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Charles McGrath speaks with author Alice Munro about her retirement; John Brownlee investigates the inner workings of an Amazon fulfillment center; Stephen Burt responds to a recent Harper’s essay by Mark Edmundson; and other news.
The author of thirteen books of essays, short stories, and nonfiction—winner of the National Book Award, the Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and numerous other honors—talks about the landscape of his home in western Oregon and the art of storytelling in this video from Open Road Media.
"For the poetry reader...there are certain emotions you are allowed to feel—sadness, love—but this is such a miserable choice of all the emotions one feels," writes Craig Raine in the English Review. "One feels anger, boredom, chilliness—quite strong emotions, but they don't get much of a run in poetry, and I think they should." Write a poem about anger or boredom or any other "nonpoetic" emotion. If you have trouble getting started, try using the first line of John Berryman's devastating "Dream Song 14": "Life, friends, is boring. We must not say so."
The merger of Penguin and Random House is complete; Ron Rosenbaum examines what mysteries can be gleaned from the letters of J. D. Salinger; Anna North explains why she hates books; and other news.
Based on Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Cormac McCarthy's debut screenplay, The Counselor is the story of a lawyer who gets in over his head when he gets into the drug-trafficking business. Directed by Ridley Scott and starring Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt, Javier Bardem, Cameron Diaz, and Penélope Cruz, The Counselor is scheduled to open in theaters October 25.
At what point is an author justified in ending his relationship with his agent?
Writers leave their agents, and vice versa, for any number of reasons, so the point at which to do so varies. If you do decide it’s time to end the relationship, it’s wise to do it gracefully. If that agent has sold any of your work, chances are you’ll have ongoing contact regarding that project or projects. It’s good to apply the law of diminishing returns. Also, ask yourself: Do you have serious misgivings about the quality of service you’re receiving? Do you believe the agent’s goals are aligned with yours? At the same time, remind yourself that no one is perfect—the grass is not always greener—and that presumably you and your agent began the relationship by working toward a common goal, and to do so again could simply require a discussion and renewal of vows, so to speak.
New online platforms like Hostr are bridging the gap between virtual and in-real-life communities.
Cover subject Neil Gaiman recently visited the Daily Beast to speak about his new novel, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, published by William Morrow. Pick up the current issue, on newsstands now, to read Michele Filgate's interview with the best-selling author.
The Seattle Public Library launched its 2013 Summer Reading Program by triggering the world's longest book domino chain. It took seven hours and twenty-seven volunteers to line up 2,131 books. After five failed attempts, they set a new world record.
Ian Buruma looks at Chinese dissident Liao Yiwu’s harrowing new memoir; Digital Book World says not to count out Barnes & Noble; Book Riot visits the oldest bookstore in the world; and other news.
