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 ]
The Booker Prize has reassured readers the £50,000 literary award has “not yet been decided” – after a bookshop mistakenly branded copies of Margaret Atwood’s The Testaments with a “winner” sticker. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-09-17 10:52:14 UTC ]
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If the idea of saying goodbye to epic sci-fi worlds fills you with sorrow, check out this list of great YA science fiction series and read on! Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2019-09-17 10:31:05 UTC ]
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Science fiction writing often serves as a thought experiment that explores shared and hidden beliefs whose material and political reverberations lie further in the future. Continue reading at The Conversation
[ The Conversation | 2019-09-16 11:39:25 UTC ]
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Quercus held a sales conference with a difference yesterday by sending out its teams to booksellers around the UK, Ireland, France and Belgium. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-09-12 08:22:12 UTC ]
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Travel book specialists Stanfords has opened a specialist food bookshop in a joint venture with street food pioneers KERB "to showcase London’s food and cultural history through literature". Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-09-11 04:36:19 UTC ]
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Telling original, Indigenous-focused stories in different genres, filmmaker Jeff Barnaby is helping to normalize the presence of Indigenous people in a variety of realms: horror, science fiction and the broader cultural world. Continue reading at CBC
[ CBC | 2019-09-10 17:00:00 UTC ]
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Hachette UK and the Booksellers Association have launched a new £5,000 Sceptre Bookshop Award for stores that make an outstanding contribution to their community. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-09-09 10:33:41 UTC ]
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But just how “real” is it? Five years ago, Mark Zuckerberg stated in no uncertain terms that Facebook was going to build the metaverse, a digital world that’s a surrogate for our real one, predicted by science fiction for decades. That’s why he bought Oculus, and invested heavily in VR. But a... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2019-09-04 09:00:55 UTC ]
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Notting Hill indie Lutyens & Rubinstein Bookshop will celebrate its 10th anniversary this autumn. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-08-29 17:39:42 UTC ]
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Jeannette Ng, who won the prize this year, said the man it was named after “set the tone of science fiction that still haunts the genre.” Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2019-08-28 22:27:26 UTC ]
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Independent science fiction and fantasy publisher Baen Books has partnered with audiobook company RBmedia for an audiobook program. Under the agreement, the two companies will publish more than 170 audiobooks over the next three years. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-08-28 04:00:00 UTC ]
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A new independent bookshop will open its doors to customers in Bourne, Lincolnshire this weekend. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-08-28 01:26:30 UTC ]
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Science fiction is fast becoming science fact, which should be cause for concern. Continue reading at The Conversation
[ The Conversation | 2019-08-27 17:03:06 UTC ]
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Police are investigating after burglars broke into London's Housmans Bookshop and stole the store's cash drawer and charity box last week. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-08-27 10:02:54 UTC ]
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A Big Green Bookshop crowdfunder to get copy of climate activist Greta Thunberg's book into schools across the UK has raised more than £11,000 in a month, with Penguin Random House matching copies raised and creating an accompanying classroom pack. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-08-27 01:46:04 UTC ]
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George R R Martin has been honoured with the International Recognition Award at this year’s An Post Irish Book Awards for his contribution to fantasy and science fiction. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-08-20 07:23:59 UTC ]
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The winners of the 2019 Hugo Awards—one of science fiction and fantasy’s most prestigious awards, decided by the popular vote of Worldcon members—were presented last night at a ceremony at the 77th World Science Fiction Convention in Dublin, Ireland. Congratulations to all! The 2019 Hugo Award... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2019-08-19 14:33:38 UTC ]
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Wood Green's co-operative bookshop, The All Good Bookshop, has secured temporary premises and plans to open this week. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-08-18 22:20:02 UTC ]
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Malorie Blackman laments the lack of BAME children’s characters. I know – it’s a real battle to get writers of colour publishedMy daughter, like me, is of mixed heritage. She has wildly curly hair, as have I. When she was born four years ago I was given five copies of the same kids’ picture book... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2019-08-17 07:00:41 UTC ]
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