Zadie Smith on Male Critics, Appropriation, and What Interests Her Novelistically About Trump

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 ]
News tagged with: #american life #white teeth #swing time #west africa #young girls

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Sarah Silverman and novelists sue ChatGPT-maker OpenAI for ingesting their books

Ask ChatGPT about comedian Sarah Silverman’s memoir “The Bedwetter” and the artificial intelligence chatbot can come up with a detailed synopsis of every part of the book Continue reading at ABC News

[ ABC News | 2023-07-12 22:32:35 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #sarah silverman #detailed synopsis #memoir #novelists


Sarah Silverman and novelists sue ChatGPT-maker OpenAI for ingesting their books

Ask ChatGPT about comedian Sarah Silverman’s memoir “The Bedwetter” and the artificial intelligence chatbot can come up with a detailed synopsis of every part of the book Continue reading at ABC News

[ ABC News | 2023-07-12 22:32:31 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #sarah silverman #detailed synopsis #memoir #novelists


RIP to one of the great horny novelists of the 20th century, Milan Kundera.

I was surprised to read this morning that Milan Kundera, the eminent Czech novelist best known for The Unbearable Lightness of Being, died yesterday at the age of 94. Mainly because I thought he was already dead. For a generation of literary types (Gen X in particular), Kundera was the cool,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-07-12 15:34:43 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #milan kundera #20th century #unbearable lightness #died yesterday #novelists


Milan Kundera, Acclaimed Czech Novelist, Dies at 94

The Czech-born writer, who spent his most creatively productive years in exile in France, was known for his light, philosophical touch and acerbic views of men and women, most notably depicted in 'The Unbearable Lightness of Being.' Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-07-12 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Trump Lawyers Argue Copyright Suit Against Woodward, S&S Should Proceed

The former president's lawyers contend that he was speaking in his personal capacity, not as president of the United States, when he gave a series or recorded interviews later used in the 2022 audiobook 'The Trump Tapes.' Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-07-03 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Female novelists don’t need their own prizes. Let’s abolish them | Martha Gill

Barbara Kingsolver and others are no longer oppressed – they dominate book salesThere is a point at which all special treatment becomes patronising. And we have reached that point, I think, when it comes to giving women a leg-up in the business of writing fiction.Genghis Khan sacked and... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-06-18 06:31:35 UTC ]
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With ‘And Then He Sang a Lullaby,’ a Young Nigerian Novelist Commits to ‘Queer Resistance’

With a first novel that chronicles a love affair between two young men, 23-year-old Ani Kayode Somtochukwu asserts a commitment to “queer resistance.” Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-06-05 16:02:45 UTC ]
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U.S. Book Show 2023: Tillie Walden and Jeff Smith on Putting Characters in Peril

Two Eisner Award winners—Tillie Walden and Jeff Smith—spoke with Comicsbeat.com editor-in-chief Heidi MacDonald at the U.S. Book Show on May 22 about their forthcoming work: Walden’s 'Clementine (Vol. 2)' and Smith’s companion to his long-running BONE comic book series, 'More Tall Tales.' Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-05-26 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The 'Donut Dollies' of WWII: Novelist pays tribute his mother and other unsung heroes

Author Luis Alberto Urrea joins the L.A. Times Book club July 19 to discuss his new novel, "Good Night, Irene." Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-05-24 14:00:39 UTC ]
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Woodward, S&S File New Motions to Dismiss Trump Lawsuit

As expected, lawyers for Simon & Schuster and bestselling author Bob Woodward have filed two new motions to dismiss an amended $50 million lawsuit filed by former president Donald Trump alleging that Woodward and S&S breached Trump’s copyright interests by publishing 'The Trump Tapes:... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-05-23 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Martin Amis, acclaimed British novelist and London scenester of '80s and '90s, dies at 73

Martin Amis, best known for a scathing, dazzling trilogy of novels on money-saturated '80s London and the memoir "Experience," died Friday at 73. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-05-20 20:05:38 UTC ]
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Martin Amis, era-defining British novelist, dies aged 73

The celebrated author of Money and London Fields, whose works defined the 80s and 90s literary scene, died of oesophageal cancer on Friday at his home in FloridaMartin Amis, the influential author of era-defining novels including Money and London Fields, and the memoir Experience, has died at... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-05-20 18:53:35 UTC ]
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What happened to all the war vet novelists? They've moved on, and so have we

Kevin Powers was among the best in a wave of novelists on Iraq and Afghanistan. His new thriller, "A Line in the Sand," signals their slow fade from relevance. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-05-12 13:00:10 UTC ]
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U.S. Book Show 2023: Jeff Smith

Jeff Smith will be in conversation with fellow graphic novelist Tillie Walden and 'The Beat' editor-in-chief Heidi MacDonald on Tuesday, May 23, 4:30–5 p.m. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-05-12 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Tracing the Evolution of Celebrity Memoirs, from Charles Lindbergh to Will Smith

Today, celebrities tell their stories in memoirs as a duty forced on them by their agents and their fans. They can publish them to supplement a thriving career or to give a declining career a boost with the allure of finally-let-it-all-hang-out details. Sometimes a memoir launches a career all... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-05-09 08:53:59 UTC ]
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Woodward, S&S Will Move to Dismiss Amended Lawsuit Over 'Trump Tapes' Audiobook

While a new briefing schedule has yet to be set, lawyers for Woodward and S&S insist that the Trump interviews as issue were given in his capacity as president, thus barring Trump from owning a copyright interest in them. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-05-03 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Traffic review: Ben Smith on Bannon, BuzzFeed and where it all went wrong

Now a co-founder of Semafor, formerly of Politico, BuzzFeed and the New York Times, the author expertly pulls readers inBen Smith is a willing passenger on the rollercoaster also known as the internet. He reported for Politico, was founding editor-in-chief at BuzzFeed News and did a stint as a... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-04-29 06:00:28 UTC ]
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Novelist Celeste Ng: ‘There was a period when I thought I’d never write again’

The award-winning author on how Trump, Covid and anti-Asian rhetoric inspired her latest novel, digging her way out of ‘post-book fatigue’, and learning to touch type using UlyssesCeleste Ng, 42, is the award-winning author of three novels, including Little Fires Everywhere, which was made into... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-04-22 17:00:15 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #reese witherspoon #missing hearts #dark times #anti-asian violence #book tour #award-winning author


Why so much hype? Being on Granta’s best young novelists list has its drawbacks | Sarah Hall

In 2013, I was one of the chosen 20. Today, I still question the accolades and gimmickry around making the gradeIn 2013, the fourth Granta Best of Young British Novelists (BYBN) list was published, and I was among the 20 writers selected. I was 39 and had published four novels and received... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-04-16 10:00:08 UTC ]
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Granta 163: Best of Young British Novelists 5 review – more solipsism than state of the nation

The latest celebration of emerging literary talent brings thrills, charm and emotional punch to the page. But this new generation have taken an inward turn compared with the more worldly themes of bygone yearsEvery decade since 1983, an editor of the literary quarterly Granta has tasked a panel... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-04-16 06:00:03 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #eleanor catton #derek owusu #sigrid rausing #literary fiction #novelists