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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London assembly urges mayor to express his concern to newspaper publisher I wrote yesterday about a London Assembly motion that attacked the regional newspaper publisher Newsquest/Gannett for its cutbacks and restructuring.That motion was passed by the assembly unanimously today (Wednesday). It... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-12-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Andrew McMillan has become the first poet to win the £10,000 Guardian First Book Award with his “elegantly poised and intimate” collection of poems, Physical (Jonathan Cape). Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-11-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Two works by Pablo Neruda will debut in English after nonprofit poetry press Copper Canyon raised over $50,000 on Kickstarter to fund the project. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-11-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Several poets including Tyler Knott Gregson have transitioned from Tumblr to bestseller lists, selling hundreds of thousand of books in the process. The post Poets Move from Tumblr to the Bestseller List appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-11-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Pardlo, Saeed Jones, Cate Marvin and Willie Perdomo excoriated the publishing industry for its lack of writers not white and male at a Manhattan panel“One of the things I run into surprisingly often is people saying to me, ‘I’ve never heard of you before,’” says poet Gregory Pardlo. “Yet I’ve... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-10-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The appointed three-year position, which includes an annual C$10,000 honorarium, means that Michaels will be the city’s advocate for poetry and language. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-10-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Selina Nwulu was today (7th October) named the next Young Poet Laureate for London by Spread the Word, the writer development agency that runs the scheme. Nwulu, who takes on the role from Aisling Fahey, beat off competition from five other poets (Belinda Zhawi, Harriet Creelman, Raymond... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-10-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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When Gonzalez's first collection, 'i will never be beautiful enough to make us beautiful together' made its way onto singer Lily Allen’s Instagram feed last month, the poet was thrust into the spotlight. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-09-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Aviya Kushner traces the Bible's translations back to its original Hebrew, uncovering multiple meanings behind well-known passages in her book 'The Grammar of God.' Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-09-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A collection of poetry inspired by the left wing Labour leadership candidate Jeremy Corbyn has achieved 5,000 downloads in its first week. Altogether 20 poets including Michael Rosen, Pascale Petit, Nicholas Murray and Ian Pindar have submitted 20 poems for the free ebook Poets for Corbyn,... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-08-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Fansite True to You announces that the book will be published by PenguinMorrissey may have had a troubled couple of years, with health issues forcing the cancellation of gigs, but as he pointed out on the Smiths’ third single, “the devil will find work for idle hands to do” – and in this case,... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-08-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A debate has ensued over the use of an illustration of a man in blackface and a headline using the "N word" in a review of several US books on racism. The post Dutch Book Review of Books on Racism Lost in Translation appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-08-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Oklahoma poet Nathan Brown is garnering attention during his book tour for a poem touching on the life of Presidential candidate Donald Trump. The post Timely Poet’s Tour Trumps Trump with Trump appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-07-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ken White, former manager of San Francisco’s Books Inc., has launched Query Books, a publishing company focusing on republishing significant LGBT books. The post New Publisher Query Books Focuses on Lost LGBT Classics appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-07-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Storytelling start-up Lost My Name plans to grow its business globally after raising $9m (￡5.6m) in a funding round led by Google Ventures. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The U.K.-based company, which sells a customizable children's book directly to consumers, has received a new round of funding and plans to add a new book product. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-06-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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After 600k personalised picture-book sales, London firm secures investment from Silicon Valley firms Google Ventures and GreycroftChildren’s storytelling startup Lost My Name raised its first $100k of funding in 2014 on TV show Dragon’s Den. Now the London-based firm is turning to Silicon Valley... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-06-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Tim Duncan claims he lost more than $20 million to a dishonest financial advisor, according to a report in Bloomberg Business. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2015-06-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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At the New Yorker, Adam Gopnik laments the closing of a bookshop in Paris, ultimately tying it to a loss of a kind of personal freedom. The post Elegy for a Lost French Bookshop…and Freedom appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-06-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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How Schocken brought 'The Vilna Vegetarian Cookbook' back to life, and made it a bestseller. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-06-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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