Rosemary Tonks was a feted poet, trenchant reviewer and literary socialite. And then she 'disappeared'. Following her death last month, Neil Astley traces her extraordinary storyThe "disappearance" of the poet Rosemary Tonks in the 1970s was one of the literary world's most tantalising mysteries. Bizarre theories abounded as to her whereabouts if she was still alive. As the poet Brian Patten put it in a BBC radio feature about her in 2009, she "evaporated into air like the Cheshire cat". One contributor imagined her living in Cuba, "smoking cigars in a doorway". Other commentators over the years have made her into a nun; consigned her to a sect; had her communing with the ghost of Charles Baudelaire; or put her in a shed at the bottom of someone's garden. For some reason, these mythmakers always required her to be living in poverty.Having tried to visit her myself, 10 years ago, I knew all these theories to be far from the truth. But out of respect for her declared wish, maintained by her family, that she should be left in peace, I kept her address and situation secret. Tonks died last month at the age of 85 (all the existing records had her as four years younger). She had indeed been living as a near-recluse but out of choice, quite comfortable in her circumstances. Even so, she remained restless in spirit, defiantly independent and quite alone in her continuing search for God, for she was ever alert to the "brainwashing", manipulative tendencies in the religious... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2014-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In 'The Invisible Bestseller: Searching for the Bible in America,' religion journalist Briggs writes that the bible has become “a museum exhibit” that people mostly leave on the shelf. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-11-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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As Ashraf Fayadh is in prison for heresy in Saudi Arabia, western readers can now read his poems in a new translated edition of his 2008 poetry collection. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-10-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Lucia Perillo, a poet known for her sense of humor and her writing about living with multiple sclerosis, died on Oct. 16 at the age of 58 in Olympia, Wash., her publisher Copper Canyon Press confirms. Her most recent book, “Time Will Clean the Carcass Bones,” was published in February. In 2000,... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2016-10-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Half of the authors shortlisted for the 2016 T S Eliot Prize are published by Picador. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-10-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Poet Claudia Rankine was awarded the MacArthur Fellowship grant for her work that engages with contemporary American culture, particularly issues of race. Her most recent book, 2014’s “Citizen,” racked up stacks of awards for its searing take on the personal and political, including the death... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2016-09-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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When it came time to design the look of the recently released Faber Nature Poets series, Faber & Faber senior designer Eleanor Crow had a wealth of history to draw on. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-08-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hodder & Stoughton is reissuing The Wind off the Small Isles, a "lost" novella by Mary Stewart, known for her gothic romantic thrillers and historical novels. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-07-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Poet Andrew McMillan has been shortlisted for the Polari First Book Prize for his debut poetry collection Physical (Jonathan Cape). Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-07-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Lidudumalingani has won the 2016 Caine Prize for African Writing for his short story ‘Memories We Lost’. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-07-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin is launching a new series of succinct collectible guides of contemporary poetry called Penguin Modern Poets. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-06-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Children’s book start-up Lost My Name has raised an additional €4m (£3.2m) in funding from Berlin-based investor Project A Ventures. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-06-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Alvarez discusses how writing poetry helped her through a period of intense grief in her life. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-06-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Award-winning actress Dame Helen Mirren is to narrate Beatrix Potter's century-old "lost" story, The Tale of Kitty-in-Boots (Frederick Warne & Co, Penguin Random House Children’s). Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-05-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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South London poet Chrissie Gittins is to petition London Mayor Sadiq Khan (pictured) about the future of Lewisham's library services. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-05-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Widespread library closures across the UK have resulted in the loss of almost 8,000 jobs in the last six years, according to a report by the BBC. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-03-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Tale of Kitty-in-Boots, which remained unseen for a century, is already a bestseller – eight months before it reaches shopsBeatrix Potter’s long-lost story about “a well-behaved prime black Kitty cat, who leads rather a double life” has shot to the top of Amazon’s book charts months ahead of... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2016-01-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Frederick Warne & Co, an imprint of Penguin Random House Children’s, will this September release a previously unpublished children’s story by Beatrix Potter, with new illustrations by Quentin Blake. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-01-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A worldwide reading is being held in support of Ashraf Fayadh, a Palestinian poet, artist and curator living in Saudi Arabia, who has been sentenced to death for the abandonment of his Muslim faith. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-01-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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British startup has shipped to 160 countries, based on its mantra of being ‘a technology company that happens to make physical books’British startup Lost My Name has sold more than 1m of its personalised picture books for children since launching its first title two years ago.The company’s The... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-12-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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London-based digital start-up Lost My Name has said worldwide sales of its personalised picture book have reached 1m copies. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-12-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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