The Los Angeles Review of Books takes a look at the tormented life of Neustadt Prize laureate Czesław Miłosz through the lens of a new biography by Andrzej Franaszek.
At the library of Saint Catherine’s Monastery, the world’s oldest continually operating library located on the Sinai Peninsula, ancient manuscripts are being examined to reveal poems and religious texts that had been lost to time
At the library of Saint Catherine’s Monastery, the world’s oldest continually operating library located on the Sinai Peninsula, ancient manuscripts are being examined to reveal poems and religious texts that had been lost to time
Short works of nonfiction are in style. The Millions highlights notable volumes including recent and forthcoming works by Valeria Luiselli, Edwidge Danticat, Han Kang, and more.
How One Entrepreneur Is Trying To Make More Affordable Artist Studio Space
“I wanted to make a protected space,” Andrea Woodner offers, “where they don’t have to be completely bare-knuckled about the commercial environment. Here, they can be artists, think about and show their own work, and use the facility as an artist-run project space.” … [Read More]
Shannon Michael Cane, 43: He Transformed The World Of Art Book Fairs
One force behind the rise of these fairs was Shannon Michael Cane, an exuberant, heavily tattooed Australian expatriate and autodidact book aficionado who in 2013 took over the Printed Matter book fair in New York, the granddaddy of such gatherings. He proceeded to transform it into a radically inclusive affair, attended by venerable rare-book dealers alongside obscure zine makers so scrappy that they could barely afford the plane fare to participate.
The Fine Art Of Making (Fine) Books
Check out Gray Zeitz and the Larkspur Press in Kentucky: “Zeitz left the University of Kentucky in the winter of 1974, half a semester away from finishing an English degree. He’d been learning letterpress work – the way individually set type makes an impression on high-quality paper –- and he wanted to make fine books, especially poetry. At that time, the letterpress craft was fading as printers moved to faster offset printing. But to Zeitz the moment seemed right. He didn’t need electricity at first, or indoor plumbing. He’d grow tobacco to sell and they’d raise calves. Kentucky writers would be featured.”
Writing in The New York Times Magazine about former Neustadt juror Claire Messud and her new book, The Burning Girl, Ruth Franklin writes, “Her work quietly seethes at the idea that a woman needs to be ‘likable’ — or that a man should be the judge of her likability.”
Signature Reads has created a list of twelve books that tell a story within a story.
A 3D model of the Rosetta Stone has been digitally published by the British Museum for an unprecedented public access to the artifact.
Six contemporary poets shed light on their creative process and weigh in on the importance of revision.
Did you know the working title of The Great Gatsby was “Trimalchio in West Egg?” Electric Literature rounds up the working titles of famous novels
Banned Books Week is almost over. Mental Floss aggregates 10 classic books that have been banned over the years, Book Riot retitles 15 challenged books as clickbait, and theWashington Post asks, “Why are illustrated books being challenged more than ever?”
International Translation Day is this Saturday, September 30! Celebrate the day and read some recent articles by and about translators, like this interview with Ekin Oklap who recently translated Orhan Pamuk’s The Red-Haired Woman, or this interview with Allison Markin Powell, who has translated many Japanese authors into English. In this essay, Charlotte Mandell describes the “translator as medium,” and earlier this year Sholeh Wolpéwrote about her experience translating the “cheeky humor and poetic imagination” of Attar.
Are you an aspiring translator in a translation studies program? International Translation Day also marks the inaugural launch of the World Literature Today Translation Prize! The prize is open for entries through January 1, 2018.
WLT contributor Kazim Ali chats about his recent book of musical poetry and the tenor of life for a Muslim writer during the Trump presidency.
BBC published the shortlist for its 12th annual National Short Story Award. The winner is set to be announced October 3.
WLT contributor Cynthia Haven has penned a tribute to poet Julia Hartwig, who was known as the “Grand Dame of Polish poetry.”
In this new essay, general editor of the Norton Anthology of World Literature Martin Puchner traces the history of world literature from Goethe to World Literature Today.
Via Ploughshares, Daniel Peña explains the importance of “reading Baldwin after Harvey” and how climate change is also a social justice issue.
Little Fires Everywhere novelist Celeste Ng explains how the surprising structure ofGoodnight Moon informs her work.
The inaugural annual Honey & Wax Book Collecting Prize winner was just announced. It’s never too early to start preparing for next year!
Known as the “book women,” these women rode miles on horseback to deliver library books. Take a look at Atlas Obscura’s selection of images of the Kentucky pack horse librarians.
The Nation has published a newly discovered short story by Kurt Vonnegut titled Requiem for Zeitgeist.