Edward Lear (1812–88) is beloved as the author of “The Owl and the Pussycat” and as one of Britain’s finest nonsense poets. He was also a successful artist and a frequent traveller, who captivated those who knew him with his humorous verses. One such devotee – and a frequent correspondent during Lear’s later life – was a young woman called Mary Theresa Mundella (1847–1922), the daughter of a Liberal politician, Anthony John Mundella (1825–97). This friendship led to a stream of correspondence between Mary Mundella and Lear, as he entertained her with comic letters and poems containing his own special brand of nonsense. Mundella hoarded Lear’s epistles and gifted them to her niece, Dorothea Mary Roby Benson (1876–1942), later Lady Charnwood. It is in the Charnwood Autograph Collection, held at the British Library, that three new Lear manuscripts have been discovered. Read more
Category: Authors
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Sparks Controversy in Online Essay
The novelist’s remarks went viral after she criticized former students as well as “social-media-savvy people who are choking on sanctimony and lacking in compassion.” Read more
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For novelist-podcaster Marlon James, it’s Dead Writer Summer
…“Marlon & Jake Read Dead People,” the deeply literary, deeply fun podcast about books by writers of the past. In this second season, they’ll turn to books new to at least one of them, along with some quirkier choices — while sticking to their theme of speaking candidly of the dead. Read more
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Dante in the dock: Why Florence wants to clear the poet’s name
Seven hundred years after the poet’s death, many believe he should be exonerated of the crimes for which he was exiled from Florence. Was he the victim of a conspiracy? Read more
Look Inside Philip Roth’s Personal Library
The author of “Goodbye, Columbus” and “The Human Stain” left several thousand books, many of them with notes or letters, to the Newark Public Library. The collection will soon open to the public. Read more
Jamie Lee Curtis’ Comet Pictures & Blumhouse Adapting Patricia Cornwell’s ‘Kay Scarpetta’ Novels For TV
Jamie Lee Curtis’ Comet Pictures and Blumhouse Televison have secured the rights to the books and are developing them as an hour-long drama series centered on the eponymous forensic pathologist. Read more
Virgin Galactic to fly popular TikToker and author Kellie Gerardi to space
Richard Branson’s space company is sending the researcher and social media star on the trip of a lifetime. Read more
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‘If publishers become afraid, we’re in trouble’: publishing’s cancel culture debate boils over
…the debate over what should be published has reached a fever pitch. Publishing staff who feel uncomfortable about working on certain titles are speaking out more often and more loudly, through open letters and on social media. In April, more than 200 employees at S&S in the US asked their employer to pull out of a seven-figure book deal with former vice president Mike Pence. Authors, too, have withdrawn titles when their publishers sign writers they disagree with… Read more
Authors to earn royalties on secondhand books for first time
AuthorSHARE, a royalty fund set up by two used booksellers with support from industry bodies, is calling for more retailers to participate. Read more
Never-before-seen Franz Kafka Drawings Go on Display
Following a long court battle, and after they had been held in a vault for decades, unknown illustrations by the great author can be seen at long last, 97 years after Kafka’s death. Read more
