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 ]
Bookshop has helped many independents weather the pandemic, but some booksellers say the ABA is not being transparent about its financial relationship with the online retailer and worry that Bookshop poses new competition. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-08-12 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The Martian author Andy Weir will return with a new astronaut thriller, Project Hail Mary, in spring 2021, publishing with Cornerstone's science fiction and fantasy imprint Del Ray UK. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-08-11 15:38:46 UTC ]
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Interviews Richard van Leeuwen is a senior lecturer in Islamic studies at the University of Amsterdam. This year, he won the 2020 Sheikh Zayed Book Award in the Arabic Culture in Other Languages category for his book The Thousand and One Nights and... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2020-08-10 20:32:46 UTC ]
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The Zoom call was going well. I liked the technology on show, and I felt bookshops could definitely benefit from using it. It provided a way of alerting the bookshop - ahead of a visit - when someone with a disability (or who needed additional help) would be arriving at the shop. Staff would be... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-08-09 12:28:32 UTC ]
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Few science fiction writers have their vision of the future tested immediately upon publication. But that’s what happened to Ilze Hugo, whose novel about a mysterious epidemic, The Down Days, debuted in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic. “To be published right in the middle of all this is the... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-08-07 08:48:58 UTC ]
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NBCUniversal's streaming service Peacock has an original science fiction series, Brave New World. Netflix is prepping Away, an upcoming sci-fi drama following a group of astronauts on a journey to Mars. Now, HBO Max has announced the premiere date of its own ambitious sci-fi show. Raised by... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2020-08-05 21:37:25 UTC ]
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While science fiction is often preoccupied with the threat of artificial intelligence successfully imitating human intelligence, researchers say a bigger danger right now is people using the technology to imitate one another. A recent survey from the University College of London ranked deepfakes... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2020-08-05 21:14:18 UTC ]
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Waterstones has announced the permanent closure of its bookshop in the Centre MK Shopping Centre, Milton Keynes, over “excessive” rent demanded from its landlord. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-08-04 18:17:36 UTC ]
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Have you ever noticed how many scenes in science fiction and military movies take place in a command center? Whether it’s a fictional character like Captain Kirk aboard the USS Enterprise or a real-life crisis unfolding in the White House situation room, the command center plays a critical role... Continue reading at Silicon Valley Business Journal
[ Silicon Valley Business Journal | 2020-08-03 07:00:00 UTC ]
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The science fiction world is having a bit of a week. Today, New Zealand, the host of this year’s World Science Fiction Convention (WorldCon), virtually kicked off one of the world’s most popular sci-fi events. New Zealanders had been preparing for the international convention, which normally... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-07-29 17:44:32 UTC ]
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Sci-fi preconceptions are challenged by little-known marvels from James Tiptree Jr, Angélica Gorodischer and othersThe border between science fiction and mainstream literature is more permeable than booksellers or publishers would have us think. Double Booker prize-winner Margaret Atwood’s... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2020-07-27 06:00:46 UTC ]
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Netflix's German science fiction series stuck the landing in its third and final season. Continue reading at Wired
[ Wired | 2020-07-24 16:00:00 UTC ]
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From space operas with sapphic women to nonbinary artists and mechanical dragons! Check out this this list of 2020 adult LGBTQ+ science fiction books, including The Seep by Chana Porter. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-07-17 10:36:49 UTC ]
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Around 35% of regular bookshop customers are unsure about returning to bricks and mortar premises now lockdown has eased, according to a survey by Nielsen. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-07-17 09:56:49 UTC ]
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In Michaela Coel’s excellent BBC TV series “I May Destroy You”, her character Arabella’s journey concludes in a bookshop with the launch of her self-published book. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-07-17 06:11:20 UTC ]
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“The City We Became” and “Vagabonds” made waves. Next up: Susanna Clarke’s “Piranesi.” Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2020-07-14 05:34:00 UTC ]
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Profile Books will publish Shaun Bythell's Seven Kinds of People You Find in Bookshops in November. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-07-08 23:31:01 UTC ]
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H. G. Wells helped pioneer science fiction with his 1898 book The War of the Worlds. Many iterations later, it still scares and fascinates us. Continue reading at The Conversation
[ The Conversation | 2020-07-06 19:54:21 UTC ]
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David’s Bookshop in Hertfordshire has been bought by its staff and remodelled as a John Lewis-style employee ownership trust. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-07-01 19:30:47 UTC ]
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Need some cheering up and an out-of-this-world story? Pick up some of the funniest science fiction books this side of the galaxy. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-06-30 10:34:22 UTC ]
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