercus’ fantasy and science fiction imprint, will publish Derek B Miller’s first sci-fi novel, Radio Life. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-10-01 03:42:44 UTC ]
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Within an hour of hearing that she had won the Arthur C. Clarke Award, a top honor given to science fiction published in the UK, Namwali Serpell also heard the news that the police officers who killed Breonna Taylor would not be charged for her murder. “I received these two pieces of news about... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-09-25 18:21:12 UTC ]
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Independent press Little Toller is to open a bookshop in the Dorset town of Beaminster next month. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-09-24 21:34:39 UTC ]
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In the early summer of 1994, I walked into Alice’s Bookshop in North Carlton; a small shop in an old terrace on a straight boulevard that runs north out of Melbourne, Victoria. Being so close to the venerable sandstone of Melbourne University, there’s an old-fashioned gravity about the place.... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-09-24 08:48:13 UTC ]
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