The Greatest Novelist You Haven’t Read

It is one of the eccentricities of American publishing that James Salter has not been widely embraced as a great writer. His books are as good as those of post-war novelists like John Updike, Philip Roth, Richard Ford, and critics have often said so, and yet he is nowhere near as beloved or popularly read. He is frequently referred to as a “writer’s writer,” which sounds terrible, as if he writes effete, airless sentences, as if his novels and stories were obscure poetic exercises, but none of that is true. His writing is as muscular, as clear, as accessible, as lively as those other writers, and yet he is still somehow relegated to that dreary shelf of “writer’s writers,” but even writers have often never bothered to read him. Continue reading at 'Slate'

[ Slate | 2013-03-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #widely embraced #john updike #philip roth #richard ford #sounds terrible

Other Publishing stories related to: 'The Greatest Novelist You Haven’t Read'


The Annotated Nightstand: What Rachel Zucker is Reading Now and Next

During the often-dread-inducing/dreadful time of year when publications are putting out there “best of the year” lists, I’m glad to shine a light on a book I loved and deserved more attention than it seemed to receive. This is always a hard task, especially for small press books. I would have... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-12-14 09:44:56 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #year lists #annotated nightstand #rachel zucker #hard task #small press


The 10 Most-Read Book Reviews of 2023

In 2023, as we do each year, we published thousands of reviews of thousands of new books. But of all the reviews we published, these are the 10 you read the most. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-12-14 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Novelist's book is canceled after she acknowledges 'review bombs' of other writers

A debut author who used fake accounts to “review bomb” other writers on the influential online platform Goodreads has been dropped by her agent and had her book deal cancelled Continue reading at ABC News

[ ABC News | 2023-12-13 02:46:01 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #fake accounts #book deal #debut author


A billionaire and a novelist offer two versions of tech's future. Who's right?

Where exactly is tech going? Joanne McNeil's debut novel 'Wrong Way' and billionaire Marc Andreessen's 'Techno-Optimist Manifesto' offer some clues. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-12-12 11:00:26 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #debut novel


Read these great books published by Lit Hub staff members in 2023.

As you probably know, Literary Hub is produced by a small staff; most of us are writers, and/or moonlight as editors on other projects. This year, four of our number—that would be 36% percent of full time Literary Hub staffers, not too shabby—published books, which is certainly worthy of... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-12-11 17:52:31 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #literary hub #small staff


Why Novelists Should Embrace Artificial Intelligence

Let’s imagine, for the purpose of this essay, that the following statement is true: An AI writes a novel. Actually, forget about the imagining. This is already happening. Today’s AIs—large language models (LLMs) specifically, like GPT-4—can write. If you’ve glanced at the headlines this year,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-12-08 09:51:43 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #novelists


A Book Club Took 28 Years to Read ‘Finnegans Wake.’ Now, It’s Starting Over.

The group in California started on the notoriously challenging novel by James Joyce in 1995. In October, it reached the end. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-12-07 10:40:10 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #james joyce #book club


When Eye-Reading Just Isn’t Working

Here are some ways to keep reading when your eyes just don't want to cooperate, even if you don’t have access to audiobook versions. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-12-06 11:32:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #audiobook versions #audiobook


The Best Aldous Huxley Books Everyone Should Read

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University) Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) was an important twentieth-century writer whose work often explored some of the ‘biggest’ and most important ideas of his day. The following pick of his best books include a work documenting his experiences of drug-taking,... Continue reading at Interesting Literature

[ Interesting Literature | 2023-12-04 15:00:30 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #books include


10 books to add to your reading list in December

Bethanne Patrick recommends 10 new books to get you through the end of 2023, including dystopias, a quirky travelogue and an uncommonly exciting math primer. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-11-29 11:00:46 UTC ]
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Herbert Gold, Postwar Novelist of Love and Marriage, Dies at 99

He emerged in the 1950s as a promising young writer exploring the emotional lives of ordinary men and women and the complexities of Jewish identity in America. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-11-20 23:46:03 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #young writer


Mick Herron’s Surprise Career as a Blockbuster Spy Novelist

The author of the “Slow Horses” series says he relates more with failures. With millions of books sold and the third season of the series airing next month, he may have to wrap his head around success. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-11-19 10:00:58 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #mick herron #books sold


On Literary Empathy and the Performative Reading of Palestinian Authors

The literary community holds onto empathy as a dear goal while navigating the complexities of the human experience through the eyes of characters from diverse backgrounds. Readers worldwide have long celebrated the promise of empathy as a conduit for profound understanding, and reading from... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-11-16 09:49:02 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #palestinian authors #human experience #diverse backgrounds #readers worldwide #profound understanding #literary community


Welcome to De Los | Reads: A roundup of books designed to amplify Latinx authors

The first edition of De Los|Reads features a new fiction book from Mario Vargas Llosa, a cookbook from Sandra A. Gutierrez, several memoirs and a book for children who aren't ready for bed. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-11-16 05:37:22 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #fiction book #books designed #cookbook


The Joy of Perusing Pictures: A Reading List of Wordless Picture Books

Lately, there’s been a lot of attention on how children learn to read, and I’m heartened that phonics is making a comeback. But sounding out words (also called “decoding”) can be laborious for young readers. As the mother of three and a veteran educator who believes passionately that a love of... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-11-15 09:40:24 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #children learn #young readers


Special Edition: Behind the scenes at the Long Read

To celebrate the launch of the new Guardian Long Read magazine this week, join the Long Read editor David Wolf in discussion with regular contributors Sophie Elmhirst and Samanth Subramanian• The Guardian Long Read magazine is available to order now• The best stories take time. The Guardian Long... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-11-15 05:00:09 UTC ]
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It took 28 years, but this book club finally finished reading Finnegans Wake

After 28 years, a book club in Venice, Calif., has finally finished reading Finnegans Wake by James Joyce — but the club's founder Gerry Fialka would argue you're never really done reading it. Continue reading at CBC

[ CBC | 2023-11-14 22:49:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book club


Patt Morrison: Don't let anybody diss L.A.'s reading habits. This was and is a bookstore boomtown

In bookstores' L.A. heyday, shops were as ubiquitous as a certain coffee chain is today. But we're no slouches today, even if the internet removed many stores' physical presences. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-11-14 16:00:50 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #reading habits #bookstore


‘It is a beast that needs to be tamed’: leading novelists on how AI could rewrite the future

Novelists and poets, Bernardine Evaristo, Jeanette Winterson, Stephen Marche and others, consider the threats and thrilling possibilities of artificial intelligenceChatGPT seems to have blindsided us all. In less than a year it has proved that it can make writers redundant, which is one of the... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-11-11 09:00:30 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #bernardine evaristo #jeanette winterson #stephen marche #writers guild #jodi picoult #creative writing #novelists


The Power to Publish Enables the Freedom to Read

By publishing unflinching books on topics often perceived as controversial, small publishers can combat restrictions on intellectual freedom. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-11-10 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #intellectual freedom #small publishers