From the shock and awe of labour to domestic isolation, a wave of recent novels captures the transformative nature of being a motherThey say nothing prepares you. Before having my baby, I approached the literature of motherhood as though I were about to sit an exam. If my studies tempered the shock of birth and early parenthood, then I didn’t notice. The sheer physical and emotive force of the experience left me profoundly shaken. Words felt insufficient. And yet I kept reading – everything I could get my hands on. I wanted answers. I wanted to feel recognised. I wanted this untranslatable experience to be translated into language. Most of all, I think, I wanted restitution for all the maternal stories that had been left untold by centuries of silencing and minimising, not just for myself, but for all of us.Books about motherhood come in waves: the recent spate only the latest in a long line of literary endeavours. In the 1950s there was Shirley Jackson’s Life Among the Savages. The 1960s wave saw Margaret Drabble’s The Millstone and Doris Lessing’s The Golden Notebook, alongside Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique; the 1970s The Women’s Room by Marilyn French, Adrienne Rich’s Of Woman Born, and In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens by Alice Walker. In the 1980s writing about motherhood became even more transgressive and imaginative, with Beloved by Toni Morrison, The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, and Nights at the Circus by Angela Carter. The early 2000s saw an... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2024-01-20 11:00:01 UTC ]
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... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2019-07-10 21:07:28 UTC ]
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On the lessons one reader gained through reading Toni Morrison's new nonfiction book collecting her essays, speeches, and more. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2019-07-10 10:33:01 UTC ]
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The British Library has acquired the 40-year archive of Granta magazine featuring letters and papers from authors including Margaret Atwood, JG Ballard, Angela Carter and Kazuo Ishiguro. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-07-09 06:16:31 UTC ]
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A new documentary and a recent essay collection give us a fuller picture of the Pulitzer winner. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2019-07-01 14:33:58 UTC ]
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The New York Times invited Asian-American authors to choose photos from our archives and write short young-adult fiction inspired by them. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2019-06-28 17:18:37 UTC ]
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Claire Adam has won the £10,000 Desmond Elliott Prize for first-time novelists with her "electrifying" debut Golden Child (Faber). Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-06-18 18:50:22 UTC ]
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News and Events WLT Norman, Okla. (June 11, 2019) – Robert Con Davis-Undiano, Neustadt Professor and executive director of the World Literature Today organization at the University of Oklahoma, this week announced the names of nine writers to be the jury... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2019-06-10 16:04:37 UTC ]
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Margaret Atwood, Matt Haig and Adam Kay will all take part in the National Theatre's upcoming Authors of Stage series celebrating authors across the world. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-06-02 09:38:02 UTC ]
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A shareable online diary was an obvious idea in the early 2000s. What if a college student’s version hadn’t won out? Continue reading at The Atlantic
[ The Atlantic | 2019-05-07 14:00:26 UTC ]
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The audio edition of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale will be narrated by Elisabeth Moss, who starred as Offred in the television series, it has been announced. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-05-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The style magazine that defined the 80s has been relaunched online – with a print version to come in SeptemberAfter a hiatus of 15 years, the Face, the style magazine known for its striking covers that helped launch the careers of Kate Moss, Alexander McQueen, Juergen Teller and Phoebe Philo, is... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2019-04-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The "boomerang" nature of time was discussed at the Vintage for Change evening, along with teen revolution and the sensibilities of sexbots, as Jeanette Winterson and six other authors considered the “turbulent times” of present day. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-04-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bonnier imprint Blink will publish a collection of pieces from the Big Issue’s ‘Letter to My Younger Self’ feature in October, featuring the likes of Margaret Atwood and Arianna Huffington, with all royalties going towards the magazine’s charitable work. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-04-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Author David Nicholls is shortlisted for a Bafta for his work on the "Patrick Melrose” series, adapted from the novels by Edward St Aubyn. Nicholls was recognised for his role as a writer in the drama category for the series which is broadcast on Sky Atlantic. Aubyn’s semi-autobiographical... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-03-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Vintage and Index on Censorship are calling on independent bookshops to coordinate creative publication events for Margaret Atwood’s The Testaments, the much-anticipated sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale in September, with a chance to win £750 to fund the best ideas. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-03-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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From Toni Morrison to Wild Bill Hickok, from animal rescuers to cultural travelers, March audio releases offer a stimulating listening experience. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2019-03-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hachette is launching its first ever modern classics list for its international markets, featuring titles from Margaret Atwood, David Mitchell and Sarah Waters among others. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-03-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Vintage imprint Jonathan Cape will publish the graphic novel adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale later this month. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-03-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Margaret Atwood has revealed the cover for The Testaments, the sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-02-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Margaret Atwood and Erin Morgenstern engaged Thursday morning in conversation in front of booksellers that created a buzz lasting all day, as booksellers eagerly anticipate the release this fall of both authors' next novels. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-01-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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