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 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 ]
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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 ]
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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 ]
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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 ]
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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 ]
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In fact, I don't just not mind when books include pop culture references. I often enjoy them. So why do so many readers hate them? Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2022-12-29 11:37:00 UTC ]
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This season’s music books include a collection of interviews with Nick Cave, a memoir by Sporty Spice and Greil Marcus’s latest meditation on Bob Dylan. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2022-12-02 14:45:06 UTC ]
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Bethanne Patrick's December standout books include a Gen X caper, a wild adventure tale and surprising new novels from Jane Smiley and Cormac McCarthy. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-12-01 18:52:48 UTC ]
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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... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2022-11-26 18:00:32 UTC ]
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This month's new books include the Dalai Lama’s eighth installment to the Library of Wisdom and Compassion series, a guide to prayer despite difficult times, and a devotional embracing ‘Every New Day.’ Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-11-21 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Bestselling writer Lewis has been shadowing Bankman-Fried as the cryptocurrency founder’s company, FTX, failed Bestselling author Michael Lewis, whose books include The Big Short and Flash Boys, is writing about the former boss of the failed cryptocurrency exchange for his next book.FTX, which... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2022-11-14 11:44:35 UTC ]
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The former children’s laureate shares her sometimes enraging story of rejection, determination and resilienceAt the beginning of Malorie Blackman’s engrossing and often shocking memoir, the former children’s laureate asks: “Why am I an author?” What she goes on to tell us certainly shows how she... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2022-10-19 06:30:17 UTC ]
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ITV’s political editor on coping with obsessive-compulsive disorder, belatedly publishing his first novel, and why he longs for a lost EnglandITV’s political editor Robert Peston, 62, began his career as a print journalist and has broken a string of stories, including the Northern Rock bailout... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2022-07-02 17:00:50 UTC ]
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These Jewish fantasy books include not just Jewish characters, but Jewish themes, Kabbalistic elements, and reference to Jewish folktales. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2022-03-08 11:34:00 UTC ]
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The marketing and publicity team behind Maggie O'Farrell's Hamnet (Tinder Press) have unfurled a living billboard in south London, as part of their summer reading campaign. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-08-17 10:34:54 UTC ]
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Six shortlisted books include four debuts in this year's Goldsboro Books program, with a winner coming in late September. The post Goldsboro Books’ ‘Glass Bell Award’ Announces Its 2021 Shortlist appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-08-05 14:50:09 UTC ]
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Waterstones Children's Laureate Cresside Cowell and the Duchess of Cornwall have visited a school in Wandsworth, south London, to open a "life-changing" library. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-06-21 16:23:10 UTC ]
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These pick-a-path picture books include Choose Your Own Adventure titles, storybooks with multiple endings, and collaborative storytelling. Start with Where the Bugaboo Lives by Sean Taylor, illustrated by Neal Layton! Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-04-09 10:33:00 UTC ]
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This excellent cradle-to-grave biography of a much loved novelist who goes in and out of fashion captures her alarming habits and tormented love affairsIn 1971 the author Barbara Pym was at her day job at the International African Institute when she noticed “Mr C” laboriously attacking his... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2021-04-08 06:30:07 UTC ]
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