Russian publishers—specifically, an organization called the Russian Book Union (RKC)—are concerned that a new “LGBQT Propaganda” bill could lead to the banning of Russian classics by the likes of Dostoevsky and Bulgakov. According to independent Russian news organization Meduza: …the Read more >
Craig Finn is the lead singer of a band called The Hold Steady and I have always loved his songwriting. Finn is something like a poet laureate of Midwestern malaise, extracting tragicomic pathos from a particular kind of exurban fuckery Read more >
L’Engle-lovin’ theater kids of the world, rejoice: a stage musical of A Wrinkle in Time, one of the most acclaimed and beloved children’s books of the 20th century, is in the works. The adaptation of Madeleine L’Engle’s Newbury Award-winning 1962 novel Read more >
The T. S. Eliot Prize, the prestigious literary prize that honors new poetry collections in the UK, has announced its shortlist of 10 books. Judges Jean Sprackland, Hannah Lowe and Roger Robinson determined the shortlist from a record submission pool Read more >
It started when Cara Caddoo, a film scholar, noticed that a few moments in a century-old film didn’t look quite right. Her questions grew into a major discovery, announced this week by the Library of Congress: that the oldest surviving Read more >
Most of the editors at well-established literary journal Hobart resigned yesterday [UPDATE: the resignation letter was deleted by the new editor but will be reposted soon] over a recent interview published at the site. The interview—with writer Alex Perez—was conducted Read more >
Some exciting spring book news: Random House will publish Curtis Sittenfeld’s seventh novel in April. And as both a Sittenfeld completist and an unabashed rom-com lover (NB: this does not include Netflix rom-coms), I’m very excited by both the novel’s Read more >
John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation has announced the 25 recipients of its 2022 fellowships (colloquially known as the “genius grant”), and as ever, the group represents a fascinating array of people at the tops of their diverse fields. Read more >
Literary Hub is pleased to reveal the cover for Jai Chakrabarti’s A Small Sacrifice for an Enormous Happiness, forthcoming from Penguin Random House in February 2023. The book, comprised of 14 short stories, details what family means today across cultures, continents, Read more >
In Jordan Kisner’s recent, long profile of Cate Blanchett for The New York Times, there’s a fascinating detail that came and went so quickly that it was almost easy to miss: Blanchett is, apparently, working on a stage version of Lucy Read more >
The Paris Review has announced that Vivian Gornick will receive the 2023 Hadada Award, which recognizes lifetime achievement and is given to “a distinguished member of the writing community who has made a strong and unique contribution to literature.” Mona Read more >
Big news for the (in my experience, huge) Venn diagram center of book lovers and Top Chef fans: Padma Lakshmi will host this year’s National Book Awards. Lakshmi is the bestselling author of multiple cookbooks as well as a children’s book Read more >
A new trailer (below) for Sarah Polley’s adaptation of Miriam Toews’s Women Talking just dropped and it’s beautiful. Whereas the novel—which is brilliant—can have an almost claustrophobic feeling, Polley seems to be letting the light in a bit, evoking the Read more >
In case you didn’t notice all the costumes on the subway, New York Comic Con, the nerdiest event of the year, was held last weekend at New York City’s Javits Center. As always, the four day convention was full of Read more >
It is a very Monday-ish Tuesday, but at least that means there are only—count ’em—four days left in the work week and all these new books to fawn over. * Lydia Millet, Dinosaurs (W. W. Norton) “There is something new Read more >
Yes, there is a library in Ankara composed entirely of books thrown out (presumably) by people who hate reading (or who work in publishing). After Turkish garbage collectors began finding more and more trashed books, they decided to start organizing Read more >
If you tore through Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s 2019 novel Fleishman Is in Trouble with as much relish as I did (and based on critical and internet commenter response to the book, you did), chances are you’ve been eagerly awaiting the release of its Read more >
In what marks a glorious return to filmmaking after a nearly 20-year absence, John Waters (Baltimore’s favorite son and American cinema’s favorite degenerate) will write and direct an adaptation of his 2022 debut novel, Liarmouth: A Feel-Bad Romance. The adaptation, to Read more >
Welcome to Life Advice for Book Lovers, Lit Hub’s advice column. You tell me what’s eating you in an email to deardorothea@lithub.com, and I’ll tell you what you should read next. * Dear Dorothea, I’m usually such a good reader—and I Read more >
More than 2 million children just became eligible for free books: California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed Senate Bill 1183 to establish Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Program in the state and specify how it will operate. The program will use Read more >
