Book Reviews Photo by Aideal Hwa / Unsplash If reading Adam Wiśniewski-Snerg’s Robot (Penguin Classics, 2021), translated by Tomasz Mirkowicz, makes you think about Stanislaw Lem’s work, you’re not alone. Indeed, both Robot and Lem’s His Master’s Voice (published in Polish just a few years apart) take up the fascinating but insoluble problem of whether or not we’re alone in the universe. One might even call Robot surrealist science fiction and liken it to Kafka’s work, or even Lem’s Memoirs Found in a Bathtub, since the main character spends most of his time wandering around the halls of an underground shelter, unsure of his own identity and his place in the community that has formed following an apocalyptic event on the surface. His identity confusion derives from his “birth” on an assembly line under a kind of bell jar. Given instructions by a mysterious Mechanism to study the people living in the shelter, the protagonist proceeds as if he is a living machine given a modicum of free will (as explained by the Mechanism). Much of the novel focuses on the protagonist figuring out why those around him are living underground and why many of them believe that he is a physicist named Poreyra. Encountering strange “statues” that weigh several tons in one of the shelter’s rooms, he eventually moves through a mirror there into a replica of the stricken city, where time moves at a fraction of the speed experienced in the shelter.... Continue reading at 'World Literature Today'
[ World Literature Today | 2021-11-10 20:14:00 UTC ]
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We spoke with Peter Brown about the experience of seeing 'The Wild Robot,' the first novel in his middle grade trilogy, adapted by DreamWorks. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-09-17 04:00:00 UTC ]
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A party supported by pals who made it through rush hour rain was appropriate for an anthology celebrating female friendshipNervous as I am of organising parties, I could hardly have launched a book about friendship without throwing one. And so it was that last Tuesday night, I found myself in... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2024-09-14 15:00:31 UTC ]
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Catch up on an exciting week of book news, including the trailer for NIGHTBITCH, Reese's 100th book club pick, and more. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2024-09-05 15:00:00 UTC ]
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Adam Nimoy, son of Leonard, has published a memoir that centers on the distance he felt from his father and the quest for reconciliation. We talk with Adam ahead of a double screening and talkback in Los Angeles this weekend. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2024-08-28 19:48:37 UTC ]
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A business out of science fiction — a robotics repair workshop — is now in Houston, aiming to provide automated workers to local businesses. Continue reading at Silicon Valley Business Journal
[ Silicon Valley Business Journal | 2024-08-02 19:28:12 UTC ]
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Mayor Eric Adams nominated the accomplished but controversial attorney Randy Mastro to be the city’s top lawyer on Tuesday, defying expected opposition from the City Council.Mastro, currently a partner at King & Spalding, is a former federal prosecutor who held senior roles in Mayor Rudy... Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2024-07-30 18:28:40 UTC ]
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For her new novel, Rachel Kushner created something of an alter ego, a manipulative female secret agent possessing all the gritty qualities the writer says she lacks. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-07-19 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Mayor Eric Adams expresses frequent pride in the number of women he has elevated to senior roles in his administration. But several of those appointees have departed under murky circumstances in the past year, reflecting the continued difficulties those leaders face — especially in... Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2024-07-16 19:14:25 UTC ]
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Mayor Eric Adams announced a deal on a $112 billion budget with the City Council on Friday, reversing a small but notable fraction of his unpopular cuts as he looks toward a difficult re-election bid next year.The spending plan for Fiscal Year 2025 also makes some new investments at the urging... Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2024-06-28 21:14:47 UTC ]
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New York City’s improving fiscal situation seemed to foretell an easier path to passing the coming year’s budget, but the City Council and Mayor Eric Adams still disagree on key issues with days left before the deadline to reach a deal.The council’s push to reverse cuts to cultural institutions,... Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2024-06-21 17:26:40 UTC ]
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Hello, readers! I’m your host, Kristen Arnett, advice columnist (and Dad) extraordinaire. I’m excited to welcome you back to yet another special episode of Am I the Literary Asshole?, an advice column that asks if “head empty, just vibes” is simply a nice way of describing a hangover. My head?... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2024-05-30 13:32:53 UTC ]
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Takeaways from GWU’s Inaugural Student Journal Symposium, by Rachel Smith & Madeline Meyers From the Road [email protected] Wed, 05/29/2024 - 15:27 Photo by Madeline MyersReflecting on their trip to attend a conference dedicated to literary and... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2024-05-29 20:27:37 UTC ]
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The Shark AI robot vacuum and mop combo unit has dropped to a record low of $230 at Amazon. This is a massive discount of 52 percent, which knocks nearly $250 off the price. It does look to be one of those deals that ends when the stock runs out, so you might want to act quickly instead of... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2024-05-15 18:42:59 UTC ]
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The senior v-p of corporate communications for S&S will retire at the end of July, ending a 35-year career with the company. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-05-13 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Brooklyn State senator Zellnor Myrie is taking steps to challenge Mayor Eric Adams for re-election in 2025, further complicating Adams’ already uncertain hopes for a second term amid sagging approval ratings.Myrie, a 37-year-old progressive, confirmed in a statement on Wednesday that he is... Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2024-05-08 14:15:56 UTC ]
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One of the great embarrassments of New York, the richest city in America, is how money can’t be found to keep public libraries open every single day.It is, truly, a matter of priorities. Other far-reaching, progressive policy proposals can come with enormous upfront costs — municipal or... Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2024-04-29 15:50:14 UTC ]
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Mayor Eric Adams’ nearly $112 billion executive budget, released Wednesday, includes more than $5 billion for health care initiatives, a figure that has grown by $172 million since his January preliminary budget.The revised plan avoids new spending cuts for city agencies and paints a rosier... Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2024-04-25 09:33:07 UTC ]
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Mayor Eric Adams announced a revised $111.6 billion budget plan on Wednesday that avoids new spending cuts and increases estimates of the city’s tax haul, reflecting his administration’s increasingly sunny view of New York’s finances. But the proposal rebuffs the City Council’s request to undo... Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2024-04-24 16:53:57 UTC ]
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Mayor Eric Adams’ administration went on the offensive Tuesday as he prepares to nominate Randy Mastro, an attorney with a long and controversial career, to be the city’s top lawyer.Despite opposition by the City Council, Adams’ administration has confirmed it is considering Mastro, a partner at... Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2024-04-23 19:11:11 UTC ]
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The change of top leadership by the trade show's parent company RX will give London Book Fair its third director in four years. The post London Book Fair: Adam Ridgway Replaces Gareth Rapley appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-04-18 23:01:22 UTC ]
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