literature

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Summer Reads That Won't Embarrass You

Literary types give their suggestions for beach books

(Newser) - Looking for a beach read that's not just fluff? The Atlantic Wire asked authors and other literati for "books that live up to the spirit of summer while still making us think"—or, in other words, "beach reads for smart people." Here's what they...

Farewell to Arms Reprinted —With 47 Alternate Endings

Ernest Hemingway classic republished, out next week

(Newser) - Good news for Ernest Hemingway fans: Next week, you can read A Farewell to Arms with its 47 alternate endings. The author said, in 1958, that he rewrote the final words of his classic "39 times before I was satisfied," and those endings were preserved at the JFK...

Are Classic Books Obsolete?
 Are Classic Books Obsolete? 
OPINION
May 31, 2012 2:52 PM CDT

Are Classic Books Obsolete?

Dartmouth researchers think so, but Laura Miller begs to differ

(Newser) - Take a gander at all the one-star Amazon reviews for classic works of literature, and you might think the canon is going out of style—and a new Dartmouth study thinks you're right. Researchers examined the language in a host of public domain digital texts published between 1550 and...

New Yorker Releasing Story in Tweets

Jennifer Egan's 'Black Box' serialized on Twitter

(Newser) - The latest story from a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer will appear in 140-character chunks. The New Yorker is publishing Jennifer Egan's "Black Box" in installments on Twitter, the New York Observer reports. The tweets, which began yesterday , will appear from 8pm to 9pm every day for nine days. They'...

Philip Roth: I Did Not 'Crack Up'

Novelist refutes magazine, says it was a bad reaction to sleeping pill

(Newser) - Philip Roth isn't happy with the Atlantic: A recent piece in the magazine said he suffered from "a 'crack-up' in his mid-50s," and the novelist says that's simply "not true." The Atlantic Wire points out that the episode, "whatever you call it,...

First Line of The Stranger Is Still Translated Wrong

'Mother died today' should be 'Today, Maman died': Ryan Bloom

(Newser) - Albert Camus' The Stranger opens with the famous—and relatively easy to translate—"Aujourd’hui, maman est morte." It's so easy, in fact, that not a single English translation has gotten it right, writes Ryan Bloom in the New Yorker . He argues that the precise wording of...

America's Most (Surprisingly) Well-Read Cities

No. 1 is Alexandria, Virginia

(Newser) - If you think America's bookworms live in New York or San Francisco, think again. Amazon has released its list of the country's 20 most well-read cities, and they hail from such states as Michigan and Florida, reports Reuters . Top honors goes to Virginia's Alexandria, and though Berkeley...

2 New Little Prince Pages Shed New Light on Book

Antoine de Saint-Exupery expert says they show it was an anti-war book

(Newser) - The only known draft pages of Antoine de Saint-Exupery's classic children's book, The Little Prince, are on display at a Paris auction house, ahead of their sale this month. The two fragile handwritten sheets, brimming with original musings and even a new character, were discovered two months ago...

Get Ready for Walden Pond: The Video Game
Get Ready for Walden Pond: The Video Game
and don't forget jay-z
Apr 26, 2012 5:05 PM CDT

Get Ready for Walden Pond: The Video Game

Henry David Thoreau's masterpiece goes digital; Jay-Z has game, too

(Newser) - Henry David Thoreau lived at Walden Pond to escape the comforts of modern life; soon, you'll be able to share his experience right on your flat-screen TV. Thanks to a $40,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, the University of Southern California is developing a video...

Shakespeare Had Co-Author
 Shakespeare Had Co-Author 
new study
Apr 26, 2012 8:03 AM CDT

Shakespeare Had Co-Author

Thomas Middleton's literary fingerprint found on 'All's Well '

(Newser) - All's well that ... blends well? William Shakespeare worked with a co-author on All's Well That Ends Well, according to researchers who have analyzed the play line by line. The Oxford University experts say the most likely candidate for co-bard is celebrated playwright Thomas Middleton, judging from his distinctive...

