The literary life of Michiko Kakutani: the book critic's best feuds and reviews

The New York Times writer is stepping down from her role, leaving behind a remarkable career characterized by razor-sharp reviews and intra-literary rowsMichiko Kakutani, the New York Times’ revered chief book critic, announced she was stepping down from her post on Thursday after 38 years, marking the end of a career that inspired both admiration and fear in the hearts of the writers whose books she reviewed.Kakutani was America’s most powerful literary critic, someone who, with the stroke of a pen, wielded immense influence over the careers of both budding and established novelists. Over the course of her tenure at the Times, Kakutani was remarkably guarded, making few appearances in public and allowing her reviews to speak for themselves. In honor of a critic so widely celebrated – the scribe behind pieces that launched the careers of David Foster-Wallace, George Saunders and Zadie Smith and angered quite a few others – here are her best feuds and reviews, broken down. Related: In defense of Jonathan Franzen – the internet's collective punching bag “Writing in prose that is at once visceral and lapidary, Mr Franzen shows us how his characters strive to navigate a world of technological gadgetry and ever-shifting mores, how they struggle to balance the equation between their expectations of life and dull reality, their political ideals and mercenary personal urges. He proves himself as adept at adolescent comedy (what happens to Joey after he accidentally swallows his... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2017-07-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The literary life of Michiko Kakutani: the book critic's best feuds and reviews

The New York Times writer is stepping down from her role, leaving behind a remarkable career characterized by razor-sharp reviews and intra-literary rowsMichiko Kakutani, the New York Times’ revered chief book critic, announced she was stepping down from her post on Thursday after 38 years,... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-07-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #greek mythology


Michiko Kakutani Ends Her Reign as The New York Times’ Chief Book Critic

The Michiko Kakutani book review is an institution unto itself, one that has now come to an end as The New York Times chief book critic steps down from her role after 38 years at the Times, 34 of which have been spent writing about the work of basically every author in the contemporary Western... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2017-07-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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What book stores and the literary life contribute to ... life

A stack of new books illuminates the wonder of printed books — writing them, buying them, reading them. Continue reading at The Washington Post

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Books: A teen reviews '#Neveragain,' a World War II tragedy comes to life and more book news

Welcome to the Books newsletter! I’m books editor Carolyn Kellogg, writing my last newsletter from our Spring Street address — next Friday we’ll be packing up for our new digs in El Segundo. THE BIG STORY When I saw that Parkland, Fla., shooting survivors David Hogg and his sister Lauren Hogg had... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

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Books: Rachel Cusk, the long literary life of the Replacements and more book news

Hi, all! Carolyn Kellogg, books editor here, back from a trip to Helsinki, Stockholm and Paris with the not-at-all groundbreaking news that these are delightful cities. Yes, I shopped at Paris’ Shakespeare and Company, but not enough — when decided I needed to return for more books, I couldn’t... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-06-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Leslie Jamison! Michiko Kakutani! The wildness of Old English! 23 new books out today.

It’s another Tuesday, and that means that a bevy of beautiful new books are out. And it’s a brilliant bevy indeed: below, you’ll find twenty-three new titles to consider that span an incredible range, including a raw new memoir from Leslie Jamison on motherhood and the self; the esteemed... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

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Book Review: ‘Critical Hits,’ edited by J. Robert Lennon and Carmen Maria Machado

In the anthology “Critical Hits,” gamers like Hanif Abdurraqib, Alexander Chee and Larissa Pham explain what the medium means to them. Continue reading at The New York Times

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Book Review: ‘The Critic’s Daughter,’ by Priscilla Gilman

In her memoir “The Critic’s Daughter,” Priscilla Gilman recounts her life with intensely intellectual — and very different — parents. Continue reading at The New York Times

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Book Review: ‘Life on Delay,’ by John Hendrickson

John Hendrickson's memoir “Life on Delay” recounts his experience with this poorly understood neurological disorder, tracing an arc from frustration and isolation to acceptance and community. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-01-18 10:00:22 UTC ]
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Queen Elizabeth II: A Life in Book Reviews

On the occasion of the death of the Queen of England, we've rounded up a handful of reviews of books on the queen and her court that we've run over the years. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

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12 books I should have reviewed this year: A critic’s lament

There were too many worthy books, but I had too little time — and, alas, too many excuses. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-12-28 13:00:00 UTC ]
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Ethan Hawke is now a book critic, thereby completing his Literary World Bingo Card.

Congratulations to Ethan Hawke, star of my favorite film (Gattaca) and arguably the most bookish man in Hollywood, who has, with today’s inclusion in the (web) pages of the New York Times Book Review, completed his Literary World Bingo Card! What is the Literary World Bingo Card you ask? Well,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-09-01 18:45:05 UTC ]
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Bette Midler and Michiko Kakutani are teaming up for a children’s book about the hot duck.

Remember 2018, when things were definitely really bad but we could still touch people who didn’t live with us? It was a simpler (but—make no mistake—still terrible) time, when the House was flipped, everyone was in their feelings, and the city of New York was captivated by a very attractive... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-08-13 14:41:38 UTC ]
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12 of the Best Books of Literary Criticism Everyone Should Read

Literary criticism (or even ‘literary theory’) goes back as far as ancient Greece, and Aristotle’s Poetics. But the rise of English Literature as a university subject, at the beginning of the twentieth century, led to literary criticism focusing on English literature – everything from... Continue reading at Interesting Literature

[ Interesting Literature | 2020-04-15 14:00:07 UTC ]
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William Collins scoops Michiko Kakutani book on 'objective reality'

William Collins will publish the debut from the former New York Times chief book critic Michiko Kakutani, billed as "a clarion call for verity".  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-06-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Book review: Skin in the Game - Hidden Asymmetries in Daily Life by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

REVIEW: Nassim Nicholas Taleb is the Richard Wagner of uncertainty. While the Ring Cycle of the German composer/librettist portrayed the struggle of the gods in a series of operas, the Incerto series of books by the Lebanese-American author is devoted to humans - specifically how we deal with... Continue reading at Stuff

[ Stuff | 2018-03-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Goodreads reviews show how gender informs book criticism

Analysis of book reviews on Goodreads has revealed some intriguing patterns concerning authorship and the popularity of reviews among peers, reports Robert Blincoe. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-07-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Prose Factory by DJ Taylor review – beware the suggestion that literary life isn’t what it used to be

The truth about book prizes, why Amazon is like an old-fashioned library and how much famous writers really earned from their journalism …Periodically, signs go up saying that Grub Street is closed to through traffic. Observers speculate that the street is being redeveloped as gentrification... Continue reading at The Guardian

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Whoops.Last week architect Zaha Hadid demanded that the New York Review of Books retract a June essay by critic Martin Filler, claiming that the "personal attack disguised as a book review" had "exposed Ms. Hadid to public ridicule and contempt."Read Full Story Continue reading at Fast Company

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A book critic's literary tour of Manhattan

New York Times critic Dwight Garner stopped at book-centered destinations throughout the Big Apple. 'I was smitten all over again,' Garner wrote after his excursion. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

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