Roberto Bolaño’s Tantrums, by Ilan Stavans

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 ]

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English language bookshop crowdfunder has week to raise £7,000

A crowdfunding campaign to create a “feminist safe haven” bookshop in Paris has only a week left to raise the remaining £7,000 needed to secure premises, after securing two-thirds of its financial target. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-01-02 16:26:28 UTC ]
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Roughing It in Science Fiction and Fantasy

Since I did a lot of camping in the last year, I've been noticing camping in sci-fi and fantasy all over the place! Let's take a tour. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2020-01-02 11:37:49 UTC ]
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The Best Novels of the 1890s

The 1890s saw pioneering works of science fiction, detective fiction, and Gothic horror all published, by some of the greatest English, Scottish, and Irish writers of the age. In the United States, too, novelists addressed social issues, sometimes in comic ways, while social realism continued to... Continue reading at Interesting Literature

[ Interesting Literature | 2019-12-31 15:00:10 UTC ]
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All of the Sci-Fi Stories We Published This Year

In a moment where the future seems impossibly turbulent, leaving us feeling powerless, science fiction can help us get our heads around the complexity. Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2019-12-31 14:00:05 UTC ]
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Future present? How science fiction sees our world in 2050.

Science fiction writers, gazing into the future, envision space-based cargo movers and robots that may eliminate the need for humans to work. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2019-12-31 13:53:59 UTC ]
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Future present? How science fiction sees our world in 2050.

Science fiction writers, gazing into the future, envision space-based cargo movers and robots that may eliminate the need for humans to work. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2019-12-31 13:53:59 UTC ]
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Future present? How science fiction sees our world in 2050.

Science fiction writers, gazing into the future, envision space-based cargo movers and robots that may eliminate the need for humans to work. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2019-12-31 13:53:59 UTC ]
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Syd Mead, concept artist behind 'Blade Runner' and 'Tron,' dies at 86

Futurist and artist Syd Mead has passed away at 86 due to complications from lymphoma. Even if you don't know his name, you've probably felt his impact on Hollywood, especially on the science fiction genre. Mead designed Blade Runner's world and tech... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2019-12-31 13:01:00 UTC ]
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16 of the Best Standalone SFF Novels From 2019

We're visiting Book Riot's Swords & Spaceships newsletter to get recommendations of 2019 standalone science fiction and fantasy novels. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2019-12-30 11:31:11 UTC ]
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The 20 Best Books of a Decade That Unmade Genre Fiction

Two related events shaped the last 10 years in science fiction and fantasy—the most transformative we've seen in the history of the genres. Continue reading at Wired

[ Wired | 2019-12-29 14:00:00 UTC ]
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Read More Women Literary Trivia Returns!

Test your knowledge of women writers with a fun pop quiz. First Round Name the title and author of the first-ever science fiction novel. This Pulitzer-prize winner and Italian translator declared in 2015 that she is now only writing in Italian. Name this author. The 2018 Nobel laureate for... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2019-12-27 12:00:00 UTC ]
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'Feminist safe haven' English language bookshop to launch in Paris

A Kickstarter is under way to create a 'feminist safe haven' bookshop in Paris called COVEN to offer English language books, a café and range of events. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-12-20 11:14:17 UTC ]
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The (Quiet) Death of a Legendary Parisian Bookstore

When it was announced that the legendary bookshop Le Pont Traversé would definitely close down on the 31st of December in Paris, many French TV stations put in phone calls and tried to convince Josée Comte-Béalu to do a filmed interview. She refused every single one of them. “They are like... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2019-12-20 09:48:10 UTC ]
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New indie bookshop opens in Barnsley

A new independent bookshop has opened in Barnsley, run by a mother and son team who became fed up watching the big chains leave their town. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-12-19 02:33:27 UTC ]
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George R R Martin opens Sante Fe bookshop

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[ The Bookseller | 2019-12-17 08:15:25 UTC ]
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TLS launches online bookshop with Monwell

The Times Literary Supplement has opened a new online shop selling books, prints of its covers and illustrations alongside branded merchandise. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-12-16 03:59:25 UTC ]
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Sunday Reading: The Allure of Science Fiction

From The New Yorker’s archive, pieces about science fiction and fantasy, by John Seabrook, Julie Phillips, Colson Whitehead, Margaret Atwood, and Joyce Carol Oates. Continue reading at New Yorker

[ New Yorker | 2019-12-15 11:00:00 UTC ]
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Recommended Reading: The science fiction of William Gibson

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[ Engadget | 2019-12-14 17:30:00 UTC ]
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A Year in Reading: Zoë Ruiz

I spent most of the year living in a small town in Oregon where I read a lot of student work and finished my MFA thesis. There I read my first but not last book by Octavia E. Butler, Kindred. I borrowed Octavia’s Brood: Science Fiction Stories from Social Justice Movements, from a graduate... Continue reading at The Millions

[ The Millions | 2019-12-14 16:00:42 UTC ]
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The employees at iconic NYC bookstore McNally Jackson have voted to unionize.

Earlier today, the employees of the New York City-based indie bookshop McNally Jackson voted to join the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union (RWDSU). RWDSU President Stuart Appelbaum says, “We’re proud to welcome the workers of McNally Jackson into our union. Tonight, they showed that... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2019-12-13 20:10:34 UTC ]
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