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American audiences will have a chance to read Geling Yan's novel, originally published in China as The 13 Women of Nanjing, when Other Press publishes The Flowers of War, Nicky Harman's translation, in January 2012. Meanwhile, a film adaptation of The Flowers of War, directed by Zhang Yimou and starring Christian Bale, is set for a December 16 release in China; it will open in U.S. theaters later this month.
A community rallies to save New Hampshire's RiverRun Books; the New York Times details a weekly meeting of the young writers who edit The New Inquiry; three titles relating to the Occupy movement are scheduled to be published; and other news.
Indian American oncologist and author Siddhartha Mukherjee is honored for his "anthropomorphism of a disease" in The Emperor of All Maladies (Fourth Estate), which has won the Guardian First Book Award. According judge Lisa Allardice, Mukherjee, who began the part-memoir, part-biography in an effort to contextualize cancer for one of his patients, "has managed to balance such a vast amount of information with lively narratives, combining complicated science with moving human stories. Far from being intimidating, it's a compelling, accessible book."
The only nonfiction title on the shortlist for the award, The Emperor of All Maladies, which also took the Pulitzer Prize this year, beat out four novels for the ten-thousand-pound prize (roughly $15,700). Also competing for Guardian First Book Award were American Amy Waldman's post-9/11 novel, The Submission (William Heinemann); Down the Rabbit Hole (And Other Stories Publishing) by Juan Pablo Villalobos of Mexico and translated by Rosalind Harvey; The Collaborator (Viking) by Mirza Waheed of Kashmir; and Pigeon English by British novelist Stephen Kelman (Bloomsbury), whose debut was also shortlisted for this year's Booker Prize.
"You never write books to win awards—they are immensely gratifying but unexpected," Mukherjee said. "In recognizing The Emperor of All Maladies, the judges have also recognized the extraordinary courage and resilience of the men and women who struggle with illness, and the men and women who struggle to treat illnesses."
In the video below, the author discusses the origins of the book, and how it evolved into a biography of a disease.
The New York Times lists the ten best books of 2011; Deadwood creator David Milch has contracted to adapt William Faulker's works for HBO; novelist Jennifer Gilmore writes of meeting a potential birth mother; and other news.
Browse the greeting card section of a local store, looking for an occasion card or one with an image that attracts you. Based on the image or the occasion of the card, write a letter from one imagined character to another. Send the card to its intended recipient, c/o your address. When you receive it in the mail, use it as the entry point to a story.
Having friends and family over for the holidays? Check out this trailer for the second issue of Kinfolk Magazine then visit www.kinfolkmag.com to learn more about the quarterly magazine of essays, interviews, art, and photography that caters to the growing community of artists with a shared interest in small gatherings.
Novelist Glen David Gold writes of Faulkner and literary relationships; Gabriel García Márquez wins a seventeen-year legal battle; Quentin Rowan, whose plagiarized novel was recently pulled from the shelves, has published a confession; and other news.
"Our lives, our cultures, are composed of many overlapping stories." At the TED conference two years ago, novelist Chimamanda Adichie warned that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding.
Novelist Keith Gessen details his two days held in New York City's infamous jail the Tombs; a new literary feud has developed between Niall Ferguson and Pankaj Mishra; poet John Ashbery speaks with Time; and other news.
