It’s difficult to find a Russian author of note who has not written for SNOB, billionaire Mikhail Prokorov’s luxury lit mag. By Daniel Kalder Going back to the 19th century literary journals have played an important role in Russian culture. Indeed, no lesser a figure than Dostoevsky edited not one, but two following his return from Siberian exile. After 1917, …
What is Your Worst Book Fair Experience?
By Edward Nawotka It’s April Fool’s Day and in honor of today’s feature about Amanda DeMarco’s thwarted effort to cover SIEL, aka the Casablanca Book Fair, we ask you to share your worst book fair experience with the world. (What’s more, no one will know if you’re telling the truth or not….?)
Casablanca Book Fair Roulette
A dramedy of errors starring North African literati, Italian bureaucrats, and an innocent American journalist lost among the phone trees of Morocco. By Amanda DeMarco MOROCCO: The road to SIEL is paved with good intentions. This I learned while trying to write an article for Publishing Perspectives on the SIEL (Salon international de l’édition et du livre) Book Fair in …
Is Pamphleteering and “Long Form” Publishing the Hot New Trend?
By Edward Nawotka Today’s feature discusses Stéphane Hessel, France’s 93-year old publishing phenomenon and the success of his 14-page political essay, Indignez vous! (Time for Outrage!). The book is just one example of a larger trends toward publishing short — in fact much shorter — works and selling them online. You might call it the resurrection of pamphleteering. Ironically, online, …
A Million-Copy Besteller at Age 93: Stéphane Hessel and Indignez vous!
Stéphane Hessel is France’s 93-year old publishing phenomenon with his 14-page political essay, Indignez vous! released in October 2010
The Atavist: New Publisher/E-Reading Platform to Launch Soon
By Hannah Johnson What can you do with a 7,000-word article or essay? Magazines typically won’t run something that long; blog readers won’t take the time to read something that long, and book buyers won’t pay for something that short. Enter The Atavist, a new e-reading startup founded by two journalists with a lot to say and not enough space …
Nicolas Gary: France’s Digital Man of Letters
By Olivia Snaije In a corner of the traditional, safe and slightly musty world of French publishing, Nicolas Gary, the principal founder of Actualitté, a website and daily newsmagazine on French and international publishing, is a blast of fresh air. The Canadian-born 30-year old, a fan of Frank Herbert’s Dune but also of poet Saint-John Perse, founded Actualitté with three …
In the Digital Age, Is Plagiarism an Acceptable Literary Technique?
The digital age is rife with writers whose sole technique appears to be cut, paste, modify. Edward Nawotka asks, has this become the new norm?
Can Fiction Be Trusted to Tell the Truth?
By Edward Nawotka In today’s lead story, José Rodrigues dos Santos discusses the complicated relationship between truth and fiction, in both journalism and novels. He argues in favor of using “the best tool available” to get closest to the truth. His new novel, The Einstein Enigma, imagines the discovery of a heretofore unknown manuscript by Albert Einstein, titled simply, Die Gottesformel: The God …
Did Sebastian Junger Go Too Far in Calling His Book “War”?
By Edward Nawotka Lewis Manalo, a veteran of the war in Afghanistan, thinks so. In today’s editorial, he argues that Junger’s War is riddled with bad reporting, significant omissions, and is condescending to the soldiers themselves. The problem may start with the title, which is almost absurd in its presumption. Read theeditorial and let us know what you think in …