October 12, 2012 On the Shelf Lawrence Ferlinghetti Turns Down 50,000 Euro Poetry Prize By Sadie Stein Lawrence Ferlinghetti has declined the fifty-thousand-euro Janus Pannonius International Poetry Prize from the Hungarian branch of PEN, citing the government’s suppression of free speech. Bret Easton Ellis is most seriously displeased: despite his aggressive campaigning, he has not been chosen as the screenwriter for Fifty Shades of Grey. A map of the world based on book publishing. The taxonomy of the literary Halloween costume. “Underwear is definitely pants” and other lies writers tell themselves. [tweetbutton] [facebook_ilike]
October 11, 2012 On the Shelf Crumb on Bukowski, Rushdie on James By Sadie Stein A match made … well, you decide where! R. Crumb illustrates Charles Bukowski. How to survive an online pan: in this case, persuade the author to remove it. A history of cricket in literature. A new attempt at a Breakfast at Tiffany’s musical is headed for Broadway. “I’ve never read anything so badly written that got published.” Salman Rushdie on Fifty Shades of Grey.
October 10, 2012 On the Shelf Arthurian Legend, Literary Restaurants By Sadie Stein Oxford’s Bodleian Library has put more than three hundred thousand rare books online. J.R.R. Tolkien’s previously unseen two-hundred-page Arthurian epic poem, The Fall of Arthur, will be released next May. His son has acted as editor. As I Chipotle Dying: the #literaryrestaurants hash tag sweeps Twitter. Lena Dunham’s purported $3.5 million sale prompts a list of outrageous book deals. “Lolita, then, is undeniably news in the world of books. Unfortunately, it is bad news. There are two equally serious reasons why it isn’t worth any adult reader’s attention. The first is that it is dull, dull, dull in a pretentious, florid and archly fatuous fashion. The second is that it is repulsive.” The New York Times’s pan: just one of the bad reviews received by classics. [tweetbutton] [facebook_ilike]
October 8, 2012 On the Shelf Politics, Nerds, Gunpowder By Sadie Stein Cormac McCarthy’s notes reveal a recipe for gunpowder and a very different Blood Meridian. Goodreads compares the reading habits of Romney and Obama supporters. J. K. Rowling returns to children’s fiction. “Using adverbs is a mortal sin,” and other rules for writing fiction from prominent writers. Ten essential reads for books nerds. [tweetbutton] [facebook_ilike]
October 5, 2012 On the Shelf Zagat, Library Science, Cheap Thrills By Sadie Stein The Library of Unborrowed Books. In the new Halloween-ready Horrible Hauntings, a book of classic ghost stories is paired with an app, which allows you to summon Bloody Mary, sail with the Flying Dutchman, and otherwise terrify any child in your life. Sick of stereotypes, one group of librarians shows what the real thing looks like. A Bay Area 2013 Zagat guide was recalled after it was discovered that San Francisco was misspelled on the spine. If you want to hear John Waters read a steamy scene from oft-banned Lady Chatterley’s Lover, well, you’ve come to the right place. [tweetbutton] [facebook_ilike]
October 4, 2012 On the Shelf Poetic Prescriptions, Banished Words By Sadie Stein Get a prescription form from the Poetry Pharmacy. A poem written by Sylvia Plath as a college student has surfaced. This year’s “List of Words Banished from the Queen’s English for Misuse, Overuse, and General Uselessness.” Orson Welles and Hemingway had a relationship. It was “very strange.” Mark Twain: “Apparently, the Concord library has condemned Huck as ‘trash and only suitable for the slums.’ This will sell us another twenty-five thousand copies for sure!” Writers respond to having books banned. [tweetbutton] [facebook_ilike]