In an interview in 2000, Zadie Smith told the Guardian about the pressure she felt after the astonishing success of her debut novel, White Teeth. “I was expected to be some expert on multicultural affairs, as if multiculturalism is a genre of fiction or something,” she said. “Whereas it’s just a fact of life—like there are people of different races on the planet.” Whether it’s indeed a fact of life or, we now fear, a feature of American life that is at risk of erasure, multiculturalism in all its complexity is at the center of Smith’s books. From White Teeth to NW, which was published in 2012, Smith’s characters inhabit mixed urban communities, often in London. Her latest novel, Swing Time, is out this week; set in England and West Africa, the story concerns the friendship of two young girls who meet in a dance class (“our shade of brown was exactly the same”) and traces the paths of their lives over a quarter-century. Continue reading at 'Slate'
[ Slate | 2016-11-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A graphic novelist who once had a fledgling Hollywood career was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison for the brutal torture killing of his fiancee — a murder prosecutors say took cues from a gory book he worked on years earlier. Blake Leibel, 37, was convicted last week of the 2016 slaying of... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-06-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Charlotte Eyre talks to Geraldine McCaughrean, who this week picked up the Carnegie Medal for a second time, and illustrator Sydney Smith, who claimed the Kate Greenaway. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-06-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Novelist responds to the reaction against her comments on diversity in publishing, accusing her critics of ‘malicious misinterpretation’Lionel Shriver has responded to the vituperative row that followed her recent comments about Penguin Random House’s diversity scheme, saying that it was not... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2018-06-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In a statement this week, ALA president Jim Neal said there was "no legitimate policy or moral basis" for the Trump administration's "unconscionable" policy of separating families at the border. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-06-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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About 2,000 children’s and YA book authors and their supporters have signed onto a campaign to oppose President Trump's controversial family separation immigration policy under the name "Kid Lit Says No Kids in Cages." The campaign made its appearance Monday on Twitter with a statement signed by... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-06-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Geraldine McCaughrean and Sydney Smith have won the 2018 CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals respectively, with Amnesty honours going to Angie Thomas and Levi Thomas. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-06-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In some ways, it has never been easier to become an author – but in others, it has never been harder. While self-publishing, blogging and crowdfunding have opened up opportunities, there are also unprecedented financial pressures that determine who can and can’t afford to write, with books... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2018-06-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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With Book Marks, the 'Literary Hub' vertical and newly-circulated book reviewing widget, Morgan Entrekin, Andy Hunter, and company make a push to restore the vitality of book critics. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-06-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The president’s son wants to make literature great again. But considering his legal troubles, I would not be surprised to find that his tome throws his dad under the busDonald Trump Jr, the one who looks like a semi-sentient sneer, wants to make literature great again. The president’s eldest... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2018-06-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sales in W H Smith's travel business rose by 8% in the last quarter, although High Street revenue dipped marginally. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-06-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Orion has acquired the story of a 10-year relationship told in 24 hours, Our Life in a Day. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-06-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bloomberg published an eyebrow-raising report Thursday night about a draft proposal being prepared by the Trump administration that would subsidize the coal industry in part by invoking a Cold War-era law intended for use in national security emergencies: Continue reading at Slate
[ Slate | 2018-06-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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#trump administration
When Jonathan Lethem (the author of 'Motherless Brooklyn' and many other books), who works at his craft every day, is so upset he doesn’t want to write, something is very, very wrong. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-06-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors have waded in to defend W H Smith after the retailer was named the worst shop on the UK high street. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-05-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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W H Smith has been offering customers money back if they find a cheaper copy of one of their books at a local rival bookshop. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-05-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Journalist and human rights campaigner Joan Smith is publishing a book exploring the link between domestic violence and acts of terrorism with Quercus imprint riverrun. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-05-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hachette UK’s sales are up 1.4% in the first quarter of 2018, spurred on by Michael Wolff's January bestseller Fire and Fury (Little, Brown Book Group). Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-05-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Pop music writer Randy Lewis and pop music critic Robert Hilburn worked together at The Times for a quarter-century before Hilburn retired in 2006. They sat down recently to talk about Hilburn’s latest book, “Paul Simon — The Life,” to be published by Simon & Schuster on Tuesday, just ahead... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-05-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Trump administration says it will strip legal protections for 86,000 Hondurans who live in the U.S., the latest group of longtime undocumented residents who now face the prospect of deportation back to their troubled home countries. Kirstjen Nielsen, the Homeland Security secretary, on Friday... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-05-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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