TODAY: In 1934, Nigerian playwright and poet Akinwande Oluwole “Wole” Babatunde Soyinka, the first African to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, is born.
- 11 very short stories you could read right now (and should). | Literary Hub
- I was 13 years late with my novel and that’s ok. | Literary Hub
- Forty years before Wonder Woman: on Marvel’s first female superhero written by a woman. | Literary Hub
- Akhil Sharma on writing the dark side of India. | Literary Hub
- What Mr. Vonnegut lacks in fervor he more than makes up in fun: A 1952 review of Kurt Vonnegut’s first novel. | Book Marks
- The longlist for the 2017 First Novel Prize has been announced. | The Center for Fiction
- It is strange to think that, to readers, this story means nothing like what it means to me: Akhil Sharma on why he hates his most lauded short story. | The New Yorker
- “The idea of a place famous for being unfamous, that once thought it could fool Apollo, only made me more curious.” Alexander Chee on the Greek island of Sifnos. | The New York Times
- Agatha Christie’s personal correspondence, which reveals that the author was “not without vanity,” will be displayed at the Theakston Old Peculier crime writing festival. | The Guardian
- “How does this 1920s novel hewn from reflections on racial terrorism remain so terribly relevant, and how do those who worship whiteness continue to sow and feed on fear?” On Jean Toomer’s Cane. | Lapham’s Quarterly
- 27 female authors who “rule sci-fi and fantasy right now,” from Rainbow Rowell to Nnedi Okorafor. | Entertainment Weekly
- “When I’m writing my weird stuff, I feel less concerned that my particular brand of weirdness will wear out its welcome in a shorter space.” An interview with Elizabeth Crane. | Los Angeles Review of Books
Also on Lit Hub: Working with Jim Harrison: Terry McDonell on the dangers of editing a poet · Pico Iyer in conversation with Paul Holdengraber · Take a first look at James Kelman’s Dirt Road.
