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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The latest act for comics publishing legend Bill Jemas sees him running the publishing operation of Take Two interactive, where the most recent project is a graphic novel adaptation of the horror classic 'Night of the Living Dead.' Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-09-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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iHome's iPL23 is compatible with iPhones 5, 6 and 7 (including Plus models), features premium speakers, a Lightning charging dock, FM radio, and alarm clock in one compact device. This handy radio clock charges Lightning-capable iPhone and iPod devices, while letting you wake or sleep to your... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2016-09-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Critics have branded 2016's Man Booker shortlist "determinedly unstarry", as one of the few household names on the longlist, JM Coetzee, was ejected from the running, with all eyes on Graeme Macrae Burnet from "tiny" publisher Contraband. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-09-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Paul Beatty, Deborah Levy, Graeme Macrae Burnet, Ottessa Moshfegh, David Szalay and Madeleine Thien have been shortlisted for this year's Man Booker Prize. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-09-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The much-talked about issue of diversity in the selection process for this year's Man Booker Prize was described as "a slightly academic premise" by the prize's literary director during this morning's press conference, as its judges unveiled a shortlist comprising British, American and Canadian... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-09-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Get a taster of this year's Man Booker Prize shortlist with extracts from each of the six books. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-09-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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While the award aims for ever greater inclusivity, one of the newer rules closes the competition to some of the very best writing in EnglishMan Booker 2016 shortlist announced: UK, Canadian and US authors dominateIn 2013, back when I was working for independent Dublin publisher The Lilliput... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2016-09-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Man Booker Prize shortlist of six titles is out today (September 13). In October, Frankfurt Book Fair will have three events in recognition of the prize's international influence. The post UK’s Man Booker Prize Shortlist of Six Titles Is Announced appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-09-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Six days before the announcement of the winner of the 2016 Man Booker Prize, Frankfurt Book Fair will have three events in recognition of its international influence. The post The Man Booker Prize Gets a Triple Highlight at Frankfurt Book Fair appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-09-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Paul Beatty, Deborah Levy, Graeme Macrae Burnet, Ottessa Moshfegh, David Szalay, and Madeleine Thien have been named to the shortlist for the 2016 Man Booker Prize for Fiction. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-09-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Helen Gradwell lay dead on her floor for four months â with a book deal sitting unopened on her doorstep. Continue reading at Stuff
[ Stuff | 2016-08-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Independent publisher Dead Ink Books is to publish a book of essays written by working class authors in a bid to "challenge preconceptions" following the "messy" EU referendum vote. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-08-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Maybe four years ago, I read that your and my grandchildren will not see elephants in the wild,' Pearson told Monitor contributor Erik Spanberg. 'I kind of got passionate about it and I decided to make it the topic of [my] book.' Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2016-08-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publication of prizewinning author J M Coetzee’s newest title has been brought forward after it was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize last week. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-08-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sunday Times literary editor Andrew Holgate has reignited the debate about the recent eligibility rule changes for the Man Booker Prize, saying that making US authors eligible for the Man Booker - which unlike some critics of the move he had been "excited" about when it was first mooted - has... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-08-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A year after Marlon James and his indie press Oneworld beat publishing giants to win the Man Booker, three independent publishers have made the 2016 longlist. But what effect does the ‘mother of all prizes’ have on tiny teams?Man Booker 2016 longlist – in picturesAlongside heavy hitters such as... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2016-07-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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With the shortlist to be announced September 13, the Man Booker Prize 'Dozen' is marked, judges say, by writing that is 'uniformly fresh, energetic and important.' The post Coetzee and New Faces on the Man Booker Prize Longlist appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-07-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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J M Coetzee, A L Kennedy and Deborah Levy are among the 13 writers in this year's "Man Booker Dozen" competing for the £50,000 Man Booker Prize. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-07-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The newly announced Man Booker longlist has had an enthusiastic reception from booksellers, who say the contest for the prize looks wide open this year. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-07-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The British-based Man Booker Prize, one of the most prestigious awards for literary fiction in the world, announced its longlist Wednesday, with five American authors on the list of 13. It’s only the third year that authors from outside the Commonwealth have been considered for the prize, which... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2016-07-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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