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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Parvus Press: Market Spotlight

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[ Writer's Digest | 2019-07-25 16:55:22 UTC ]
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Jonathan Fetter-Vorm and Mary Anne Mohanraj on the Anniversary of Apollo 11 and Space Exploration

In this episode of the Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast, author and illustrator Jonathan Fetter-Vorm and science fiction writer Mary Anne Mohanraj talk to hosts V. V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell about the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing and how space exploration has been... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2019-07-25 08:47:28 UTC ]
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Five Weeks in Rimbun Dahan, by Dipika Mukherjee

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[ World Literature Today | 2019-07-23 13:14:38 UTC ]
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What's on TV this week: 'Another Life'

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[ Engadget | 2019-07-23 02:28:00 UTC ]
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Science Fiction Literary Agents Open to Submissions

Literary agents are gatekeepers of the publishing industry. Find science fiction literary agents open to submissions in this post. List will be updated regularly. The post Science Fiction Literary Agents Open to Submissions by Robert Lee Brewer appeared first on Writer's Digest. Continue reading at Writer's Digest

[ Writer's Digest | 2019-07-22 11:00:17 UTC ]
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Open Pen and Newham Bookshop to host latest indie homeless fundraiser

Indie press Open Pen and Newham Bookshop are joining forces to host a fundraiser for the homeless in East London. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-07-22 07:47:05 UTC ]
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Retail spotlight: Charlie Byrne’s Bookshop and The Blessington Book Store

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Thompson wins Arthur C Clarke Prize for Rosewater

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Foyles joins forces with Jacaranda to celebrate black British writers

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Gardners strikes deal with ecommerce firm Monwell

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‘Mundos Alternos,’ Where Other Worlds Come to Life

Science fiction illuminates reality by imagining the unreal in a mind-bending show at the Queens Museum. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2019-07-15 09:00:06 UTC ]
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HBO's *Years and Years* Unlocks Sci-Fi's Ultimate Potential

At its core, science fiction is a tool for building thought experiment machines. That's the game Russell T Davies' new show is playing so beautifully. Continue reading at Wired

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Stonewall, Before and After: An Interview with Samuel R. Delany

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The Best of Early Wyndham

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[ Interesting Literature | 2019-07-05 14:00:22 UTC ]
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What we're buying: 'Typeset in the Future'

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[ Engadget | 2019-07-01 17:45:00 UTC ]
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Talking to Neal Stephenson, Whose New Novel, ‘Fall,’ is at No. 14

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[ The New York Times | 2019-06-28 09:00:08 UTC ]
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Samsung, AT&T work to turn science fiction into reality inside 5G Innovation Center

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Book Culture's future at risk, warns New York indie owner

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Lambeth indie bookshop closure highlights fragility of UK high street, says BA

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[ The Bookseller | 2019-06-25 00:29:42 UTC ]
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Launching a Book? Do It At a Bar.

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