Why so much hype? Being on Granta’s best young novelists list has its drawbacks | Sarah Hall

In 2013, I was one of the chosen 20. Today, I still question the accolades and gimmickry around making the gradeIn 2013, the fourth Granta Best of Young British Novelists (BYBN) list was published, and I was among the 20 writers selected. I was 39 and had published four novels and received several award. To what extent I was chosen or was a “ready-made” for the judges, I don’t know. When the 2003 list came out, my debut, Haweswater, had been published and The Electric Michelangelo was in manuscript form. Living in North Carolina, agentless and clueless about the industry or submission process, I doubt I was under consideration.In compiling these once-in-a-decade lists, Granta’s judges and influencers claim to foresee “big names” in the future British literary scene. A writer must be under 40, resident or citizen and have published a literary novel or be about to. I wasn’t registering the 2013 list. Some writers live in a dim cave, some anticipate calendars, some network. When the news came, I was pleased. It’s nice to be spotlit, validating to have work endorsed by critical experts, especially other novelists. Then things became uncomfortable. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2023-04-16 10:00:08 UTC ]
News tagged with: #north carolina #submission process #novelists

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Putting the Asian Experience of World War II at Center Stage: A Reading List of Essential Books

Almost eight decades after the end of World War II, that conflict continues to define political discourse throughout the Western world. Still, for American, British, French, and Canadian readers, the war overwhelmingly means the European theater, with the Asia-Pacific campaigns against Imperial... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-11-02 08:40:02 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #center stage #essential books #canadian readers


Sharing the Gospel of Silence: PW Talks with Sarah Anderson

Sarah Anderson, who founded the Travel Bookshop in London before becoming a writer and painter, discusses the value of quiet in 'The Lost Art of Silence' (Shambhala, Dec.). Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-11-01 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #travel bookshop #lost art #bookshop


10 books to add to your reading list in November

Bethanne Patrick's November highlights include new fiction from Michael Cunningham, a wild alt-history from Ed Park and nonfiction on COVID, mental illness and AI. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-10-31 13:00:40 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #bethanne patrick #michael cunningham #ed park #mental illness


Dancing with the Goddess and Drawing Down the Moon: A Reading List for Modern Witches

When I encounter the question “are you a Witch?” my first response is always, “who is asking, and why?” Perhaps there never has been a more loaded noun in the English language. Depending on who is asking, it can be a compliment. Or preamble to torture. Despite its crowded dictionary entry,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-10-31 08:50:56 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #english language


Bloomsbury’s fantasy list helps it to record £17.7m first-half profits

Publisher to double dividend after demand grows for books by Sarah J Maas and Samantha ShannonBusiness live – latest updatesThe book publisher Bloomsbury has hit record profits in the first half of the year thanks in part to a boom in fantasy fiction driven by the American author Sarah J Maas,... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-10-26 07:50:43 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #year earlier #continuing popularity #harry potter #american author #book publisher


Stories About Stories (About Stories): A Reading List of Meta-Narrators

A meta-narrator has an authorial awareness of a story being told. They make their presence known, intervening when they deem necessary. In the case that they are also the protagonist (which is often) then they must be as adept as immersing themselves in the real-time story unfolding up close as... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-10-24 08:15:09 UTC ]
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Tracie D. Hall Out at ALA

In a surprise announcement, the ALA has announced that executive director Tracie D. Hall will resign from her position effective October 6, bringing a sudden end to what has been a challenging four years for the organization. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-10-05 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Harvey Awards to Induct 6 New Hall of Fame Members

The inductees will be honored at New York Comic Con on Oct. 13. Five are from the world of superheroes, and one is a pioneer of underground comics. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-10-03 14:00:11 UTC ]
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Obituary: Ed Young

Caldecott Medal-winning author-illustrator Ed Young, best known for his reinterpretations of folktales and legends from his native China, and evocative illustrations rendered in a range of mediums, died September 29 in Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y. He was 91. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-10-03 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Finalists for 2023 NBA in Young People's Literature Announced

The National Book Foundation has revealed the five finalists for the 2023 National Book Award for Young People's Literature. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-10-03 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Looking back, Sarah Cooper 'wasn't ready' for viral fame: 'I suffered a lot of humiliation'

In a new memoir about her sudden rise, Cooper, who came to prominence lip-syncing Donald Trump, faces the personal and professional costs of going viral. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-10-02 10:00:13 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #sarah cooper #sudden rise #memoir


Children need to see themselves in books. Enter Young, Black & Lit.

What if you went to the bookstore and saw no one on the shelves who looked like you? One couple is addressing that deficit for young Black children, supporting literacy and identity. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2023-09-29 13:58:26 UTC ]
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10 books to add to your reading list in October

Bethanne Patrick recommends 10 books for October, including fiction from Walter Mosley and Jesmyn Ward and memoirs from Viet Thanh Nguyen and Safiya Sinclair. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-09-28 10:00:03 UTC ]
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Brooklyn Public Library’s Leigh Hurwitz on Helping Young People Resist Censorship

In anticipation of Banned Books Week, Brooklyn Public Library’s collections manager Leigh Hurwitz joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to discuss how the recent, dramatic rise in book bans disproportionately affects young people, and why BPL has chosen to offer access to its... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-09-28 08:18:01 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #offer access #million ebooks #ebooks


Letting the Unspoken Speak: A Reading List of Historical Trauma in Fiction

My sophomore novel, Evil Eye, follows Yara Murad, a Palestinian American woman who begins to confront the psychological and interpersonal aftermath of her emotionally volatile childhood as her carefully constructed life begins to fall apart. In drafting this novel, which explores post-traumatic... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-09-22 08:35:35 UTC ]
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Mystery, Mayhem, and Trauma: A Reading List for India’s 1947 Partition

Because we never spoke of it, I’ve had to imagine the conversation: Me: “Why have you never told me anything about Partition?” My grandfather: “What is there to know?” My grandfather’s reply would indicate both a lack and a surplus—a surplus of memories and visions of vehicles big and strong,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-09-20 08:24:56 UTC ]
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‘I didn’t think it was possible to be a novelist’: Julian Barnes on literature, loss – and his late friend Martin Amis

The Booker winning author talks about how his most recent work was inspired by Hilary Mantel, and the way the books world has changed since his debut was published more than 40 years agoToo many people have been dying lately,” Julian Barnes reflects over the phone from his home in north London.... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-09-16 08:00:25 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #julian barnes #martin amis #recent work #hilary mantel #books world #north london #key part


Making Formulas Fresh Again: A Reading List of Fantasy Tropes Reimagined

Quests are a true bedrock of fantasy: the hero’s journey, the wandering hero. From Odysseus to Gawain, to Don Quixote to Bilbo Baggins, to Genly Ai to Geralt of Rivia. Generally a male-coded trope, episodic in format. When I began turning the concept of Godkiller over in my head, I knew I wanted... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-09-15 08:30:21 UTC ]
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Here’s the longlist for the 2023 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature.

Today, the National Book Foundation announced the longlist for the 2023 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature. The ten titles were all written by newcomers to the National Book Awards, and were selected from a pool of 348 books submitted for consideration by their publishers. This... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-09-13 14:15:55 UTC ]
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2023 NBA Longlist for Young People's Literature Announced

The National Book Foundation has revealed the 2023 National Book Award longlist for Young People's Literature. The five finalists will be named on October 3, and the winner will be announced during the awards ceremony on November 15 in New York City. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-09-13 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #literature announced #awards ceremony #national book award #national book foundation