The inaugural Folio Prize winner is Tenth of December, by George Saunders. I just posted a few brief thoughts on this last week when the book picked up The Story Prize (see that post here). But this does just reconfirm that I need to put aside my old grievances and give the remaining stories in the … Read more
Today (a day early) the 2014 Independent Foreign Fiction Prize longlist was announced. I love this time of year! Below is the list, which includes the UK covers and blurbs from the UK publishers, this being a UK publication prize. I’ve read three of the fifteen titles (thought two of the three were excellent) and, where applicable, have … Read more
The newly branded Bailey’s Women’s Prize for Fiction (formerly the Orange Prize and then, for one year, the Women’s Prize) longlist was just announced. The shortlist will be announced on April 7, and the winner (who gets a check for £30,0000) on June 4. Here are the titles, along with their UK covers (soon) (this … Read more
Tonight they announced that Tenth of December, by George Saunders, has won this years Story Prize (click here for the official post at The Story Prize website). I have read most of the stories in Tenth of December, and I liked maybe half of them. The rest felt like he was relying on a formula, … Read more
The Literature Translation Institute of Korea has been actively working to showcase English translations of modern Korean literature. Last year, they collaborated with Dalkey Archive to bring out the first ten of a planned twenty-five book set of modern Korean literature “aim[ed] to introduce the intellectual and aesthetic diversity of contemporary Korean writing to English … Read more
Today the inaugural Folio Prize shortlist was announced, and it’s filled with some interesting stuff: Red Doc>, by Anne Carson Schroder, by Amity Gaige Last Friends, by Jane Gardam Benediction, by Kent Haruf The Flame Throwers, by Rachel Kushner A Girl Is a Half-Formed Thing, by Eimer McBride A Naked Singularity, by Sergio De La … Read more
Today the American Library Association announced its 2014 youth media award winners, which includes, among other awards, the Newbery Medal, the Caldecott Medal, and the Printz Award. Here are those winners (I’d link to their website for a list of all winners, but their website has always been atrocious and hard to access — it’s … Read more
I missed it earlier this week, but the finalists for The Story Prize were announced (see here for the official announcement). Archangel, by Andrea Barrett Bobcat, by Rebecca Lee Tenth of December, by George Saunders My vote goes to Archangel, by Andrea Barrett. Though I should admit I have not read the entirety of any of these … Read more
Today the NBCC announced their finalists. Fiction: Americanah, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Someone, by Alice McDermott The Infatuations, by Javier Marías (my review here) A Tale for the Time Being, by Ruth Ozeki The Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt Nonfiction: Whitey Bulger: America’s Most Wanted Gangster and the Manhunt that Brought Him to Justice, by Kevin … Read more
Between the two of us (and Betsy is nearly 100%), Betsy and I read and posted thoughts on every New Yorker story this year. Here are our six favorites. You’ll notice Betsy and I diverge quite a bit (and though I didn’t post on each of her favorites, I have read them all). How on … Read more