Interviews Veronica Esposito Photo by Camila Valdés Megan McDowell has translated many contemporary authors from Latin America and Spain, including Alejandro Zambra, Samanta Schweblin, and Lina Meruane. Shortlisted for the Man Booker International Prize, her translations have been published in the New Yorker, Tin House, the Paris Review, Harper’s, and McSweeney’s, among others. Veronica Esposito: As a translator, you’ve primarily worked with writers from Chile and Argentina, a region with a very rich literary history, and you are the primary translator for two of the standout authors to recently emerge from the Southern Cone—Alejandro Zambra and Samanta Schweblin. What is special about this region and its literatures? Megan McDowell: I’m not an academic or a critic, so I’m very reluctant to try to draw connecting lines through the literary histories of countries I live in but that aren’t mine. Every time I make a generalization, all the exceptions spring to mind. But, my assumptions or predispositions go something like this: Chilean writers tend to look inward, to play with autofiction, to write the domestic and the personal. Argentine writers tend toward the surreal, toward madness and fantasy and the uncanny. Both, I think, can get pretty experimental with form. Both have histories of dictatorship and state violence, which can rear its head in fictions in various ways. If you look at the writers I’ve translated, these... Continue reading at 'World Literature Today'
[ World Literature Today | 2020-06-22 15:20:00 UTC ]
A wide array of books, from literary fiction to romance to YA, have borrowed their titles from songs by The Beatles. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-07-10 10:34:48 UTC ]
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Three mission-driven indie bookstores well-known for their commitment to social justice have ceased stocking books written by J.K. Rowling, accusing the Harry Potter author of promoting hatred towards transgender people. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-07-03 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Irving Howe wrote for the Book Review about American literature — “moving from visions to problems, from ecstasy to trouble, from self to society” — on July 4, 1976. “Land of the free? Yes, but also home of the exploited.” Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2020-07-02 21:18:57 UTC ]
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Over the past few months, as gyms and yoga studios and fitness centers have remained closed, many of you antsy yogis and barre-enthusiasts and Zumba-addicts have gone back to that most elemental of exercises: the run. For those of us who like to read and run, well, plenty of books on the subject... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-06-23 08:49:25 UTC ]
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Interviews Veronica Esposito Photo by Camila Valdés Megan McDowell has translated many contemporary authors from Latin America and Spain, including Alejandro Zambra, Samanta Schweblin, and Lina Meruane. Shortlisted for the Man Booker... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2020-06-22 15:20:00 UTC ]
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It may come as a surprise, but when I heard about the lockdown, the anxiety that the world seemed to be feeling did not grip me. I never felt worried or confined by the limitations placed on us. For introvert like me, it felt like a long weekend with the same cycle of activities consisting of... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-17 05:58:38 UTC ]
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Who better to write books than the book experts? Check out some excellent picture books written by librarians for their tiniest patrons. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-06-15 10:31:00 UTC ]
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First published in 1819, ‘Rip Van Winkle’ is one of the most famous pieces of writing by Washington Irving, whose contribution to American literature was considerable. ‘Rip Van Winkle’ has become a byword for the idea of falling asleep and waking up to find the familiar world around us has... Continue reading at Interesting Literature
[ Interesting Literature | 2020-05-28 14:00:18 UTC ]
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If you think lit fic endings are all sorrow or question marks, think again. Here are some happy literary fiction books that will leave you hopeful. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-05-21 10:34:27 UTC ]
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Francophone African books are still very often published by French imprints, which can make them hard to get at home. But there is a growing push for changeWhen Cameroonian author Daniel Alain Nsegbe first saw his debut novel for sale in his home city of Douala, the price was so high “you would... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2020-05-14 09:59:14 UTC ]
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Ramadan Mubarak to all who celebrate! In honor of this special holiday, here are some excellent books written by Muslim women authors! Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-04-28 10:31:23 UTC ]
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Book Reviews Dianne Johnson-Feelings Mildred D. Taylor at the University of Oklahoma, October 24, 2003 / Photo by Robert Taylor Generations of American schoolchildren have grown up with Cassie Logan and her brothers, Stacey, Christopher-John, and... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2020-04-09 13:31:33 UTC ]
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James Patterson has a long history of helping independent bookstores. In in 2014, he donated $1 million to indie bookstores, and staring in 2015, his Holiday Bonus program has given payments between $500 and $5,000 to bookstore employees each year. Now, as bookstores struggle to keep afloat... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-04-03 14:23:07 UTC ]
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Take solace in works such as ‘Robinson Crusoe,’ ‘The Autobiography of Malcolm X’ ‘Walden’ and more. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2020-03-25 13:00:00 UTC ]
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Though most bookstores are closing their doors to the public, you can still buy books from them! And because you believe in our shared responsibility to preserve the wellbeing of those most vulnerable among us, you’re staying home and reading books, right? This past weekend saw many book people... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-03-16 19:01:49 UTC ]
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Ted Gioia's latest book is a fresh, cogent journey through the long history of personal expression through musical rebellion. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2020-03-13 18:21:36 UTC ]
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Ted Gioia's latest book is a fresh, cogent journey through the long history of personal expression through musical rebellion. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2020-03-13 18:21:36 UTC ]
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Ted Gioia's latest book is a fresh, cogent journey through the long history of personal expression through musical rebellion. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2020-03-13 18:21:36 UTC ]
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From literary fiction to fantasy, here are five books that celebrate male friendships to fight toxic masculinity and homophobia. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-03-05 11:35:47 UTC ]
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As the public conversations around mental health continue to grow, these new books about living with mental illness offer more insight. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-02-28 11:41:26 UTC ]
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