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Where to Start with Marcel Proust

A new translation commemorating a century since the monumental masterpiece was first published in English–and since Proust died–Swann in Love is a sublimely witty and poignant story of the illusions of love and desire. Full of the rich social satire and penetrating insight that distinguish Proust’s style, it is the perfect introduction to one of the world’s great novelists. Read more

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Lee Herrick, a Writer-Professor from Fresno, is Chosen as California Poet Laureate

Herrick, 52, was born in Daejeon, South Korea, and adopted when he was 10 months old by parents from Northern California. Formerly Fresno’s poet laureate, he teaches at Fresno City College and in the MFA program at the University of Nevada, Reno at Lake Tahoe. Read more

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The National Book Awards Raised a Middle Finger to Book Bans

Last night’s ceremony marked the first in-person National Book Awards since 2019 (ever since the pandemic, the festivities have gone virtual). It was a night of celebration, but concerns hung over the festivities—about the distressing state of the publishing industry, to be certain, but also about the wave of book bans sweeping the country. Read more

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Meet the Longtime Librarian Being Honored at the National Book Awards

Some of the leading lights of literature will be honored at the National Book Awards in New York City next week. And for the second year in a row, the Literarian Award for Outstanding Service will be given to a librarian. Tracie D. Hall has championed books and readers at libraries in Seattle, Queens, Hartford and New Haven. She’s now executive director of the American Library Association… Read more

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University Presses Are Keeping American Literature Alive

University presses take up titles that the Big Five, as the publishing conglomerates are called collectively, often won’t touch — not just works of scholarship but also small-market books for general readers: poetry, short stories and essays; memoirs and biographies; field guides and natural history; art and photography; local and regional history, among many others. Read more

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