TODAY: In 1979, Soviet author and a war poet Konstantin Simonov (center), dies.
- “I, in my emphasis, as an Italics—stand out, bend over in reflection, not kowtowing under linguistic oppression.” Jumoke Verissimo on the politics of italics. | Lit Hub
- From Anderson Cooper to the world of truffles, five new audiobooks to cushion the blow of summer’s end. | Lit Hub
- “Do you like this book enough to press it to your crotch or breast?” Philippe Aronson on tracking down—and translating—his literary idol, Irving Rosenthal. | Lit Hub
- Murder most foul, or plain old hard living? On the unsolved mystery of Alexander the Great’s death. | Lit Hub
- At An Angry Reading Series, assertive ideas and confrontational writing beat calls for civility every time. | Lit Hub
- Too little, too late: on Purdue Pharma’s deafening silence in the face of the opioid crisis. | Lit Hub
- Local literary talent, friendly publishers, and a bookmobile: at Brooklyn’s 2019 Small Press Flea. | Lit Hub
- Too little, too late: on Purdue Pharma’s deafening silence in the face of the opioid crisis. | Lit Hub
- Women Talking, The Awakening, The Collected Stories of Lydia Davis, and more rapid-fire book recs from Catherine Lacey. | Book Marks
- Olivia Rutigliano on five 19th century women who beat the odds to become some of the earliest female detectives. | CrimeReads
- The Royal Mint, which makes special edition coins and medals, rejected a proposal to commemorate children’s author Enid Blyton over concerns about the late writer’s views on race and gender. | The Week
- “Oh, I love telling a story: beginning, middle, end. But there’s delight in telling a moment: the world turned over by a sudden encounter of unacquainted thoughts.” Barbara Kingsolver on the joys of writing poetry. | The Washington Post
- “What an elegant way to explore, support small businesses and dignify hoarding!” Lauren Oster recommends collecting a single book—like, say, 1984. | The New York Times
- On Stalingrad, “Vasily Grossman’s lost epic,” long censored, ignored, and shunned—but long brilliant, too. | The New Republic
- Some of the great women of 19th-century literature have been experiencing a pop cultural revival, from the fictional March sisters to Emily Dickinson herself—but just how modern should these reincarnations be? | The Guardian
- “I truly believe that everyone, even people who are terrible, deserve to have a voice.” Read an interview with Kimberly King Parsons. | The Paris Review
Also on Lit Hub: On Reading Women, Tina Kover talks building a career as a translator • Chris L. Terry on writing post-parenthood, on Otherppl • On the dangerous temptations of political contempt • Journalist Peter Hessler on moving to Egypt just before the revolution • Read from Colette Fellous’ first novel in English, This Tilting World (trans. Sophie Lewis).
