Here’s a bit of weekend reading for you. The Angel’s Game author, Carlos Ruiz Zafón is interviewed in Time.
And to all of our American readers, happy Independence day.
Archive for the ‘author’ Category
Michael Jackson is Jack London in Call of the Weird
Friday, July 3rd, 2009
Call of the Wild first edition
The journalist fails to point out the irony of alias - there was also much controversy and debate about London’s death. Was it suicide? Was it an overdose of morphine?
A first edition of this classic book isn’t cheap - I wonder if Michael owned one. I suspect he did.
Salinger’s phony ban of Coming Through the Rye
Thursday, July 2nd, 2009
The banning of 60 Years Later: Coming Through the Rye by J.D. California reflects very badly on J.D. Salinger (not that he cares). This unauthorized sequel of The Catcher in the Rye is a bad book and would have sunk like a stone without any legal intervention. The big-hitting literary critics would have savaged it – they’d have done Salinger’s dirty work for free and probably in a very entertaining way. Most readers would have ignored it. The book is harmless but rubbish. Banning books is never a good thing and being a bad book is not a crime.
I’m sure Coming Through the Rye IS a sorry attempt to cash in on the fame of Catcher in the Rye but is that illegal, especially in America where cashing in is a way of life? The actual author, a Swede called Fredrik Colting, will probably keep pushing to get his book published because the publicity surrounding the book will make his efforts worthwhile. The curiosity factor surrounding this book is now very high, and all because America’s No.1 recluse went through the courts. In the meantime, the book has been published in Sweden and the UK. In today’s world of global bookselling, people will get their hands on copies so this storm in a tea cup will continue.
I believe Salinger lost control of his famous creation, Holden Caulfield, four decades ago. Holden Caulfield, the world’s first alienated teenager, became public property when Catcher in the Rye became required reading for all readers, and that happened a long time ago. How can some badly written book by a bloke from Sweden remotely damage the legacy of Salinger and his famous novel from 1951?
Alice Hoffman Apologizes for Scathing Twitter Remarks
Tuesday, June 30th, 2009
Ok…Alice Hoffman didn’t like The Boston Globe’s review of her new book, The Story Sisters. I totally understand - criticism can be hard to take, especially when it hacks apart a piece of work you’ve slaved over for goodness knows how long - but hey, everyone is entitled to an opinion. But Hoffman’s reaction won’t be in an updated version of How to Win Friends and Influence People any time soon.
Using Twitter, Hoffman made her feelings known - “Roberta Silman in the Boston Globe is a moron,” she tweeted. “Now any idiot can be a critic,” stated another tweet.
Criticized for her criticism of the criticism, Hoffman defended her actions saying, “Girls are taught to be gracious and keep their mouths shut. We don’t have to…And we writers don’t have to say nothing when someone tries to destroy us.” Then she added a cherry to the top by publishing Silman’s phone number and email address so that readers could could “Tell her what u think of snarky critics.” (Ironically, Silman didn’t get any phone calls as Hoffman got the number wrong.)
Interestingly, Hoffman’s Twitter account (@AliceHof) is currently offline…hmmm But Hoffman has come to her senses, or more likely her publicist has told her to fake it, and has made the following official statement:
I feel this whole situation has been completely blown out of proportion. Of course I was dismayed by Roberta Silman’s review which gave away the plot of the novel, and in the heat of the moment I responded strongly and I wish I hadn’t. I’m sorry if I offended anyone. Reviewers are entitled to their opinions and that’s the name of the game in publishing. I hope my readers understand that I didn’t mean to hurt anyone and I’m truly sorry if I did.
Best,
Alice Hoffman
Does an author have a right to defend his/her work? Of course they do but this really comes across as a “Tit-for-Tat” scenario. Quit with the childish name-calling and make your point in a mature, professional manner - that is of course, if you want to be taken seriously. (In my humble opinion, that is.) And fact of the matter is, not everyone is going to like your work…
About the book in question:
The Story Sisters by Alice Hoffman
Alice Hoffman’s previous novel, The Third Angel, was hailed as “an unforgettable portrait of the depth of true love” (USA Today), “stunning” (Jodi Picoult), and “spellbinding” (Miami Herald). Her new novel, The Story Sisters, charts the lives of three sisters–Elv, Claire, and Meg. Each has a fate she must meet alone: one on a country road, one in the streets of Paris, and one in the corridors of her own imagination. Inhabiting their world are a charismatic man who cannot tell the truth, a neighbor who is not who he appears to be, a clumsy boy in Paris who falls in love and stays there, a detective who finds his heart’s desire, and a demon who will not let go.
What does a mother do when one of her children goes astray? How does she save one daughter without sacrificing the others? How deep can love go, and how far can it take you? These are the questions this luminous novel asks.
At once a coming-of-age tale, a family saga, and a love story of erotic longing, The Story Sisters sifts through the miraculous and the mundane as the girls become women and their choices haunt them, change them and, finally, redeem them. It confirms Alice Hoffman’s reputation as “a writer whose keen ear for the measure struck by the beat of the human heart is unparalleled” (The Chicago Tribune).
Welsh Sci-Fi Author’s Unprecedented Deal
Wednesday, June 24th, 2009
Alastair Reynolds made a deal that’s out-of-this world. The science fiction author whose latest novel House of Suns was shortlisted for this year’s Arthur C. Clarke prize, has signed a 10-year, 10-book deal with Gollancz. For Reynolds, it’s a £1 million paycheque.
Born in south Wales, Reynolds spent 16 years as an astronomer with the European Space Agency in the Netherlands, also wrote short stories. In 2000, while working as an astrophysicist, he gained literary success with his debut novel, Revelation Space. In 2004, Reynolds switched career paths and took up writing full time.
According to Maxim Jakubowski, a science fiction expert, editor and writer, over the past decade there hasn’t been a deal with a science fiction writer of such sizable proportions. “A ten-book deal is almost unheard of, and is a real expression of faith,” he said. “He’s certainly in the top 10 of UK science fiction writers, if not the top five, and those I’ve read [of his] are absolutely wonderful.”