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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One woman died and four police officers were injured after an apartment caught fire in Clovis, Calif., early Friday, authorities said. The blaze broke out just before 2 a.m. near the woman’s bedroom, said Clovis’ deputy fire chief John Binafki. See more of our top stories on Facebook >>... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2016-04-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ah, fond memories of Jackie magazine in the Guardian (‘Girls sent us urine samples in Charlie perfume bottles’, G2, 22 March). Jackie was where I (and dozens of other writers) learned the writing trade. I sold my first short story to Jackie in December 1973 and earned £14. Flushed with success,... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2016-03-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A Southern California man who pointed a shotgun at a 7-year-old girl selling Girl Scout cookies has been given six months in jail. See more of our top stories on Facebook >> The Riverside Press-Enterprise says John Dodrill was sentenced Friday. He pleaded guilty to possessing an illegal... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2016-03-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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One man was killed and another was injured in a drive-by shooting early Saturday in South Los Angeles, according to Los Angeles police. See more of our top stories on Facebook >> The two men were near 53rd Street and Denker Avenue when a vehicle approached and someone fired multiple... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2016-03-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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PW's VP for business development Carl Pritzkat recommends Wayne Hoffman's 'An Older Man,' an intelligent and raunchy story of a gay man's descent into middle age. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-03-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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With 13 titles longlisted for the Man Booker International Prize for fiction translated into English, some question the gender balance on the list. The post Questioning Gender Ratio in the Man Booker International Longlist appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-03-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Key figures in the American publishing community are unified in their call for a lift of the US embargo of Cuba as it pertains to books. The post Cuba’s Book Embargo Tackled by Trade With White House Petitions appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-03-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A deep dive into hiring practices across the industry shows that publishers care about diversity, but many haven’t taken effective steps to bring about lasting change. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-03-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The longlist for the Man Booker International Prize 2016 has been revealed, including two Nobel Prize winners, two previous finalists and two debut authors. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-03-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Walking can double as both a physical exercise and a workout for the soul, according to three new titles coming from religion and spirituality publishers in the months to come. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-03-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A canny fiction strategy is paying dividends for Scottish indie Black & White. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-02-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Adblocking and the power of platforms such as Facebook threaten to block the pipes that lead to readersA truth is dawning on media owners (or in many cases it has dawned, but they don’t like to talk about it). Publishing is over. Obviously this isn’t true in its purest sense; publishing is... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2016-02-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Black & White Publishing has acquired a new novel by Irish writer and actress Caroline Grace-Cassidy. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-02-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is donating $15,000 to Water for South Sudan to mark the impact of the million-selling 'A Long Walk to Water.' The post Houghton Honors ‘A Long Walk’ With South Sudan Donation appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-02-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A new book celebrating the best writing of the past century follows a well-worn script when it comes to equalityI’ve been dipping in and out of DJ Taylor’s fat new book, The Prose Factory, a pleasingly gossipy history of literary life in England since 1918, and so far as it goes, it’s very... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2016-02-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Paul Aiken, the former long-time executive director of the Authors Guild, died Friday January 29, one day shy of his 57th birthday. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-02-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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#1000BlackGirlBooks is a project headed by an 11-year-old in Philadelphia who wants to promote diversity in children's books. The post ‘Sick of Reading about White Boys and Dogs,’ 11-Year-Old Launches #1000BlackGirlBooks appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-01-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Survey of workforce at 34 book publishers and eight review journals in US reveals 79% of staff are white and 78% female – with UK numbers still unmonitoredMan Booker winner Marlon James: ‘Writers of colour pander to the white woman’A survey of American publishing has found that it is blindingly... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2016-01-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Meredith Corp. is close to walking away from its attempt to merge with Media General, allowing Nexstar Broadcasting Group to acquire the TV station owner after months of negotiation, according to people familiar with the matter.Meredith, the owner of broadcast stations and magazines like Better... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2016-01-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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More from Trail Guide Jan. 22 Chris Christie heads back to New Jersey as blizzard approaches Jan. 21 Donald Trump and Ted Cruz try to debunk each other's outsider image Jan. 20 Sarah Palin, on the trail with Donald Trump, talks of son's domestic violence arrest Jan. 19 Sarah Palin endorses Donald... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2016-01-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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