Cultural Cross Sections Margaret Randall Children’s choir at the 2014 La Matanza Book Fair / Photo by Mauro Rico / Ministerio de Cultura de la Nación / Flickr When good engineers or scientists emigrate, they are able to continue their work. Novelists no. A good novel is nourished by the sap of one’s own culture, one’s people, and what happens in daily life.—Ricardo Jorge Machado[i] A recurring drama when I lived in Cuba throughout the 1970s was the periodic emigration of citizens from all social strata who for one reason or another felt compelled to leave their homeland. This might take place in waves, such as the Mariel exodus in May 1980 when 125,000 people boarded boats for southern Florida. Or it might be a high-profile individual: a baseball player who wanted to join the Major Leagues, a well-trained physician who believed he or she could earn more elsewhere, or a poet or novelist who was fed up with the Revolution and wanted to try their luck in another country (most often the United States). All were considered traitors and departed amidst a barrage of vituperative harassment. Heberto Padilla was one such poet. In the late 1960s he entered a collection of his work in an important literary contest. The book, Fuera del juego (Outside the game), was given first prize by an international jury. As it was perceived as being critical of the Revolution, the power structure didn’t know what to do with the decision; it eventually... Continue reading at 'World Literature Today'
[ World Literature Today | 2019-07-10 21:07:28 UTC ]
Novelists Hilary Mantel, Maggie O'Farrell and Margaret Atwood are among the list of big-name writers and thinkers taking part in the first fully digital Hay Festival. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-05-06 10:09:46 UTC ]
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Our own Nick Ripatrazone takes a look a new poetry from John Freeman, Rosanna Warren, Juditha Dowd and Kiki Petrosino—plus an anthology edited Leah Silvieus and Lee Herrick. The post Must-Read Poetry: May 2020 appeared first on The Millions. Continue reading at The Millions
[ The Millions | 2020-05-06 10:00:15 UTC ]
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This flat-pack purse is designed to be shipped. Ikea built an empire out of a simple idea: furniture designed in such a way that it could be flat-packed to ease shipping costs and eliminate the need for a delivery truck. Today, that same innovation comes to purses, as the Milan-based bag label... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2020-05-06 09:00:23 UTC ]
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Like moons, Ancient Greece and adolescence, spring has given writers inspiration for centuries. “To what purpose, April, do you return again?” asks Edna St Vincent Millay, noting the “redness / of little leaves” and “the spikes of the crocus”. To Shakespeare, this time of year puts “the spirit... Continue reading at British Council global
[ British Council global | 2020-05-01 14:56:50 UTC ]
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Many lives are radically different right now. But birthdays, anniversaries, and public holidays come and go as before. The pink supermoon would have appeared whether we’d watched it from our windows or outdoors among a crowd of strangers. This week, Earth Day, Shakespeare’s birthday, and World... Continue reading at British Council global
[ British Council global | 2020-04-24 14:34:13 UTC ]
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Frankfurt Book Fair is still expected to go ahead in October despite the coronavirus crisis, its president Juergen Boos has said. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-22 04:49:28 UTC ]
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A group of crime writers are publishing a digital short story anthology to help raise funds for charity Samaritans in the light of the coronavirus crisis. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-20 05:15:57 UTC ]
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The anthology “Burn It Down!,” edited by Breanne Fahs, collects manifestos from a range of perspectives and voices. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2020-04-15 09:00:01 UTC ]
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News and Events WLT The Neustadt International Prize for Literature, one of the most prestigious global literary awards, has entered its 50-year anniversary at the University of Oklahoma. Often referred to as “the American Nobel,” the biennial award... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2020-04-14 14:03:16 UTC ]
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Frances Hodgson Burnett is best known for children’s classics like The Secret Garden and Little Lord Fauntleroy, but a new anthology of lost stories reveals her “weird” side. At the Guardian, Alison Flood writes about “The Christmas in the Fog,” an eerie story set on a New York-bound liner. “Ten... Continue reading at The Millions
[ The Millions | 2020-04-13 20:30:07 UTC ]
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Doctors, novelists and other writers are exploring, as quickly as they can, the pandemic’s impact on a country that was among its earliest victims. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2020-04-09 14:40:54 UTC ]
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Why BODY TALK is more relevant than ever: a look a the cover and description of BODY TALK, the third anthology edited by Kelly Jensen. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-04-06 10:33:57 UTC ]
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ANNE PERRY’S ANTHOLOGY Odd Partners, a showcase sponsored by the Mystery Writers of America, is an entertaining and compelling hodgepodge. If the reader anticipates a particular kind of mystery story, the book will challenge expectations. The selections are remarkably diverse, featuring... Continue reading at Los Angeles Review of Books
[ Los Angeles Review of Books | 2020-04-01 17:00:04 UTC ]
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I often talk about how I created A Phoenix First Must Burn, my anthology of fantasy stories by black women authors, for my younger self, a girl who loved fantasy and science fiction and so desperately wanted to see herself in those worlds. It’s a strange experience to create the thing you wanted... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2020-03-25 11:00:00 UTC ]
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Cultural Cross Sections Baret Magarian Photos by Pierpaolo Florio A novelist living in quarantine in Florence looks back at Italy’s cultural history and then forward, considering whether something positive might rise from the ruins that the virus will... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2020-03-23 21:14:07 UTC ]
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Interviews Tiffany Hawk In 2012, at sixteen years old, Joshua Wong and the pro-democracy student group he founded took on the Hong Kong government, mobilized more than one hundred thousand student protesters, and surprised the world by successfully... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2020-03-23 16:00:04 UTC ]
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Two novelists have partnered to build A Mighty Blaze, a initiative to promote other authors and their new books on social media. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-03-23 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The widespread school closings caused by the new coronavirus will mean disruptions to Scholastic's book fair, book club, and educational businesses in the quarter ended May 31, company chairman Dick Robinson reported. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-03-19 04:00:00 UTC ]
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First-time novelists with books out or coming soon talk about their changes of plans and how they’re spending these unusual days. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2020-03-18 20:00:14 UTC ]
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London Book Fair director Jacks Thomas is stepping down after seven years with Reed Exhibitions. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-16 23:02:11 UTC ]
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