Табернакул
The Macedonians really know how to time those literay awards for maximum publicity effect: Wednesday night they awarded the Табернакул -- whereby: The award consists of sculpture made by Goran...
View ArticleHelga M. Novak (1935-2013)
German author Helga M. Novak has passed away; see, for example, (German) notices in the Neue Zürcher Zeitung and the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. She has one of the more interesting...
View ArticleCritics' 2013 round-up
The Salon round-up, Salon's What to Read Awards: Top critics choose the best books of 2013 has the obligatory top-ten lists, but at least gets the critics to answer a few questions ('What was...
View ArticleOscar Peer (1928-2013)
Swiss author Oscar Peer has passed away -- one of the leading Romansh (or rätoromanisch, as it is called in German -- or Rumantsch as it is in ... Rumantsch -- in any case, the least widespread...
View ArticleLooking ahead to 2014
The Millions will no doubt soon have their 'Most Anticipated: The Great 2014 Book Preview' up (see their 2013 preview), offering a reasonably thorough overview of at least the major (though not...
View ArticleBestselling books in the UK - 2013
In The Guardian they have the list of the Bestselling books of 2013 in the UK (print versions) -- though of course it is only for the: "year ending 15 December" (god forbid anyone would...
View ArticleThe Time Regulation Institute review
The most recent addition to the complete review is my review of Turkish author Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar's 1962 classic, The Time Regulation Institute, just out from Penguin Classics. It's...
View ArticleYear in literature in ... Zimbabwe
In The Herald Memory Chirere looks back at the year in literature in Zimbabwe -- and finds that 2013 was a Year of literary intrigues.
View ArticleSpanish best of the year lists
Some of the major Spanish publications have now published their best-book lists of 2013 -- and the consensus book of the year appears to be Rafael Chirbes' En la orilla; see also the Anagrama...
View ArticleCode poetry slam
A pretty interesting piece at the Stanford Report, where Marian Lage finds that the First Stanford code poetry slam reveals the literary side of computer code. See also the official Code...
View ArticlePrize: Premio Internacional Alfonso Reyes
They've announced that Palinuro of Mexico-author Fernando del Paso has won the 2013 Premio Internacional Alfonso Reyes (though he'll only get it in 2014 ...); see, for example, the Latin...
View ArticlePrize: Athens Prize for Literature
They've announced the winners of the Athens Prize for Literature, awarded both for best Greek novel, and best translated work; Theodoros Grigoriadis has the run-down at his weblog. 1Q84...
View ArticleForeign Gods, Inc. review
The most recent addition to the complete review is my review of Okey Ndibe's Foreign Gods, Inc.. I was disappointed by this -- but (for what it's worth) Janet Maslin, reviewing it in The...
View ArticleYear in literature in ... Russia
At Russia Beyond the Headlines Dmitriy Romendik and Georgy Manaev look at Open Ending: Russia's literary scene in 2013.
View Article'Best International Relations Books of 2013'
'Foreign Affairs' Reviewers Make Their Picks' of the Best International Relations Books of 2013 -- no fiction, but some interesting reading.
View ArticleLiterature in ... Africa (specifically Zimbabwe)
In The Herald Stanely Mushava has a Q & A with Tinashe Mushakavanhu, African literature reduced to a commodity. Mushakavanhu argues: The problem lies in the fact that African...
View Article2014
Out with old, in with the new, blah blah blah. If you're still here, you know it doesn't really work that way around here: day in, day out, it's the same old same old (and same new): you know...
View ArticleLiterary tourism
At BBC News Jenny Scott wonders: 'Why do some writers succeed on the tourism trail while others are left on the wayside ?' in comparing the success of Shakespeare's Stratford-upon-Avon with the...
View ArticleWriting in ... Armenia
I often note that, along with writing from Southeast Asia, the former Soviet states of Central Asia (extending, for my purposes through the Caucasus) are the most under-represented in English...
View ArticleLimited reading
Many readers plan their reading year ahead, hoping to pay particular attention to a specific author/genre/period/sex/nationality. I don't know if it's a real trend, but it is noteworthy that...
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