Natasha Trethewey has been named the newest Poet Laureate by the US Library of Congress.
NYT
Philip Roth has won Spain’s Asturias Prize, given to an author “whose literary work represents a significant contribution to universal literature.”
The Overlook Press will publish The Russian Library, an “ambitious one hundred and twenty five volume series of translated Russian fiction, drama, and poetry”, over the next ten years, the publisher announced Wednesday at BEA. Overlook is working with (and is sponsored by) Read Russia on the project, which will feature classic and contemporary Russian works and launch in Fall 2013 with five volumes, continuing with 10 books annually.
“The goal of THE RUSSIAN LIBRARY is to transcend the well-respected classics and broaden the awareness of Russian culture by making available for the first time in uniform editions these important works of literature, so many barely known outside Russia” Overlook president and publisher Peter Mayer said in a statement.”The English language is the key. Obviously a uniform series is easier and is more commonly published in the original language; however, this Russian project has value both for Americans and British readers and internationally as well, as English comes as close to a lingua franca as one can get. Our intent is to expand the appreciation of Russian literature wherever Russian isn’t widely spoken.”
Correcting Wednesday’s item about the passing of thriller writer Paul Sussman, Grove/Atlantic will publish his forthcoming novel THE LABYRINTH OF OSIRIS in November in the US.