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 ]
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Resurfacing many lesser-known Man Booker Prize for Fiction winners of the past, the Booker Foundation opens a crowdsourced competition to select the best of the best of 50 years. The post Readers to Choose ‘Golden Man Booker Prize’: 50 Years of Winners appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-02-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Booker Prize Foundation has revealed a new prize to mark its 50th anniversary which will put previous winners across five decades into contention for a one-off award. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-02-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Books about classic Hollywood tend to fall, broadly, into two categories: gossipy memoirs and moderately trashy biographies. Continue reading at Stuff
[ Stuff | 2018-02-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Some 10 publishers in Russia have licenses to produce Marvel-branded content, but the comics publisher Kofilmo is counting on the size of Eksmo-AST to help it vanquish all foes. The post Marvel’s Spider-Man Widens His Web in Russia: Eksmo-AST Buys Into Comics appeared first on Publishing... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-02-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Some publishing players in the UK are protesting the Man Booker Prize for Fiction's eligibility rules, saying that the Booker should reimpose a 'ban on American writers.' The post Man Booker Prize Pressured to Rescind Its Internationalist Stance appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-02-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers have signed a letter urging the Man Booker Prize organisers to reverse their decision to allow US authors to enter, citing concerns it is creating a "homogenised literary future". Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-02-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A letter from 30 industry figures is urging the award to reverse 2014’s inclusion of US authors, in order to avoid a ‘homogenised literary future’Tensions over the decision to allow US authors to enter the Man Booker prize have flared up yet again, with 30 publishers signing a letter urging the... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2018-02-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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During his Winter Institute 13 keynote address, author Junot Diaz delivered a blistering political statement urging the publishing industry to "stop talking about diversity and start decolonizing our shelves." Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-01-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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With an aim of 'breaking down silos and embracing new ways of communicating with our target readers,' The Quarto Group consolidates three imprints into one master entity headed by Richard Green. The post White Lion Publishing: Quarto Announces Reorganization of Its UK-Based Trade Imprints... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-01-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The widening of the Man Booker Prize criteria to allow Irish publishers to submit novels could lead to a "boom" in the publishing scene in Ireland, trade figures have suggested. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-01-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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White middle class men should not be afraid to talk about and challenge publishing's lack of diversity, Unbound c.e.o. Dan Kieran has said. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-01-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Irish publishers are now eligible to submit novels for the Man Booker Prize for Fiction from this year onwards. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-01-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Until now, Irish authors without a UK publisher had been excluded from the coveted prize for literary fictionAn anomaly in the Man Booker prize rules that made books published in Ireland ineligible for the £50,000 award because they were not published in the UK has been removed, after years of... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2018-01-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The intent of the eligibility change, according to the Booker Prize Foundation, is to be sure that Irish independent publishers can be recognized as readily as Irish publishers headquartered in the UK. The post Man Booker Prize for Fiction Adds New Eligibility for Irish Publishers appeared first... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-01-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Until now, only Irish publishers who have headquarters in the UK were eligible to submit novels. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2018-01-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The 28-year-old university graduate stood in front of a bookstore window in central Tehran, pretending to browse the titles on the shelves. He really was looking out for Iranian security forces sent to quash anti-government protesters. Kambiz, who gave only his first name, earned a physics degree... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-01-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The panel of judges for the 2018 Man Booker Prize will include crime writer Val McDermid and feminist writer and critic Jacqueline Rose. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-12-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ahead of special events for the Man Booker Prize for Fiction's half-century anniversary, the foundation releases a desk diary with covers of winning titles. The post The UK’s Man Booker Prize for Fiction Observes Its 50th Anniversary in 2018 appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-12-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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As The New Yorker fires its star political reporter over misconduct, AMI gives Dylan Howard a pass. The post A Tale of Two Publishers: AMI Stands By Its Man appeared first on Folio:. Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2017-12-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Two years ago, we called publishers to account for the glaring lack of diversity in the industry. Pledges were made and initiatives set up. Have things improved?Find out about the new projects to encourage inclusivity in the book businessIn December 2015, British publishing stood accused of... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2017-12-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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