At Grove Press, he and Barney Rosset challenged censors as they popularized D.H. Lawrence, Henry Miller, William S. Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg and others. Read more
The Forgotten Genius of Leo Perutz
Borges listed him among the great mystery writers of the age; Robert Musil claimed he had invented his own genre; Italo Calvino, Graham Greene, Alfred Hitchcock, and Ian Fleming counted theselves as fans — and yet Leo Perutz has been almost entirely forgotten within the English-speaking world. Read more
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Writers Orgs Form #DisneyMustPay Joint Task Force
Half a dozen professional writers’ organizations have joined with the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America in forming a joint task to press the Walt Disney Company to ensure it pays all royalties owed to authors. The task force, #DisneyMust Pay, contends that Disney is putting the onus on authors to prove they are owed money, rather than working with authors and author groups to proactively pay authors royalties that are due. Read more
These writers have come together to raise money for Indian COVID relief.
As India’s horrific COVID surge intensifies, a group of authors from around the world (led by the narrative nonfiction writer Sonia Faleiro) have come together to support the essential work of Mission Oxygen India, an organization dedicated to helping hospitals across the country get immediate access to direly-needed oxygen concentrators. Read more
‘The Haunting of Alma Fielding’ Is a Ghost Story — and a Tale of Power and Fear
Summerscale’s writing is so inviting, the historical details folded into the narrative so well, that The Haunting of Alma Fielding reads like a novel you don’t want to put down. (The book design is also superb, the typeface somehow evoking something old and mysterious while also being easy on the eyes.) Best of all, it offers a variety of possibilities without definitively landing on one single answer; the book recognizes that, sometimes, the answer to the question “Was it real or was it fake?” is simply “Yes.” Read more
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All the books becoming movies in 2021, including ‘Things Heard & Seen’ and ‘Without Remorse’
Peruse all the books you can read before they become movies this year, from survival thrillers (“Those Who Wish Me Dead”) to sci-fi epics (“Dune”). Read more
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Michelle T. Boone Named President of Poetry Foundation
Boone, a former cultural commissioner for Chicago, will take the helm after tumult over racial justice at the foundation, one of the country’s wealthiest literary organizations. Read more
Congratulations to the Winners of the 2021 Edgar Awards
Today the Mystery Writers of America announced the winners of the 2021 Edgar Awards, one of the mystery world’s premier honors. This year marks the 75th annual presentation of the awards. Read more
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Women’s prize for fiction shortlist entirely first-time nominees
Susanna Clarke, Yaa Gyasi and Patricia Lockwood among the six authors up for the £30,000 award. Read more
Oscar winner ‘Nomadland’ based on book by former Oregon journalist
“Nomadland,” which follows a woman in her 60s as she takes up a nomadic lifestyle after losing everything in the Great Recession, won Best Picture. Its director, Chloé Zhao, won Best Director, becoming the first woman of color and the second woman ever to win that award. Frances McDormand won Best Actress, her third such Oscar. Read more
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