Maybe It's Time to Get Over Shakespeare

Alexandra Petri wonders if the Bard should be, or not be, our literary touchstone

(Newser) - Is Shakespeare still relevant today? Before you answer, consider how many of his plays would be ruined by the addition of cellphones, writes Alexandra Petri of the Washington Post . "Soon, if we do a modern staging, we'll have to stipulate that, 'In fair Verona, where we lay...

Heirs of Tolkien, Dickens Collaborate on Books

Michael Tolkien will write, Gerald Dickens will narrate

(Newser) - The descendants of literary royalty are coming together on two new children's fantasy books. JRR Tolkien's grandson, Michael Tolkien, will write the two novels—which will be based on stories Tolkien himself read to him when he was young—and Charles Dickens' great-great grandson, Gerald Dickens, will narrate...

Pulitzer Board Just Sucked Life Out of Book Industry
Pulitzer Board Just Sucked Life Out of Book Industry
Ann Patchett
Apr 18, 2012 9:50 AM CDT

Pulitzer Board Just Sucked Life Out of Book Industry

Prize injects needed excitement into world of literature: Ann Patchett

(Newser) - Sure, there's a possibility that when the Pulitzer Prize board failed to announce a fiction winner, the reason could have been a simple deadlock. But most who heard the news probably didn't assume that, and instead figured "it was a bum year for fiction," writes author...

The 3 Novels That Almost Won a Pulitzer

David Foster Wallace, Karen Russell, Denis Johnson were considered

(Newser) - For the first time in 35 years, no Pulitzer Prize for fiction was awarded —but that doesn't mean no works of fiction were considered. The Pulitzer jurors narrowed down the possibilities to three novels … and then the Pulitzer board decided, "after lengthy consideration," not to...

Literary Squabble Lands Guy in Hospital

Yep, alcohol was involved

(Newser) - An Ann Arbor man ended up in the hospital over the weekend after a heated argument about … books. The 34-year-old was at a party discussing books and authors on the porch with a group of people around 9pm on Saturday, AnnArbor.com reports. Another guest joined the conversation and...

Rushdie Quits Festival Over Assassination Fears

Received intelligence about plot at Jaipur literary event

(Newser) - Salman Rushdie has dropped out of India's top literary festival after hearing that assassins may have been planning to attend—and kill him. Powerful clerics had protested the author's attendance at the Jaipur festival, which opened today and was to feature Rushdie as a speaker. But "intelligence...

Poe Fans Hope Mystery Birthday Visitor Shows

After two no-show years, this could be their final vigil

(Newser) - Beginning on Jan. 19, 1949, a mysterious visitor marked Edgar Allan Poe's birthday by laying three red roses and a bottle of cognac on the author's Baltimore grave. But fans of the gothic scribe worry that the tradition may be resting six feet under as well: The birthday...

'Literary' Island Faces Bombing of Rat Poison

Italy plans to exterminate rats on Montecristo

(Newser) - Any buried treasure on the island of Montecristo will soon be covered in rat poison. Facing a massive rat infestation, Italian authorities plan to drop 26 tons of poison on the 4-square-mile island that inspired Alexandre Dumas' famous novel The Count of Monte Cristo, the Telegraph reports. Black rats may...

Unseen Portrait of Jane Austen Discovered?

Biographer is sure drawing depicts author

(Newser) - There are only two accepted portraits of Jane Austen, one based on the other—but an Austen biographer believes she's found a third. Paula Byrne's husband bought her a graphite drawing sold as an "imaginary portrait" of the writer, labeled "Miss Jane Austin." Byrne says...

2011&#39;s Top 10 Books


 2011's Top 10 Books 
new york times LIST
Dec 3, 2011 9:10 AM CST

2011's Top 10 Books

Stephen King, Christopher Hitchens make the cut

(Newser) - If you need a book recommendation for holiday reading, look no further than the New York Times ' list of the 10 best books of the year. Five are fiction and five non-fiction:
  • 11/22/63 by Stephen King: A time portal sends an English teacher back to 1958 to try and
...

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