The Adventures of Miss Barbara Pym by Paula Byrne – the ‘modern Jane Austen’?

This excellent cradle-to-grave biography of a much loved novelist who goes in and out of fashion captures her alarming habits and tormented love affairsIn 1971 the author Barbara Pym was at her day job at the International African Institute when she noticed “Mr C” laboriously attacking his lunchtime sandwich with a knife and fork. Pym made a mental note of the detail before asking herself ruefully, “Oh why can’t I write about things like that any more – why is this kind of thing no longer acceptable?” Ten years earlier, Jonathan Cape had dumped her after her sixth book on the grounds that her brand of anthropological observation of English social manners was old lady-ish, dull and didn’t sell. As an extra humiliation, no other publishing house had been interested in picking up Miss Pym: books built on “the daily round of trivial things” could hardly compete with Frederick Forsyth’s The Day of the Jackal or, if you were feeling fancy, Gabriel García Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude. Jonathan Cape had even published John Lennon (Pym liked the Beatles, but still). Clearly there was no place in contemporary literature for Mr C and his oddly formal way with a sandwich.There is nothing unusual about major minor novelists having a disappointing and disproportionate decline, followed by a posthumous flowering in reputation and sales. What’s unusual about Pym is that her phoenix moment came while she was still alive. In 1977 the Times Literary Supplement asked well-known... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2021-04-08 06:30:07 UTC ]
News tagged with: #frederick forsyth #contemporary literature #philip larkin #future books #delivery charges #novelists #jonathan cape

Other Publishing stories related to: 'The Adventures of Miss Barbara Pym by Paula Byrne – the ‘modern Jane Austen’?'


Lonely Planet Inspires Adventures

Lonely Planet’s “Explore every day” motto guides everything the company does. “We want people to think of Lonely Planet on a regular basis, for local adventures, not just when planning a major international trip,” said Alvarez, the company’s trade marketing manager for the US. (Sponsored) Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-08-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #lonely planet #regular basis


Cute and creepy adventure game 'Fe' hits Switch in 2018

A year ago, Electronic Arts kicked off its indie publishing program EA Originals by announcing an intriguing gem: Fe, created by studio Zoink from Gothenberg, Sweden. The wordless adventure game follows a woodland creature as it roams a geometric, st... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2017-08-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


'Intimate' Austen letters set for September release

The Bodleian Library's publishing arm is set to release a collection of Jane Austen's letters which will provide "intimate glimpses" into her life after moving to Bath, aged 25. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #september release #bodleian library #publishing arm #jane austen


Bloomsbury launches modern classics series

Bloomsbury is launching a new modern classics series this September featuring titles by Khaled Hosseini, William Boyd and Donna Tartt. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #khaled hosseini #william boyd #donna tartt


The Tick’s Next Adventure? Saving One Amazon Viewer’s City

The weirdest superhero to ever cross over into the mainstream returns on Amazon in August, and the streaming service wants him to do some good. Before the superhero boom of the ’00s led to the superhero glut of the ’10s, there was The Tick. The character, created by cartoonist Ben Edlund to... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2017-07-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #streaming service #giving fans


Get 'Modern JavaScript' ebook ($19 value) FREE for a limited time

It’s not uncommon these days to see people complaining about how complex JavaScript development seems to have become. If you’re learning JS, it won’t take long for you to be exposed to the enormity of the ecosystem and the sheer number of moving pieces you need to understand (at least... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2017-06-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #sheer number


Here’s what you missed at the Technology Executives of the Year Awards event

In the St. Louis Business Journal’s inaugural Technology Executives of the Year Awards, we showcased the innovation that’s taking place in our region by honoring five technology executives. Those executives were honored at an awards event Thursday at the Planetarium at the Saint Louis Science... Continue reading at Silicon Valley Business Journal

[ Silicon Valley Business Journal | 2017-06-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #technology executives #year awards #taking place #keynote speaker


Authors' unique responses to Austen auctioned by RSL

Authors and artists including Margaret Atwood, Hilary Mantel and Quentin Blake have created one-off, hand-written responses to Jane Austen to be auctioned in aid of the Royal Society of Literature. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-06-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #hilary mantel #quentin blake #jane austen #royal society


BookExpo 2017: Don’t Miss the Star Watch Deadline

Nominations for Publishers Weekly’s third annual Star Watch program will be accepted until June 15. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-06-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


BookExpo 2017: First Daughters in a Sister Act: Jenna Hager and Barbara Bush

In their first book together, "Sisters First: Stories from Our Wild and Wonderful Life," twin sisters and former first daughters Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Bush write about their lives, including their White House years. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-06-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #twin sisters #barbara bush #wonderful life


Head of Zeus lands two on Wilbur Smith Adventure Prize shortlist

Head of Zeus has two books shortlisted for the £10,000 Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-05-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #zeus lands #books shortlisted


HC buys debut from 'Peter and Jane' Facebook writer

HarperCollins has bought the début book from Gill Sims, the voice behind the hit Facebook blog "Peter and Jane". Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-05-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #dbut book #gill sims


Chigozie Obioma's modern epic to Little, Brown

Little, Brown has acquired an epic novel from Chigozie Obioma, author of the Man Booker-shortlisted debut The Fishermen (Pushkin Press), to publish in 2019. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-04-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #chigozie obioma


Richard Simmons speaks for first time in over a year after rumors he was missing

The fitness celebrity, who was subject of podcast Missing Richard Simmons, released a statement on Facebook to say he was ‘just a little under the weather’Fitness guru Richard Simmons is “not missing” according to a statement published on his personal website on Wednesday. Related: Missing... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-04-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


After broadcasting a desperate plea on Facebook, a U.S. immigrant activist goes missing in Mexico

Standing on the shoulder of a busy Mexican highway, Hugo Castro hit record on his smartphone and issued a desperate plea. “They want to kill me,” he said. “I really need help.” A group of criminals had been chasing him for days, he explained in a 20-minute video he broadcast on Facebook Live on... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2017-04-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #facebook live #20-minute video


Indie Focus: Adventuring with 'The Lost City of Z,' 'A Woman, A Part' and Locarno in Los Angeles

Hello! I’m Mark Olsen, and welcome to another edition of your regular field guide to a world of Only Good Movies. The L.A. Times’ Festival of Books is April 22 and 23, and it is not only a great way to interface with publishers and booksellers but also features a wide variety of guests. The... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2017-04-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #indie focus #mark olsen #good movies #wide variety


Lacking Systems for Collaboration, Association Media Groups Miss Opportunities

[Sponsored] Folio: and AdvantageCS examine association publishers’ biggest obstacles when it comes to cross-department cohesion. The post Lacking Systems for Collaboration, Association Media Groups Miss Opportunities appeared first on Folio:. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2017-03-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #sponsored folio


Adventurer Alastair Humphreys pens children's book for Big Picture Press

Author adventurer Alastair Humphreys, who recently became the pioneer of "microadventures" - a movement encouraging people to seek out short local adventures - has signed a two-book deal with Big Picture Press, an imprint of Templar. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-03-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Calls for Digital Accreditation Miss the Point

According to most industry analysts, 2017 will be the first year that brand advertisers and marketers in the U.S. will spend more money on digital advertising than on television advertising. This goes hand in hand with the assumption -- held by many until recently -- that digital marketing is... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2017-03-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #traditional media #wrong direction #key reasons


Translated Spanish cookbook from 1745 wins Jane Grigson Award

An “unusual” influential recipe book originally published in 1745 by a Spanish Franciscan friar and translated into English has won the 2017 Jane Grigson Trust Award. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-03-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |