literature

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Writer Grace Paley Dies at 84
Writer Grace Paley Dies at 84
Aug 23, 2007 6:07 PM CDT

Writer Grace Paley Dies at 84

'Neurotically Anti-Authoritarian' Activist and Author Gave Voice to Women of Native Bronx

(Newser) - Acclaimed writer and activist Grace Paley, who in only three collections of short stories gave earthy voice to the interior life of the Bronx Everywoman, died yesterday at age 84 in her Vermont home, the Los Angeles Times reports. Paley—whose sensibility admirer Philip Roth called "splendidly comic...

Liberals Read More than Conservatives

Right-wingers shun nuance for slogans, publisher says

(Newser) - Liberals are more avid readers than conservatives, a new AP-Ipsos poll has discovered. Thirty-four percent of conservatives said they hadn’t read a book in a year, compared with 22% of liberals. A publishing exec and former congressman said that while liberals “can’t say anything in less than...

Harry Potter and the Murdered Heiress?

Rumor has JK Rowling writing crime novel

(Newser) - J.K. Rowling has been spotted writing something in an Edinburgh cafe like the one where she penned the first Harry Potter book, and fellow author Ian Rankin says she's moving in on his territory—crime fiction. Rankin admits he hasn't personally talked to Rowling about her next project; it...

Sacre Bleu! Harry Potter Translator Pinched

Teen suspected in illicit French version

(Newser) - A French boy suspected of posting a translation of the latest Harry Potter novel was arrested Monday, the AP reported today. The 16-year-old didn't appear to have financial gain in mind, a prosecutor said—with the French version not due until October, "he just wanted to get the book...

Surrealist Simic Named Poet Laureate

15th national bard known for his dark humor and irony

(Newser) - Charles Simic, a surrealist poet whose style gleams with dark imagery and ironic humor, will be named the United States' 15th poet laureate today. The 69-year-old, who replaces fellow New Hampshirite Donald Hall, has published more than 20 volumes of poetry as well as essay collections, translations and a memoir.

'Mommy Lit' Taps Motherlode of Frustration

Reviewer rips popular portraits of female mediocrity

(Newser) - Slate reviewer Katie Roiphe dresses down the entire emerging "Mommy Lit" genre in her caustic feminist review of the Brit bestseller "Slummy Mummy." Roiphe says she doesn't have a problem with light summer page-turners, but she takes issue with the novel's celebration of frumpy female mediocrity. 

What CEOs Read Before They Lead
What CEOs Read Before They Lead
Jul 22, 2007 1:42 PM CDT

What CEOs Read Before They Lead

Business leaders find refuge and resource in luxury book collections

(Newser) - Scanning the personal libraries of CEOs, tech gurus and venture geniuses reveals not only what they read but how they think, the Times reports. The well-heeled have taken to housing their exorbitant collections in luxurious, custom-built, private spaces. And if you read between the lines, the literature tends to reflect...

10 Books to Blow Your Mind
10 Books
to Blow
Your Mind
Jul 17, 2007 1:57 PM CDT

10 Books to Blow Your Mind

Best takes on psychological journeys, from a British novelist/therapist

(Newser) - Sebastian Beaumont, the author of Thirteen, offers his list of books that "blur the boundaries of consensus 'reality' and psychological reality."
  1. Journey to the East, Hermann Hesse
  2. Le Grand Meaulnes, Henri Alain-Fournier
  3. Fight Club, Chuck Palahnuik
  4. Vurt, Jeff Noon
  5. Steppenwolf, Hermann Hesse

Harry Potter Work$ His Magic
Harry Potter Work$ His Magic
Jun 29, 2007 4:34 AM CDT

Harry Potter Work$ His Magic

Record orders for boy wizard's final book flood publisher

(Newser) - Advance orders for the final book in the Harry Potter series are up 17% over the last installment, British publisher Bloomsbury reports. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" will bring down the curtain on one of the biggest money makers in publishing history  on July 21. The latest Potter...

FBI Recovers 'Good Earth' Manuscript

Original typed draft of Pearl Buck's novel was missing since 1966

(Newser) - The manuscript of Pearl S. Buck's "The Good Earth" has turned up at a Philadelphia auction house, having gone missing in 1966. The FBI was called in after the daughter of one of the author's secretaries tried to put it for sale, the AP reports. Buck died in1973, believing...

Top 10 Online Book Sellers
Top 10 Online Book Sellers
Jun 25, 2007 1:35 PM CDT

Top 10 Online Book Sellers

Forbes picks the best based on selection and buyer experience.

(Newser) - Forbes picks the best based on selection and buyer experience.
  1. abebooks.com
  2. amazon.com
  3. audible.com
  4. bn.com
  5. powells.com

'Potter' Finale Deathly for Book Business

Final chapter casting spell on readers, but sellers don't feel magic

(Newser) - The final Harry Potter installment will likely fly off the shelves like a Quidditch player, but retailers are feeling decidedly grounded. Facing megasized hype, chains and websites will sell Harry for cost, leaving independent bookstores practically out of the selling loop. And Business Week reports Scholastic's lodestone is diverting attention...

Texas Builds an Ultimate Archive
Texas Builds an Ultimate Archive
Jun 17, 2007 4:00 PM CDT

Texas Builds an Ultimate Archive

(Newser) - Start with 48 Gutenberg Bibles—yes, count 'em, 48. Move on to the corrected proofs of Joyce's Ulysses and then to part of Kerouac's original manuscript for On the Road.  Then finish up with Woodward and Bernstein's Watergate notes. These items and much, much more are in the Harry...

Achebe Wins Booker Prize
Achebe Wins Booker Prize
Jun 13, 2007 7:00 AM CDT

Achebe Wins Booker Prize

Author of Things Fall Apart honored for his body of work

(Newser) - Chinua Achebe, author of Things Fall Apart, won the Booker International prize, an award given out every two years to recognize a living writer's body of work. The 76-year-old Nigerian is credited with the creation of the modern African novel and is the most translated African author.

Kurt Vonnegut Dies at 84
Kurt Vonnegut Dies at 84
Apr 12, 2007 9:09 AM CDT

Kurt Vonnegut Dies at 84

Genre-defying novelist was voice of more than one generation

(Newser) - Kurt Vonnegut, one of the most popular novelists of the 20th century, died yesterday at 84 in Manhattan. Defying genres, he wrote on everything from the firebombing of Dresden to alien abduction—and that was just Slaughterhouse-Five.

Novelist Slaps Ex With $40 Million Suit

Terry McMillan cites extortion in post-divorce mud-slinging contest

(Newser) - Bestselling author Terry McMillan filed a $40 million lawsuit Wednesday against her ex-husband Jonathan Plummer, alleging that he conspired to destroy her reputation during their divorce. In the lawsuit McMillan alleges that her "little fag," a.k.a. "common extortionist" ex-husband has threatened her safety after the...

Bombers Strike Baghdad Booksellers
Bombers Strike Baghdad Booksellers
Mar 5, 2007 5:26 PM CST

Bombers Strike Baghdad Booksellers

Insurgents hit heart of the Iraqi intellectual scene

(Newser) - A noon car-bomb blast ravaged Baghdad's historic book market, killing dozens of people and wounding over 100. The bomb destroyed many shops, including the venerable Shahbandar cafe, a popular haven for writers. Poet Abdul Baqi Faidhullah said, "Those who did this are like savage machines intent on harvesting souls...

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