In 1926, with the General Strike looming and the right warning of a Bolshevik revolution, the BBC found itself in a dreadful dilemma. Writer Jack Thorne on why he turned this into ‘a love letter to people in authority’Jack Thorne is a furiously busy scriptwriter and, although he’s celebrated for bringing Harry Potter to the stage and His Dark Materials to the screen, he loves a chewy subject. In recent years, he’s tackled child abuse, the plight of care homes in the pandemic, and a Grenfell-like catastrophe that devastates a community. At the moment, his play The Motive and the Cue, about the famously rocky process of putting together John Gielgud’s production of Hamlet starring Richard Burton, is at the National Theatre in London.He will soon have another play on in the city. When we meet, Thorne – tall, gangly, scrappily bearded, wearing a T-shirt with a printed design that instantly calls to mind the armoured bear in His Dark Materials – is on a break from watching a run-through of his newest work, When Winston Went to War With the Wireless. It stages an early crisis for the BBC that shaped its future and set the tone for the way it handles political pressure to this day. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2023-06-05 07:00:22 UTC ]
With books delayed by the pandemic reaching shops alongside other titles aimed at the Christmas market, the trade has seen sales boomBooksellers up and down the UK are reporting a boom in sales since readers returned to bookshops after the lockdown, with the first avalanche of Christmas titles... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2020-09-11 12:40:19 UTC ]
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Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling says she is returning an award from a human rights group linked to the Kennedy family after the president of the organization criticized her comments about transgender issues. Continue reading at CBC
[ CBC | 2020-08-28 20:34:31 UTC ]
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How to write a millennial character: Emma Jane Unsworth wades in where lesser mortals dare not go. | Lit Hub A love letter to The Catcher in the Rye: Mary O’Connell on her favorite book and its conflicted legacy. | Lit Hub Thirteen ways of looking at flash fiction: Grant Faulkner on the infinite... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-08-21 10:30:03 UTC ]
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A poster supporting the Harry Potter author, paid for by an anti-trans activist, was removed from an Edinburgh train station for being too political. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2020-07-31 17:57:33 UTC ]
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This week Dave Miller, who hosts a daily talk show on Oregon Public Broadcasting, interviewed “two very tired people”: Tuck Woodstock and Sergio Olmos, both independent journalists. Since late May, daily protests in solidarity with Black lives and against police brutality have taken place in... Continue reading at Columbia Journalism Review
[ Columbia Journalism Review | 2020-07-24 12:18:51 UTC ]
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The Day faced legal action from author after implying that her comments on gender harmed trans peopleA news website aimed at British schoolchildren has agreed to pay an unsubstantiated amount after it implied that JK Rowling’s comments on gender caused harm to trans people.The Day, which is... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2020-07-23 16:33:19 UTC ]
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Figures for last year show sales of £6.3bn, up 20% on 2015, but the Publishers Association says sector needs government support to weather coronavirusBook sales in the UK hit record levels in 2019, driven by a surge in audiobook and nonfiction titles, according to new figures released as... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2020-07-21 23:01:08 UTC ]
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Bloomsbury says books were a lockdown hit, with children’s division revenue up 27%The backlash against JK Rowling’s views on transgender law reform has failed to dent the popularity of the Harry Potter author’s books, with publisher Bloomsbury saying they have proved a lockdown hit, pushing... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2020-07-21 12:29:43 UTC ]
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Written in 2004 and auctioned for charity, Serpentine sees an adult Lyra and her daemon Pantalaimon revisit Trollesund in search of secretsA previously unseen His Dark Materials story about a teenage Lyra, written by Philip Pullman over a decade ago and that he never intended to publish, will be... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2020-07-08 23:01:46 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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J K Rowling's agency The Blair Partnership has lost four of its author clients over the controversy surrounding the Harry Potter author's views on transgender law reform. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-22 05:27:06 UTC ]
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In order to create the Ultimate Summer 2020 Reading List, we’ve ventured into unfamiliar territory and employed… math. | Lit Hub How JK Rowling betrayed the world she created: Gabrielle Bellot on growing up with the Harry Potter universe. | Lit Hub “The pace and frequency of Trump’s falsehoods... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-06-10 10:30:25 UTC ]
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After the author’s widely criticized round of gender identity tweets over the weekend, the actor spoke up on behalf of transgender women. The creator of Harry Potter seems to have lost Harry Potter himself, as Daniel Radcliffe comes to the defense of trans women in the wake of J.K. Rowling’s... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2020-06-09 10:00:07 UTC ]
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"Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling is releasing her new book, "The Ickabog," in free online installments. The first two chapters are out now. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2020-05-26 19:33:57 UTC ]
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Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling is releasing her latest book as a free online serial for kids "needing distraction during the strange and difficult time we're passing through" — and she's also calling on young fans to help create illustrations... Continue reading at CBC
[ CBC | 2020-05-26 15:57:26 UTC ]
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The Harry Potter series creator is also asking her young readers to supply illustrations for the print version of the novel, available in November. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2020-05-26 15:11:00 UTC ]
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The Harry Potter author said her new fairy tale would go online in installments, starting Tuesday, and published as a book in November. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2020-05-26 14:47:26 UTC ]
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A selection of recent audiobooks of interest; plus, a peek at what our colleagues around the newsroom are reading. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2020-05-26 09:00:06 UTC ]
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Answer the 10 questions in the Dumbledore's Army quiz and you will find out if you are more of a Harry or Neville or one of the other members! Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-05-06 10:34:02 UTC ]
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Daniel Radcliffe, David Beckham and Dakota Fanning are among a handful of celebrities who will be reading various chapters of “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone/Sorcerer’s Stone” exclusively on Spotify. The move underscores the streaming giant's efforts to invade all things digital audio. Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2020-05-05 18:54:51 UTC ]
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