The Prose Factory by DJ Taylor review – a lament for Grub Street

DJ Taylor’s survey of the English literary scene of the last century is vivid and rich but lacks analysisTo Dr Johnson, it was Grub Street, where “no man but a blockhead ever wrote, except for money”. To Thackeray, it was “the Corporation of the Goosequill”. In the 20th century, Bloomsbury’s Frances Partridge would refer to “the Prose Factory”, the starting point for DJ Taylor’s investigation of a most peculiar “factory”.For instance, while trading conditions and the means of production have changed beyond recognition, the product itself remains remarkably resilient. An 18th-century coachman might be astonished by an inter-city bus, but his passengers would still recognise the 21st-century book. Related: DJ Taylor: 'I set out with every intention of just being a novelist. But then I got diverted …' Future generations will be mystified by 'galleys' and 'hot metal' but thrilled by the lunches and the long weekendsIf the book has an argument beneath its research, it is that the republic of letters has gone to the dogs Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2016-01-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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May’s Top Reviews of Self-published Books from BlueInk Review

This month's starred self-published titles include a novel about lesbian nuns in pre-WWII Germany and a memoir from the daughter of 1960s cult leaders, among others. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-05-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Book Review: Joseph Epstein’s New Memoir and Book of Essays

The editor and essayist Joseph Epstein looks back on his life and career in two new books. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2024-04-22 09:03:39 UTC ]
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PEN President Jennifer Finney Boylan Announces Plans to Review PEN’s Work Going Back a Decade

PEN America has faced an enormous amount of criticism from the literary world for, among other things, failing to call Israel’s six-month assault on Gaza a genocide, and is now facing a wave of withdrawals from two of its signature events, the literary awards and the World Voices Festival. In... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2024-04-18 14:26:32 UTC ]
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Book Review: ‘The Band,’ by Christine Ma-Kellams

In the debut novel “The Band,” a burned-out pop idol meets a disillusioned professor, raising the question: What if the dangers of fame resemble white-collar ennui? Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2024-04-13 09:02:30 UTC ]
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March’s Best Reviewed Nonfiction

Marilynne Robinson’s Reading Genesis, Tessa Hulls’ Feeding Ghosts, and Kristine S. Ervin’s Rabbit Heart all feature among the best reviewed fiction titles of the month Brought to you by Book Marks, Lit Hub’s home for book reviews. * 1. Reading Genesis by Marilynne Robinson (Farrar, Straus and... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2024-03-29 08:55:59 UTC ]
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AAP Announces 2024 Hawkins, PROSE Award Winners

Princeton University Press has won the 2024 R.R. Hawkins Award for excellence in scholarly publishing for 'The Voices of Nature: How and Why Animals Communicate' by Nicolas Mathevon—the second year in a row the press has taken honor home. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-03-27 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Book Review: ‘Great Expectations,’ by Vinson Cunningham

Vinson Cunningham’s impressive debut novel finds a watchful campaign aide measuring his ambitions on the trail of a magnetic presidential candidate. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2024-03-12 09:00:38 UTC ]
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Book Review: ‘Victim,’ by Andrew Boryga

In Andrew Boryga’s debut novel, a young writer creates a career for himself by exaggerating, or sometimes completely manufacturing, stories of tragedy. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2024-03-09 10:00:20 UTC ]
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Book Review: ‘The Enigma Girls,’ by Candace Fleming

Britain’s youngest code-breakers, brought to life in a new nonfiction book by Candace Fleming, were normal teenagers: playing pranks, attending dances. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2024-03-08 10:01:52 UTC ]
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Book Review: ‘Slow Productivity,’ by Cal Newport

In his eighth book, the best-selling author Cal Newport offers life hacks for producing high-quality work while working less. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2024-03-06 10:03:11 UTC ]
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Book Review: ‘The House of Hidden Meanings,’ by RuPaul

Chronicling the high-heeled path to drag-queen superstardom, the new memoir also reveals a celebrity infatuated with his sense of a special destiny. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2024-03-05 10:00:18 UTC ]
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Audiobook Review: ‘Surely You Can’t Be Serious,’ by David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker

In the audiobook oral history “Surely You Can’t Be Serious: The True Story of ‘Airplane!,’” a cast of dozens fondly revisits a now-classic film. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2024-03-01 14:12:30 UTC ]
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Book Review: ‘A Woman of Pleasure,’ by Kiyoko Murata

“A Woman of Pleasure,” Kiyoko Murata’s first novel to be translated into English, explores the world of sex work in early-20th-century Japan. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2024-02-26 10:00:14 UTC ]
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Audiobook Review: ‘My Name Is Barbra,’ by Barbra Streisand

In Streisand’s new audiobook recording for her chatty, brick-size memoir, “My Name Is Barbra,” the superlative diva adds a little freestyling. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2024-02-23 12:45:40 UTC ]
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From Harry Potter to Taylor Swift: how millennial women grew up with fandoms, and became a force

Fans who were girls in the era of Harry Potter, The Hunger Games and Twilight are now the women who have powered the success of Barbie and the Eras Tour. Continue reading at The Conversation

[ The Conversation | 2024-02-18 19:51:27 UTC ]
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‘God forbid that a dog should die’: when Goodreads reviews go bad

From cancelled books to ‘review bombing’, it might seem as though the website can make or break a career. But how influential is it really?Something dramatic happens on a social media platform every day. On Goodreads, the anachro­nistically designed website for logging, rating (out of five) and... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-02-17 09:00:10 UTC ]
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Book Review: ‘What Have We Here?,’ by Billy Dee Williams

His charming memoir “What Have We Here?” traces the path from a Harlem childhood to “Star Wars,” while lamenting the roles that never came his way. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2024-02-13 10:00:45 UTC ]
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Book Review: ‘The Book of Love,’ by Kelly Link

In “The Book of Love,” the Pulitzer finalist and master of short stories pushes our understanding of what a fantasy novel can be. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2024-02-12 10:00:46 UTC ]
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