Categorising fiction may help to sell books, but it says little about how writers write or readers readIn her Reith lecture of 2017, recently published for the first time in a posthumous collection of nonfiction, A Memoir of My Former Self, Hilary Mantel recalled the beginnings of her career as a novelist. It was the 1970s. “In those days historical fiction wasn’t respectable or respected,” she recalled. “It meant historical romance. If you read a brilliant novel like I, Claudius, you didn’t taint it with the genre label, you just thought of it as literature. So, I was shy about naming what I was doing. All the same, I began. I wanted to find a novel I liked, about the French Revolution. I couldn’t, so I started making one.”She made A Place of Greater Safety, an exceptional ensemble portrayal of the revolutionaries Danton, Robespierre and Desmoulins, but although the novel was completed in 1979, it wasn’t published until 1992 – widely rejected, as she later explained, because although she thought the French Revolution was the most interesting thing in the world, the reading public didn’t agree, or publishers had concluded they didn’t. She decided to write a contemporary novel – Every Day Is Mother’s Day – purely to get published; A Place of Greater Safety emerged only when she contributed to a Guardian piece about writers’ unpublished first novels. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2023-11-27 12:30:00 UTC ]
In “Enough Already,” the veteran actor dishes about marriage, motherhood and what really matters to her right now. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2022-02-03 10:00:02 UTC ]
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Swift Press has acquired Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me after its author and original publisher Picador ‘parted company’ last month following widespread criticism of the bookAn independent publisher, Swift Press, has acquired Kate Clanchy’s Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me,... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2022-02-01 10:50:18 UTC ]
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The Broadway star is writing a memoir with the help of a journalist who encouraged her to share what she’s really like, alter ego and all. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2022-01-28 20:55:08 UTC ]
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A Life With Footnotes, by the late author’s former assistant and friend, has been authorised by Pratchett’s estate and is due to be released in SeptemberRob Wilkins, Terry Pratchett’s former assistant and friend, is writing the official biography of the late Discworld author, which will move... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2022-01-26 11:21:41 UTC ]
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Stephen Rubin, a consulting publisher at Simon & Schuster US, has written a behind the scenes memoir, Words and Music: Confessions of an Optimist, to be published by Applause Books in the US in January 2023. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2022-01-24 03:29:19 UTC ]
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Penguin Press buys a new novel from Celeste Ng, William Barr sells a memoir to Morrow, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-01-21 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Gill Books has pre-empted a "winding and bucolic" lockdown memoir by John Connell. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2022-01-18 15:05:08 UTC ]
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“Free,” by Lea Ypi, is a memoir about growing up in Albania amid the fall of communism. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2022-01-18 10:00:04 UTC ]
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Before he helped bring down Richard Nixon, the reporter grew up in a school of hard knocks. His memoir is a treasureFew reporters are synonymous with their craft. Bob Woodward of the Washington Post is one, his former partner, Carl Bernstein, another. Together, they broke open the Watergate... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2022-01-16 07:00:43 UTC ]
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A memoir by a man who has drawn caricatures for the greatest editors is a treasure trove of the American mid-century modernAt 92, Edward Sorel is the grand old man of New York magazines. For 60 years, his blistering caricatures have lit up the pages of Harper’s, the Atlantic, Esquire, Time,... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2022-01-15 07:00:17 UTC ]
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I should preface this by saying that I’m a big fan of Steph Curry. He’s indisputably the greatest shooter of all time. He’s done more to revolutionize the game (for both good and ill I would argue, but that’s a discussion for another day…) than any other player of his generation. He proved the... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-01-14 18:13:15 UTC ]
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The ’90s are back, as if they could ever truly peace out. Between Fear Street and Captain Marvel and the Alanis Morissette musical, the last mostly-offline decade is getting a gargantuan nostalgia polish. For my memoir Sticker—an exploration of my childhood in Charlottesville, Virginia via 20... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2022-01-14 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Grand Central buys a memoir from members of the U.K.’s first all-female rock group, Amy Fusselman sells a novel to Mariner, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-01-14 05:00:00 UTC ]
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An “exhilarating and insightful” memoir of life as a fighter pilot from Commander Paul Tremelling has been signed by Penguin Michael Joseph. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2022-01-14 01:50:19 UTC ]
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“‘High-Risk.’ Was I that? What did those words even mean?” Edgar Gomez on sex, desire, and going on PrEP. | Lit Hub Memoir David Hollander considers how fiction can save us from despair. | Lit Hub “The true story of the diary’s composition reveals how much thought and effort Anne put into... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-01-13 11:30:16 UTC ]
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Nita Prose’s novel whisks you to a luxury hotel, while Jamie Raskin’s memoir is a reminder of what really matters: home, family and democracy. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2022-01-13 10:00:02 UTC ]
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Hodder Studio has landed Letters from Brenda by Emma Kennedy, a memoir that explores the author's relationship with her mum, inspired by the discovery of 75 lost letters. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2022-01-12 23:00:44 UTC ]
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Also, remembering Sidney Poitier and discussing Lost & Found: A Memoir with author Kathryn Schulz. Continue reading at Slate
[ Slate | 2022-01-12 10:05:00 UTC ]
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In “Mala’s Cat,” Mala Kacenberg describes her time hiding out in the forest during World War II after losing her family. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2022-01-12 10:00:02 UTC ]
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Taylor Harris discusses 'This Boy We Made,' her memoir on seeking answers about her son, the anxieties of Black parenting and her evolving faith Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-01-11 14:00:41 UTC ]
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