Category: publishing

“While the storm in an imperialist teacup about the award of this year’s Nobel prize for literature to JMG Le Clézio rages on, and the debate about the ills and virtues of American writing simmers away, I fear the fierce debate is overshadowing the fact he is a most worthy winner of the prestigious prize. That he is virtually out of print in English is both sad and a reflection of our traditional insularity and lack of curiosity for foreign culture.”

“At a Litquake tribute to Tobias Wolff, writer Stephen Elliott described a link between fiction writing and political bent: ‘Literary fiction is character driven, and to write good characters you have to have empathy, and if you have empathy, you’re a liberal.'”

“Everyone is talking about the creative economy, but the first-ever Massachusetts Poetry Festival is doing something about it. … The festival is a celebration of poetry for its own sake, but could also be a tool to expand and capitalize on a precious cultural asset.” That includes thinking about professional development for poets.

Writer Barry Foy has produced The Devil’s Food Dictionary: A Pioneering Culinary Reference Work Consisting Entirely of Lies. A sample definition: “Comfort food: 1) Any type of food that you would prefer your friends did not see you enjoy; 2) the fortifying, familiar, and satisfying fare that killed your grandparents.“

“A review of popular American children’s books of the past century reveals a recurring theme in the children’s publishing industry: When times are tough, cue the stories about times that were even tougher.”

“The Star-Ledger of Newark, New Jersey, the 15th largest U.S. newspaper by circulation, will not be sold after one of its unions agreed to concessions that the paper said will allow it to stay in business.”

“Are the editors and agents who said it would be impossible to write or publish a worthwhile postgame recap of the 2008 election having second thoughts now that the race has turned out to be so much fun?” Some are, or there’d be no story to tell, but most maintain the saturation coverage makes election books a tough sell.

“In the end the fate of the life’s work of Marshall Frady, an early proponent of ‘new journalism’ and a biographer of Gov. George C. Wallace of Alabama, the Rev. Billy Graham and the Rev. Jesse Jackson, came down to 15 minutes in a windowless room in Midtown on Wednesday. There, 123 boxes of Mr. Frady’s papers … were auctioned off to Emory University for $10,100.”

“If we are shocked to discover that politics or some agenda external to mere aesthetics or ‘excellence’ impinges on the judgment of literary work in an international context, we haven’t been paying attention.”

A new festival and a book award are seeking out the real literary merit in sports journalism.