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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Bobby Byrd, poet, cofounder and publisher of Cinco Puntos Press in El Paso, Tex., has died. He was 80. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-07-12 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The 75-year-old writer has penned more than 300 titles, sold more than 500m copies and is worth an estimated $800mThe bestselling author James Patterson has apologized for saying white male authors face “another form of racism”.In an interview with the Sunday Times, Patterson said white male... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2022-06-15 18:35:13 UTC ]
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“I absolutely do not believe that racism is practiced against white writers," the bestselling author said. Continue reading at HuffPost
[ HuffPost | 2022-06-15 06:32:10 UTC ]
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“It’s even harder for older writers," Patterson, whose net worth is estimated to be $800 million, told the Sunday Times. "You don’t meet many 52-year-old white males.” Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2022-06-14 14:28:52 UTC ]
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Bestselling author James Patterson is concerned for white male writers, whom he thinks are having difficulty finding work in the entertainment industry. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-06-13 23:49:20 UTC ]
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The author, who is white, told British newspaper The Times that job difficulties were "another form of racism." Continue reading at The Huffington Post
[ The Huffington Post | 2022-06-13 08:03:37 UTC ]
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Elizabeth Whiting has been promoted to v-p of trade sales at Scholastic Trade Publishing, effective June 1, succeeding Alan Smagler, who will transition to a consulting role. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-05-24 04:00:00 UTC ]
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John W. Bubbles was the father of rhythm tap, but the dancer is little known. A new biography explores his life and contribution to the arts. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2022-05-22 12:00:00 UTC ]
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The son-in-law and former adviser to President Donald Trump will be the first Trump family member to publish a book about his time in the administration. Continue reading at HuffPost
[ HuffPost | 2022-05-02 19:05:29 UTC ]
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This year, 'The White House: An Historic Guide,' coedited by first lady Jacqueline Kennedy, celebrates its 60th year in print and, with it, the WHHA’s 60th year in publishing. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-04-29 04:00:00 UTC ]
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This month’s picks: ‘Mecca,' by Susan Straight, ‘Funny Farm,’ by Laurie Zaleski and SJ Bennett’s ‘All the Queen’s Men’ Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2022-04-25 11:00:29 UTC ]
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A Christian publishing house pulled a book after an online backlash questioned why a white academic was discussing Black feminism. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-04-19 22:03:35 UTC ]
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Bill Browder recounts his high-stakes and sometimes absurd legal battles with the Kremlin. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2022-04-15 12:00:06 UTC ]
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Greg Ginn started a record label that brought the world Sonic Youth, Hüsker Dü, the Minutemen and more. A photo book and a deep history tell his tale. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-04-12 13:00:50 UTC ]
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The 10 winners of the 37th Whiting Awards, each of which comes with a $50,000 prize, were announced on April 6 in a ceremony at the New-York Historical Society. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-04-06 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Ayanna Lloyd Banwo’s debut novel When We Were Birds begins in the time before time and follows the uneasy truce between the living and the dead. Cigarettes are offered, liquor is poured, prayers are said, all in the hope that the buried stay buried. This is the story of Yejide, a young woman who... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2022-04-01 11:00:00 UTC ]
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Ex-president blocked Shealah Craighead plan and then made up to $20m from publishing images in own memoir, New York Times saysDonald Trump blocked plans by his chief White House photographer to publish a book of pictures of his time in power – then published a book of such images himself, the... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2022-03-31 22:37:41 UTC ]
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A. J. Baime recounts the extraordinary life of the NAACP's Walter White who wrote late in life: “I am a Negro. My skin is white, my eyes are blue, my hair is blond. The traits of my race are nowhere visible upon me.” Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2022-03-26 14:14:55 UTC ]
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Why did Penguin decide to reissue a memoir and a novel by Harry Crews, a dead white Southern writer? His influence — and his truths — run deep. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-03-15 13:00:07 UTC ]
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Stewart O'Nan's “Ocean State” opens with a shocking line, but the novel feels allergic to its own suspense. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2022-03-01 15:35:08 UTC ]
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