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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Javier Zamora talks about "Solito," his harrowing memoir about journeying from El Salvador to the U.S. as an unaccompanied 9-year-old. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-09-15 14:00:30 UTC ]
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A refreshingly intimate account of Enninful’s rise from refugee status to editor-in-chiefEdward Enninful’s memoir gives the impression of someone in perpetual motion. He has, after all, made the journey from refugee to the hallowed offices of Condé Nast, becoming the editor-in-chief who brought... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2022-09-15 10:00:43 UTC ]
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The Whiting Foundation's 2023 Literary Magazine Awards will feature a new grant schedule, eligibility requirements, and total number of prizes. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-09-13 04:00:00 UTC ]
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It was announced yesterday that Josh Hawley, the senator from Missouri who will always be remembered for fleeing the very crowd he’d recently egged on with a fist, has written a book called Manhood.* The book, to be published by Regnery, purports to call on “American men to stand up and embrace... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-09-09 14:22:03 UTC ]
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In detailing ouster from the Southern District of New York, Geoffrey Berman says former Attorney General William Barr ‘was desperate,’ cites Barr's interference in other investigations Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2022-09-09 13:55:14 UTC ]
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News Corp columnist framed himself as among a minority of white men who could no longer voice their opinionFollow our Australia news live blog for the latest updatesGet our free news app, morning email briefing or daily news podcastAustralia’s press watchdog has received multiple complaints... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2022-09-05 09:03:51 UTC ]
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A New Jersey man named Bob Jablonski has finally returned Hitler to the local library. No, this is not The Onion. Bob Jablonski checked out the 1936 biography of Adolph Hitler in 1947, for a school book report, and presumably kept it all these years just to make sure the Allies had truly won... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-09-02 14:55:57 UTC ]
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In her gentrifying D.C. neighborhood, Helena Andrews-Dyer confronts issues of race and belonging — and, as a new mom, finds a place to vent. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2022-09-02 10:00:29 UTC ]
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We talk with Jill and Adlai Yeomans, owners of White Whale Bookstore in Pittsburgh, Pa., which focuses on literary fiction. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-08-26 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Historian Elisabeth Griffith includes divisions alongside victories in this rich, intersectional account of the struggle for equality. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2022-08-12 10:00:50 UTC ]
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Ingrid Rojas Contreras tells the story of her grandfather Rafael Contreras Alfonso, a Colombian healer with otherworldly gifts. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2022-08-11 14:57:38 UTC ]
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Dana Milbank identifies Gingrich as the culprit who began steering the GOP away from Reagan and toward Trump. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2022-08-05 10:00:11 UTC ]
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Book review of "The Last White Man," by Mohsin Hamid, which imagines a town in which everyone becomes dark-skinned. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2022-08-02 14:00:00 UTC ]
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Gentrification takes center stage in Cleyvis Natera’s debut novel Neruda on the Park, which follows the different reactions the members of the Guerrero family have to the impending redevelopment of their predominantly Dominican New York City neighborhood.When a neighboring tenement is demolished... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2022-07-28 11:00:00 UTC ]
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Woods was the author of more than 90 novels, many featuring the character of lawyer-investigator Stone Barrington. Continue reading at The Huffington Post
[ The Huffington Post | 2022-07-28 06:47:19 UTC ]
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Gail See, a Minneapolis-area bookseller for many years and a leader in Minnesota's literary community, who served as president of the ABA board from 1984-1986, has died at age 94. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-07-19 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The winners of the 2022 Whiting Literary Magazine Prize celebrating "excellence in publishing and advocacy for writers" have been announced. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2022-07-14 21:40:54 UTC ]
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We are thrilled to announce that Electric Literature has won the prestigious Whiting Literary Magazine Prize! This highly competitive award recognizes excellence in digital and print magazines, and supports winners with an outright grant in the first year, followed by two years of a matching... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2022-07-14 13:15:00 UTC ]
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Today, the Whiting Foundation announced the winners of its 2022 Literary Magazine Prizes, which honor “the most innovative and essential publications at the forefront of American literary culture.” The five winners were chosen—from an initial pool of more than eighty applicants —based on their... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-07-14 13:01:36 UTC ]
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The winners of the fifth annual Whiting Literary Magazine Prizes have been announced, with five publications, including 'Electric Literature' and 'Zyzzyva,' taking home a combined total of $144,000 in funding. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-07-14 04:00:00 UTC ]
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