The novelist on his new collection of journalism, why he regrets criticising Sally Rooney and how he’s never shaken off the influence of JG Ballard“I’ll see your eidolon next Tuesday,” writes Will Self, 61, when I email to arrange a video call to discuss his new collection of journalism, Why Read: Selected Writings 2001-2021, which is centred on the concern (as he later told me, or my on-screen spirit-image) that “people are dumbing down their entire response to their own culture by their unfettered use of social media”. Self’s 26 previous books include Umbrella, shortlisted for the Booker prize in 2012, and its sequels Shark and Phone, the latter a single 624-page paragraph which the Telegraph called an “epic anti-tweet”. Speaking from his home in south London, he said he liked the description “because the book was a deliberate attempt to call people’s attention to what was being lost by the digital. I don’t think the Umbrella trilogy is that hard to read at all; it’s only hard to read in contrast to a tweet. By Donald Trump!”How did you pick the pieces in Why Read?Until fairly recently, certainly since 2001, I probably wrote an average of 150,000 words of journalism every year, so there’s a vast amount to choose from. My New York editor said that in the age of the web, collections like this need a theme or else readers feel they’re just getting a grab bag they could’ve sourced themselves. So the emphasis fell on the impact on reading and writing of what I choose to call... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2022-11-26 18:00:32 UTC ]
The year’s best books include the novel “James” by Percival Everett and a memoir by historian Doris Kearns Goodwin. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2024-12-18 16:59:22 UTC ]
More news stories like this
This week's new books include essays on American consumerism, a gothic mystery, the Russian ballet world, and church girls. What are you most looking forward to? Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2024-11-26 13:30:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
This week's new books include an excellent graphic memoir, a fiercely honest memoir, and more. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2024-09-17 15:30:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
These new books include a fantastical dark academia set on a secret campus, the memoir of an Indigenous climate activist, a drag queen romance, and more. Which ones are you adding to your TBR? Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2024-09-17 12:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Fall's most anticipated books include novels from Rachel Kushner, Sally Rooney, Danzy Senna, Michael Connelly and Richard Price. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2024-09-03 10:00:18 UTC ]
More news stories like this
For June 2024, the Monitor’s best books include stirring mysteries and moving family tales, including novels based on famous lives. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2024-06-18 19:40:14 UTC ]
More news stories like this
“Through Multiculturalism We Become Better Humans”: A Conversation with Vonani Bila, by Ming Di Interviews [email protected] Thu, 06/13/2024 - 15:21 Vonani Bila with his mother and his son. Courtesy of Mark Waller, 2010.Vonani Bila (b. 1972) grew... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2024-06-13 20:21:36 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Winning books include Night Watch and King: A Life, while journalism winners focused on coverage of the Israel-Gaza warThis year’s Pulitzer winners include the New York Times and ProPublica as well as authors including Jayne Anne Phillips and Jonathan Eig.The Pulitzers honored the best in... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2024-05-06 21:10:55 UTC ]
More news stories like this
March's new mystery and thriller books include a magician turned amateur sleuth, a meddling family comedy of errors, a threatening title, and more. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2024-03-01 12:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The Irish novelist and playwright on the positives of ageing, his struggles with depression and a golden age of Irish writingSebastian Barry, 68, is the author of 11 novels and 15 plays. Five of his books have been long- or shortlisted for the Booker prize, and his novels have won numerous... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2024-02-10 18:00:48 UTC ]
More news stories like this
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University) Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) was an important twentieth-century writer whose work often explored some of the ‘biggest’ and most important ideas of his day. The following pick of his best books include a work documenting his experiences of drug-taking,... Continue reading at Interesting Literature
[ Interesting Literature | 2023-12-04 15:00:30 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Barnes & Noble has released the finalists for their Best Books of the Year. The 12 books include a mix of genres and age categories. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-11-10 20:12:21 UTC ]
More news stories like this
My father, Michael Leapman, who has died aged 85, was a Fleet Street journalist whose 60-year career spanned war reporting, editing the diary column of the Times and writing about his Brixton allotment. His 18 books include biographies of Rupert Murdoch (Barefaced Cheek, 1983) and Neil Kinnock... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-10-20 11:34:51 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Jane Friedman claims she had to fight against Amazon’s refusal to remove the misattributed titles because she had not trademarked her nameFive books for sale on Amazon were removed after author Jane Friedman complained that the titles were falsely listed as being written by her. The books, which... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-08-09 14:28:36 UTC ]
More news stories like this
August's new nonfiction books include a memoir exploring the model minority myth, a historical look at Middle Eastern horsewomen, and more, including Mexikid by Pedro Martín. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-07-31 10:34:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The prize-winning poet and novelist on writing and book binding, his wariness of new technology and why literature is the ultimate immersive experienceJO Morgan has published book-length poems on subjects as diverse as the 10th-century battle of Maldon and a future Martian returning to his... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-07-22 17:00:17 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Mona Awad and Paul Tremblay allege that their books, which are copyrighted, were ‘used to train’ ChatGPT because the chatbot generated ‘very accurate summaries’ of the worksTwo authors have filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, the company behind the artificial intelligence tool ChatGPT, claiming that... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-07-05 14:33:31 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Take a look at previous What We’re Reading blogs for more reading inspiration. Hungry Ghosts, by Kevin Jared HoseinI'm thoroughly enjoying Hungry Ghosts, the debut novel by Kevin Jared Hosein, who won the Commonwealth Short Story Prize in 2018, and whom I had the pleasure of hearing read at the... Continue reading at British Council global
[ British Council global | 2023-06-01 06:19:41 UTC ]
More news stories like this
World Literature Today Announces 2023 Student Translation Prize Winners News and Events [email protected] Tue, 05/30/2023 - 09:42 Katie Kassam and Vala Thorodds, winners of the 2023 Student Translation PrizesWorld Literature Today, the University... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2023-05-30 14:42:03 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Take a look at previous What We’re Reading blogs for more reading inspiration. Hungry Ghosts, by Kevin Jared HoseinI'm thoroughly enjoying Hungry Ghosts, the debut novel by Kevin Jared Hosein, who won the Commonwealth Short Story Prize in 2018, and whom I had the pleasure of hearing read at the... Continue reading at British Council global
[ British Council global | 2023-05-25 16:57:18 UTC ]
More news stories like this