A deliciously original study of the cheap editions of Pride and Prejudice and other novels – ignored by literary scholars – casts new light on her readershipJane Austen aficionados think that they know the story of their favourite author’s posthumous dis-appearance and then re-emergence. For half a century after she died in 1817, her books were little known or read. A few discriminating admirers such as George Henry Lewes and Lord Macaulay kept the flame of her reputation burning, but most novelists and novel readers were oblivious to her. Then, in 1869, her nephew James Edward Austen-Leigh published a memoir about her and the public got interested. Her novels started being republished and widely read. She has never looked back.Janine Barchas’s The Lost Books of Jane Austen puts us right. Her book about books is a beautifully illustrated exploration, indeed compendium, of the popular editions of Austen’s novels that have appeared over the last two centuries. This includes those decades when Austen was supposedly lost from sight. The first chapter is a “vignette” on a copy of Sense and Sensibility, published in 1851 for George Routledge’s Railway Library (books suitable for reading on the train). It cost one shilling and was bought for the 13-year-old Gertrude Wallace, the youngest daughter of a Plymouth naval officer. It is the first of many examples of cheap and popular editions of Austen’s work that kept it alive for ordinary readers and that literary scholars have... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2019-12-11 07:30:31 UTC ]
We seek inspiration, consolation – and the unvarnished truth. And we know that all the best stories are trueCaroline Knox is director of the Boswell book festivalMy love affair with biography began aged nine, when my subscription book club sent me a compendium of “true life” adventure stories.... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-05-09 08:00:15 UTC ]
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Author says paparazzi and reporters began to follow him in his car and snoop around his homePrince Harry’s ghostwriter has said he bonded with his subject over the “callousness” of paparazzi and media after the “frenzied mob” around the book Spare led to photographers and journalists invading... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-05-09 03:35:56 UTC ]
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The Internet is abuzz over a forthcoming nonfiction book, a 544-page memoir (including 40 full-color photographs) slated to be published by Flatiron on July 9th. Why? Because The Internet thinks it was probably written by Taylor Swift. It all started when the owner of indie bookshop Good... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-05-08 16:47:07 UTC ]
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Novelists Barbara Kingsolver and Hernan Diaz tied for the Fiction prize, and 'Washington Post' journalists Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa's took home the Nonfiction prize at this year's Pulitzer Prize ceremony on May 8. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-05-08 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Tasha Jun's memoir shares how she came to reconcile her complex heritage Korean and American heritage and her Christian faith. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-05-08 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Comics artist and novelist MariNaomi tackles a puzzle in the memoir 'I Thought You Loved Me': Why did a best friend dump them? Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-05-05 13:00:54 UTC ]
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“Too distasteful, too sordid, and too shameful.” Pauline Harmange on why she needed to write about her abortion. | Lit Hub Memoir Janet Steen on mourning the end of her brother’s story. | Lit Hub Elissa Suh reviews the forlorn, faithful new adaptation of Paolo Cognetti’s award-winning novel The... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-05-05 10:30:33 UTC ]
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Telling good stories in games is really hard. It’s hard in any medium, of course, but games provide a set of challenges over and above those faced by novelists and screenwriters. Take the question of agency—if the player is allowed to make the primary narrative decisions in the game, then the... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-05-01 15:00:45 UTC ]
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You want a middle-aged woman to run an ultramarathon or start a wellness empire? Can’t I just have a breakdown?There is good news for midlifers, so gird your loins for a flurry of off-brand optimism. Kicking off the list is a new prize for debut novelists over 50. “The reason we launched the... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-04-30 13:00:05 UTC ]
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“I adopted Fuck This Shit as my motto during the Trump administration and find it applies to something new every day.” Abigail Thomas on getting a (superb) tattoo at 80. | Lit Hub Memoir McKayla Coyle recommends sapphic reads for every occasion (like if “you’re a sad girl, or a hot girl, or a... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-04-27 10:30:50 UTC ]
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“I learned at a very early age that I wouldn’t be getting from my mother what most kids get from their mothers.” Lucinda William recalls the turbulence of growing up with a sick mother. | Lit Hub Memoir Diksa Bashu on learning to cook as an adult—and how returning to her grandmother’s Delhi... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-04-26 10:30:07 UTC ]
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First-time novelists are joined by two former winners on the diverse list, as the six ‘ambitious and hard-hitting’ contenders are revealed• ‘We were blown away’: how we chose the Women’s prize shortlistThree debut novels will compete against books by two former winners for this year’s Women’s... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-04-26 06:30:01 UTC ]
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If its true that William took a payoff from Murdoch and the royals struck a peace deal, they seem willing to surrender reputations cheaplyPrince Harry has long alleged that the royal family – “the Institution”, as he calls it – is locked in a trap of appeasement with the tabloid media. In their... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-04-25 16:54:24 UTC ]
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Ava Chin’s memoir is an expansive family history encompassing perilous journeys, sensational crimes and social change. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2023-04-24 12:37:54 UTC ]
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A Q&A with Jonathan Rosen, whose new book, The Best Minds, delves into a fraught friendship and the societal response to schizophrenia Continue reading at The Atlantic
[ The Atlantic | 2023-04-21 18:24:00 UTC ]
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Malala Yousafzai sells a new memoir to Atria, Crown buys an authorized Tupac bio, YA bestseller Mary E. Pearson is set to make an adult debut with Flatiron, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-04-21 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Her 2005 book, “Mozart in the Jungle,” lived up to its subtitle, “Sex, Drugs, and Classical Music,” and was later made into an Amazon TV series. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2023-04-19 18:57:28 UTC ]
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Maggie Smith's book "You Could Make This Place Beautiful" explores the meanings behind womanhood, gender roles, family and jobs. Continue reading at HuffPost
[ HuffPost | 2023-04-19 09:45:33 UTC ]
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A new memoir traces the three-time Tony Award winner’s life and career working with Balanchine, Robbins and Fosse. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2023-04-19 09:00:33 UTC ]
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'The Fitful Sleep of Immigrants' began as a memoir about Orlando Ortega-Medina's exile from a homophobic U.S. How it became an immigration thriller instead Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-04-18 13:00:23 UTC ]
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