We seek inspiration, consolation – and the unvarnished truth. And we know that all the best stories are trueCaroline Knox is director of the Boswell book festivalMy love affair with biography began aged nine, when my subscription book club sent me a compendium of “true life” adventure stories. It is a passion I have carried into adulthood: before moving to the great biographer and diarist James Boswell’s home county of Ayrshire and founding a festival in his name, I had enjoyed commissioning biography, memoir and travel writing – all genres at which Boswell excelled – as a senior editor at the renowned publisher John Murray. It was then still housed in the family’s London mansion in Albemarle Street, where one of the great lost memoirs in literature, Lord Byron’s, had been burnt in the drawing-room grate.Visiting Boswell’s burial place for the first time, in the churchyard in Auchinleck, a former mining village in Ayrshire, I was shocked to discover that Boswell’s literary legacy had also seemingly been laid to rest. His exquisite neoclassical mausoleum stood derelict, with not even a sign to mark his last resting place. I immediately determined to launch a book festival of biography.Caroline Knox is director of the Boswell Book festival. The Boswell book festival will take place at Dumfries House, Ayrshire, from 12 to 14 May 2023, with a children’s festival taking place at the same time Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2023-05-09 08:00:15 UTC ]
In Kathryn Davis’ new memoir Aurelia, Aurélia life becomes more precious, language more urgent, and grief strikes deep chords. Davis’ husband Eric, an “ecological economist,” died of cancer in 2019, and throughout Aurelia, Aurélia where there is not outright elegy there is elegiac anticipation.... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-04-18 08:50:38 UTC ]
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Marie Yovanovitch’s memoir makes a persuasive case for the officials who really did obstruct his agenda. Continue reading at Slate
[ Slate | 2022-04-13 09:45:00 UTC ]
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Annie Hartnett's 'Unlikely Animals' lands on two lists, mythological retellings make a splash, and more in April's book club picks. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-04-13 04:00:00 UTC ]
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"Today" show book club pick "Memphis" traces the lives of three generations of Black women. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2022-04-12 14:16:05 UTC ]
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Jefferson’s “Constructing a Nervous System,” a companion to her earlier “Negroland,” explores the materials used to make identity and art. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2022-04-12 09:00:05 UTC ]
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In “Left on Tenth,” the veteran author looks back on a series of life-altering events, including a whirlwind romance at the age of 72. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2022-04-12 09:00:01 UTC ]
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"The Unwritten Book" is a memoir and essay collection that finds beauty in impermanence. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2022-04-11 10:00:28 UTC ]
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“Hello, Molly!,” the former “Saturday Night Live” star’s new book, recounts early family tragedy and a career of transgressive humor. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2022-04-10 09:00:06 UTC ]
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Dallas Mavericks CEO Cynt Marshall sells a memoir to Ballantine, Random House buys a Lincoln bio from Jon Meacham, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-04-08 04:00:00 UTC ]
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“Tasha” is Brian Morton’s memoir of his complicated relationship with the woman who raised him. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2022-04-05 09:00:06 UTC ]
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She helped establish the study of postcolonial literature and made her own entry to the genre with the memoir "Meatless Days." Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2022-04-01 22:48:53 UTC ]
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Twenty years ago, Oprah Winfrey ended the first incarnation of Oprah’s Book Club, which made its authors instant bestsellers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-04-01 04:00:00 UTC ]
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At Slate, Maia Kobabe discusses writing Gender Queer, a memoir about self-acceptance and understanding, which has been challenged in schools and libraries across the country in recent months. “What I’m learning is that a book challenge is like a community attacking itself,” Kobabe says. “The... Continue reading at The Millions
[ The Millions | 2022-03-30 20:30:51 UTC ]
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Her 1989 book, “Meatless Days,” is viewed as an important work of postcolonial literature. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2022-03-28 22:06:48 UTC ]
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In Sensorium by Tanaïs is, at once, a sensuous and gut-wrenching experience in expansive memoir that bleeds across genre and time. Using perfume as a framework, Tanaïs builds the work slowly, moving from the base to the heart to the head notes, recounting alienation and life on the margins as a... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2022-03-25 11:00:00 UTC ]
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In “Every Good Boy Does Fine,” the concert pianist recalls his artistic and erotic awakening. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2022-03-24 15:00:06 UTC ]
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The voice of Ariel in Disney’s ‘The Little Mermaid’ is bringing a memoir to Tyndale Momentum, the co-authors behind ‘The Come Back Effect’ sign with Baker once again, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-03-23 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Barnes & Noble, 'Good Morning America,' and other big clubs look toward the summer and believe in love in this month's book club picks. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-03-22 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Her essay collection was removed from contention in the category of best lesbian memoir after she went on Twitter to defend a forthcoming Sandra Newman novel from charges that it was transphobic. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2022-03-22 01:34:52 UTC ]
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It’s been ten years since the release of Wild, Cheryl Strayed’s bracingly honest memoir about hiking the Pacific Crest Trail as a young adult after her mother’s death with no experience or training—and to ccelebrate the anniversary, Strayed has released a cut scene from Wild, free to read... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-03-21 19:22:02 UTC ]
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