The Literature world lost the great writer Russell Hoban
27 Dec 2011 04:48:50
Legendary cult author Russell Hoban, whose apocalyptic novel Riddley Walker was described by Anthony Burgess as "what literature is meant to be", died last night aged 86, his publisher has announced.
Hoban, born in Pennsylvania but a resident of London for more than 30 years, first made a name for himself with his children's books; his series about Frances the badger and his novel The Mouse and His Child are acclaimed as modern classics.
Riddley Walker, set in Kent 2,000 years after a nuclear ... Read Full Story
John Kinsella have a new work
27 Dec 2011 04:46:56
"Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world," wrote Shelley in 1821. Now poet John Kinsella, who withdrew from the TS Eliot prize last week over its sponsorship by an investment firm, has laid out his own poetic manifesto, explaining why he believes that a poem "is an active, not a contemplative, entity" which "should channel disobedience".
Describing himself as an anarchist and a pacifist (and a vegan), Kinsella describes in the New Statesman how he practises "'linguistic disobedien... Read Full Story
Does a novel in a cartoon interesting?
25 Dec 2011 03:10:16
Wimpy Kid, Inc., the copyright holders of the hugely popular "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" book series, has filed a trademark-infringement lawsuit against comic-book publisher Antarctic Press, claiming that Antarctic has violated Wimpy Kid's intellectual property with its book "Diary of a Zombie Kid."
According to the suit, "Zombie Kid" -- published by San Antonio-based Antarctic in August 2011 -- is "substantially similar" to the "Wimpy Kid" book line, and "obviously intended to confuse the public int... Read Full Story
5 Christmas movies -must see
25 Dec 2011 02:45:47
Only Duralde — a film critic for The Wrap and (full disclosure) my co-host on the YouTube review show "What the Flick?!" — did it with a twist. He chose five movies that may not initially seem like Christmas movies yet have that Christmasy vibe. After all, anyone can pop "It's a Wonderful Life" or "Elf" into the DVD player on Dec. 25, but we've got the expert, in his own words:
— "Eyes Wide Shut" (1999): You may remember the notorious orgy sequence — or the scenes of then-married couple Tom Crui... Read Full Story
Benjamin Buchholz One hundred and one nights
25 Dec 2011 01:42:54
The tragedy and its aftermath -- wailing women, townspeople up in arms, the girl's body on the road covered with a blanket -- haunted him, eventually becoming the seed of a novel that helped him fulfill an old dream of becoming a writer.
"The image of that girl on the roadway stuck with me for a long time and fused with some other things that happened," Buchholz said in a telephone interview from his home in New Jersey, where he is now studying for a graduate degree.
"This book is definitely not... Read Full Story
The winner of the Pulitzer Prize for "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay," become Michael Chabon
24 Dec 2011 02:46:09
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay," Chabon has been a published author since 1988, long enough to land on both sides of the legal and financial digital divide.
Chabon controls e-rights to such early works as "Wonder Boys" and his acclaimed debut novel "The Mysteries of Pittsburgh" because they came out well before the electronic era and digital editions were not mentioned in his contracts. For those books, Chabon signed with Open Road Integrated Media, a... Read Full Story
It is a huge loss in Venezuela - Eva Ekvall died
24 Dec 2011 02:44:40
Former Miss Venezuela Eva Ekvall, who appeared bald and without makeup in a recent book about her struggle against breast cancer, died in Houston on Saturday after losing her battle with the disease, according to Venezuelan TV news network Globovision. She was 28.
The former beauty queen had worked to promote cancer awareness since being diagnosed in 2010.
The hospital in Houston where she reportedly passed away, and the funeral home there where her body was taken declined to comment on news of... Read Full Story
Real facts and real questions about Bill Clinton's book
24 Dec 2011 02:40:40
Why has Bill Clinton finally agreed to be interviewed by Bill O'Reilly on "The O'Reilly Factor"? Perhaps it's a last-minute push for his recent book, "Back to Work," as a Christmas gift?
Whatever the reason, Clinton's first appearance on O'Reilly's Fox News show should make for lively conversation, as O'Reilly has long called Clinton and former George W. Bush vice president Dick Cheney the top two guys on his guest wish list.
Among the talking points likely to be covered in the chat between the ... Read Full Story
Maya Angelou to Alice Sebold to be handed out across US on 23 April
19 Dec 2011 20:37:05
Tens of thousands of copies of classic titles by authors including Maya Angelou, Dave Eggers, Alice Sebold and John Irving are set to be given away across America next April as part of the US's first celebration of World Book Night.
Inaugurated in the UK in April this year, 2012 will see America joining in the 1m-book giveaway on 23 April. American organisers have now announced the line-up of 30 titles, which 50,000 US volunteers will be handing out on the day, ranging from post-apocalyptic nig... Read Full Story
"Free Ride" -real for real
19 Dec 2011 20:34:39
In "Free Ride," Levine examines how technology companies and other "digital parasites" are threatening the livelihood of those culture industries, particularly institutions like Warner Bros. and the New York Times, by offering content that they didn't make.
Far from hating the Internet, Levine recognizes the failure of Hollywood studios and publishing houses to adapt to the irreversible rise of the digital world.
However, he believes that the quality of our culture comes at a price -- a price th... Read Full Story
MWF Seeking BFF written by Rachel Bertsche
19 Dec 2011 20:32:54
MWF Seeking BFF: My Yearlong Search for a New Best Friend" chronicles Bertsche's quest. If reading about several dozen meet-ups sounds like a drag, it can be at times. But more often than not, Bertsche's skill as a writer and the myriad ways she finds potential dates keep things interesting. She asks current friends to set her up, approaches prospects at her yoga class and neighborhood restaurant, signs up for a speed-friending event, consults a friend matchmaker and, demonstrating she's willing... Read Full Story
Look Into My Eyes by Lauren Child
19 Dec 2011 04:31:32
The brilliance of Lauren Child is the result of a unique chemical reaction between a glorious sense of style and a smartly original take on real life. The mass audience her books have attracted shows that off-beat humour is in no way incompatible with universal appeal.
Ruby Redfort: Look into my Eyes is a great, if obvious, idea. Take a sassy, super-clever, code-cracking character from the Clarice Bean books and put her in her own full-length novel. Play up the bright and shiny retro-stylish Ame... Read Full Story
