Stanisław Barańczak profile
In The Harvard Crimson Tara W. Merrigan profiles Polish poet and translator Stanisław Barańczak, in Even When No One is Looking.
View ArticleCanadian literary prize shortlists
Several of the big Canadian literary prizes have announced their finalists/shortlists -- and in The Globe and Mail John Barber diagnoses that these show that this is The year of discord among...
View ArticleThe Miracle Cures of Dr. Aira review
The most recent addition to the complete review is my review of César Aira's The Miracle Cures of Dr. Aira -- one of those books it's almost impossible to write anything about without giving...
View ArticleBulgarian Vick prize
The Vick Prize for the Bulgarian Novel of the Year seemed like a pretty good idea, supporting local literature -- and giving local talent some international exposure. Alas, Edward Vick has...
View ArticleHow William Gass wanted The Tunnel published: loose-leaf pages, in a box --...
William H. Gass was at the Sprachsalz 2012 festival in Austria a couple of weeks ago, and the Falter now prints Sebastian Fasthuber's Q & A with him, in which Gass reveals something I'd...
View ArticlePrize shortlist: Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction
They've announced the shortlist for the Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction -- not yet at the official site, last I checked, but Alison Flood already reports that Six books to 'change our view...
View ArticlePrize shortlist: Prix Goncourt
They've announced the (second) shortlist for the Prix Goncourt; see also, for example, the report at L'Express, Prix Goncourt: il n'en reste que huit. They cut the list down one more...
View Article'Should literature be political ?'
The Guardian has an: 'an edited version of Njabulo S Ndebele's keynote speech at Open Book Cape Town', Should literature be political ? -- but, of course, you'd do better to go to the source,...
View ArticlePre-Nobel buzz
So next week they'll start announcing the winners of the various Nobel Prizes, beginning -- probably -- with the one for Medicine on Monday (the small caveat is because all the prizes except...
View ArticleThe Polish Boxer review
The most recent addition to the complete review is my review of Eduardo Halfon's The Polish Boxer -- noteworthy, among other reasons, because it is a co-translation that involved five...
View ArticleHoward Jacobson on 'bad boys' books'
Hmmmm ... in The Guardian Howard Jacobson 'explains why he likes his fiction black, bitter and without redemption', in In praise of bad boys' books.
View ArticleSILA report
They held the 17th Salon International du Livre d'Alger 20 to 29 September, and at Qantara.de Martina Sabra finds that it was A Missed Opportunity.
View ArticleThe Island of Last Truth review
The most recent addition to the complete review is my review of Flavia Company's The Island of Last Truth -- a castaway-tale translated from the Catalan, and now coming out in English from...
View ArticleOne Thousand and One Nights conversation
At Guernica Erica Wagner has a Q & A with Marina Warner and Hanan al-Shaykh, asking: 'What can The One Thousand and One Nights teach the modern world ?' in Cunning and Guile.
View ArticleChris Anyokwu Q & A
In Vanguard McPhilips Nwachukwu has a Q & A with Chris Anyokwu -- who argues that in Nigeria Old generation writers better than the present: I must say that the past is better than the...
View ArticleUbud Festival reports
They just held the Ubud Readers & Writers Festival in Bali, and there are a variety of reports out now: Pangeran Siahaan reports on the Best Ubud Literary Fest Moments So Far in The Jakarta...
View ArticleNobel Prize watch
We'll find out sometime today whether or not the Nobel Prize in Literature will be announced on Thursday -- the Swedish Academy will either announce that it will or, if they keep mum, that...
View ArticleNobel Prize to be announced Thursday, 11 October
So the Swedish Academy has now decided on a winner, as they've announced that the Nobel Prize in Literature will be announced at Thursday, 11 October, at 13:00 (Stockholm time). Now the...
View ArticleThe Shadow of Memory review
The most recent addition to the complete review is my review of Bernard Comment's -- director of the excellent French imprint, Fiction & Cie -- 1990 novel, The Shadow of Memory, now out...
View ArticlePrize: Newman Prize for Chinese Literature
They've announced that Taiwanese poet Yang Mu (楊牧) has been awarded the 2013 Newman Prize for Chinese Literature. It's a biennial prize with a good track record so far -- Mo Yan and Han...
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