Nobel Prize countdown
They've announced that: The Swedish Academy will announce this year's Nobel Laureate in literature at 1 p.m. on Thursday, October 8 in the Grand Hall in the Exchange. It's safe to assume...
View ArticleNo posthumous Wallanders (?)
As I mentioned yesterday, Henning Mankell has passed away, and now AFP reports that his publisher insists there will no more Wallander books (written by others in Mankell's name, as the James...
View ArticleWriting in ... Nigeria
In the Financial Times Tolu Ogunlesi writes about A new chapter in Nigeria's literature, describing a literary scene both vibrant and chaotic, where even success is problematic -- as well as...
View ArticlePrix Goncourt (less-)longlist
The prix Goncourt -- the top French book prize -- goes through four rather than the usual three rounds, and they've now announced the deuxième sélection -- the not-quite-so-longlist....
View ArticleOne more day until the Nobel Prize in Literature announcement
The Nobel Prize in Literature will be announced tomorrow, at 13:00 local time (Stockholm); you'll be able to watch the announcement live at the Nobel site. The Swedish Academy decides...
View ArticleTheir first (Arno) Schmidt
I've mentioned the exhibit, Arno Schmidt: Eine Ausstellung in 100 Stationen that's currently at the Akademie der Künste and which sounds like a great overview of the author -- and I remind you...
View ArticleGovernor General's Literary Awards finalists
They've announced the finalists for the (Canadian) Governor General's Literary Awards (the 'GGs' ...) -- but what I really love about this award is that they have a readily accessible database...
View Article'Super Thursday'
It's not just Nobel-announcement day -- in the UK it's apparently 'Super Thursday': the busiest and most important date in the publishing calendar, when the big firms and big names launch their...
View ArticleThe Nobel Prize in Literature goes to ... Svetlana Alexievich
The winner of the 2015 Nobel Prize in Literature has been announced and it is Voices from Chernobyl-author Svetlana Alexievich. The betting favorite comes through -- and it's a solid...
View Article(American) National Translation Award shortlists
The American Literary Translators Association has announced the shortlists for the 2015 National Translation Awards in Poetry and Prose. Two of the shortlisted prose translations are...
View ArticleFrench prize not-so-longlists
Several more French literary prizes have cut back their longlists in their second rounds this week: the prix Renaudot (see here) and the prix Médicis (see here). The big news here is...
View ArticleSvetlana Alexievich, Nobel laureate 2015
Belarusian author Svetlana Alexievich was named this year's Nobel laureate (she'll only officially be awarded the prize at the 10 December Nobel award ceremony); my coverage from yesterday...
View ArticleEmerging Voices fiction prize
I missed this announcement earlier this week, with all this week's prize-announcements overshadowed by that big one on Thursday ... but they have announced that The Fishermen, by Chigozie...
View ArticleIndonesia/Frankfurt Book Fair
The Frankfurt Book Fair runs 13 through 18 October. Iran has already thrown a hissy-fit and withdrawn from the fair, over Salman Rushdie speaking at the opening press conference -- see,...
View ArticleLaurus review
The most recent addition to the complete review is my review of Russian author Eugene Vodolazkin's prize-winning Laurus, now available in English in a translation by Lisa 'Lizok's Bookshelf'...
View ArticleEdna O'Brien profile
In The Observer Ed Vulliamy profiles Edna O'Brien: from Ireland's cultural outcast to literary darling. She has a new book coming out -- only next March in the US, but already now in the...
View ArticleSerial writing, realtime: 'PCKWCK'
Tomorrow at 13:00 EST Book of Numbers-author Joshua Cohen is beginning a five-day live writing of "a reinterpretation of Charles Dickens' first serialized novel, The Pickwick Papers", PCKWCK....
View ArticleThe Roar of Morning review
The most recent addition to the complete review is my review of Tip Marugg's The Roar of Morning, now available in Yale University Press' Margellos World Republic of Letters series. This...
View ArticleLorin Stein on translating Houellebecq
Michel Houellebecq's Submission, in Lorin Stein's translation, is now out in the UK, and due out soon in the US, and in New York Ian Epstein has a (too) short Q & A with Lorin Stein on...
View ArticleLes Murray profile
Australian poet -- and Nobel contender -- Les Murray jas a new book out, On Bunyah (in Australia, see the Black Inc. publicity page; no US/UK editions in sight yet), and in The Age Jason Steger...
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