We’re celebrating Fyodor Dostoevsky’s 199th birthday by looking at him through the lens of Vladimir Nabokov, who insulted Dostoevsky every chance he could. Nabokov was a famously harsh critic, calling Hemingway “hopelessly juvenile” and Ezra Pound’s work “pretentious nonsense”—but some Read more >
The Dayton Literary Peace Prize, first awarded in 2006, honors an author and recognizes a work of fiction and nonfiction that promotes peace, social justice, and global understanding. The winner from each category receives a cash prize of $10,000. Previous Read more >
Happy 98th birthday, Kurt Vonnegut—and congratulations! IFC Films has acquired the North American rights to the documentary Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck in Time, with plans to release the film in the summer of 2021. Unstuck in Time follows the celebrated, power-critiquing, Read more >
Feature photo by Dan Hadani, used with permission of The Singer Literary Trust. Singer often feels like a familiar entity—yet he never ceases to surprise. As discussed in this companion essay, he is known as a storyteller and memoirist, but Read more >
Aside from the fear and anxiety and loneliness of the pandemic many people have picked up diversionary non-digital habits over the last eight months: baking, gardening, woodworking, and, of course, constructing elaborate miniature gourmet meals for the local chipmunk. Since Read more >
It was announced earlier today that MGM is teaming with Brad Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment, Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Films, and director Kamilah Forbes on a film adaptation of National Book Award-winner Ta-Nehisi Coates’ 2019 bestselling novel, The Water Dancer. Coates’ Read more >
As the possibility of a vaccine becomes more real and we start to ask what art will look like after COVID, it’s worth looking back on not just all the bad quarantine writing but all the thoughtful, immediate quarantine writing as Read more >
In the last four years, there have been so many Trump books. Many have been massive bestsellers. Many have dominated the headlines, steered the conversation for days. So can you really blame any publishing house for jumping at the chance Read more >
You know what they say: November is the new December! When’s the best time to support your local bookstore and get holiday gifts? Well, there’s no time like the present. (Get it?) (I’m sorry.) (But seriously, support your favorite indie and Read more >
Kamala Harris-related books have seen a sharp increase in popularity post-Biden/Harris presidential win. On Sunday, a whopping four books on Amazon’s Top 10 bestsellers list were either about or penned by the vice president-elect. The books in question: Harris’s memoir Read more >
Hey, you! Yes, you, Big Little Lies tertiary character. You, person who put “Hermès Dreamcatcher” on your wedding registry. You, mostly harmless but debilitatingly-cosseted pigeon. Incinerate your detoxifying Charcoal Body Scrub Towel, peel off your Body Vibes Smart Stickers, melt Read more >
The Scotiabank Giller Prize, founded in 1994, recognizes the best Canadian fiction of the year. With a cash prize of $100,000, the Award is one of the largest Canadian literary prizes. Previous winners include Esi Edugyan, Elizabeth Hay, and Sean Michaels. Read more >
Looking for a fragrance that conjures the smell of ancient scrolls and aged books? Look no further for your strangely specific wish: Powell’s Books is selling it. The fragrance, called “Powell’s by Powell’s,” promises to “deliver the wearer to a place Read more >
As COVID cases surge to record numbers and Republicans flirt with a paper coup the future of the nation’s bookstores remains perilous. Yes, we all have a lot to worry about—but if you care about that unwieldy, amorphous thing called Read more >
After a very nerve-wracking few weeks, the declaration of a new President-elect, and multiple attempts by the Trump administration to dispute the results of the election, the Associated Press is here to ask the question that really matters: Does voting Read more >
Today, Aspen Words announced the longlist for the 2021 Aspen Words Literary Prize, which honors a piece of fiction that speaks to our contemporary moment. The Award, which comes with a $35,000 cash prize, is one of the largest literary Read more >
By my count, 2020 has seen the publication of quite a few books featuring cannibalism. From Maria Dahvana Headley’s new translation of Beowulf to Shalom Auslander’s Mother for Dinner, this has been the year of books that feature people eating people. Honestly, Read more >
Poet Paul Tran has sold their debut poetry collection, All the Flowers Kneeling, to Paul Slovak at Penguin Books as part of the Penguin Poets series. According to the publisher, All the Flowers Kneeling catalogs “the emotional and psychological transformation Read more >
Do you feel old yet? If the answer is yes, then join the club! Today, director and author Matthew A. Cherry announced via Twitter that Blue Ivy Carter (that’s right: Beyoncé and Jay Z’s eight-year-old daughter) is the narrator of Read more >
I’ve written before of my love for postcards; throughout this year, those that I’ve received have been well-packaged morale boosters, pleasant breaks from the monotony of this non-time. The literary magazine The Common is back this fall with a fun yearly tradition, Read more >
