There’s been much ink spilled over the past few days about the San Francisco Opera’s upcoming production of Amy Tan’s The Bonesetter’s Daughter, with Tan writing the libretto herself after director Stuart Wallace “badgered” her into it, saying the novel “must be an opera.” As for her hopes for the opera, she tells Newsweek “part of it has been fulfilled already, as I’ve had this amazing musical experience. If people respond enthusiastically, I’ll be grateful. But even terrible reviews cannot diminish its success for me personally. It will hurt, but I won’t regret doing what’s been so fulfilling.” Meanwhile, reactions […]
Authors
On Mahmoud Darwish, 67
The Palestinian poet, author and politician died Saturday night in Houston from complications following heart surgery. Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas declared three days of mourning yesterday for the man he deemed “the pioneer of the modern Palestinian cultural project.”NYTGuardian
Coelho on His "Online Journey"
Novelist Paulo Coelho writes in the New Statesman about his decade-long adventures in connecting with fans and readers electronically. His starting point was significantly different from that of many of his peers: “in my case, I was never very keen on the notion of the reclusive author working in solitude, and have always tried to interact with my readers. So I’ve spent a lot of time on my website, knowing that it is one of the rare public platforms, besides the traditional book signing, open to me.” That genuine desire for constructive engagement with his audience, and a creative willingness […]
Rushdie Threat Buys a Week
We scoffed, but UK publisher John Blake is postponing publication of ON HER MAJESTY’S SERVICE until August 11 so that Salman Rushdie can read the book. Founder John Blake tells the Bookseller, “We are hoping when he reads it, and sees that it’s fair, he will withdraw his objections. When he reads the whole thing, I’m sure he’ll feel it’s a great book . . . he’ll probably have a chuckle.” We’ll take that bet.Bookseller
Rushdie Takes the Bait; Threatens to Sue
File it under smart people who do dumb things. Instead of ignoring, or laughing off, the book ON HER MAJESTY’S SERVICE by Ron Evans, who guarded Rushdie when he was in hiding, the knighted author is threatening to sue–which doesn’t really invalidate the book’s assertions. Rushdie tells the Guardian, “He is portraying me as mean, nasty, tight-fisted, arrogant and extremely unpleasant. In my humble opinion I am none of those things.” He gives them paragraphs of quotes and denials, culminating in this: “This is not a free speech issue, this is libel – there is a difference between those two […]
Lace Reader on NPR
Follow the link below to hear LACE READER author Brunonia Barry on NPR’s Morning Edition. Part of the story focuses on her successful adventure in self-publishing. “Barry’s husband, Gary Ward, encouraged her to self-publish; she says if it had not been for him, the book might still be sitting in a drawer. Barry and Ward have their own software publishing business, which served as a base for the venture. “We thought, ‘We can do this, we’re already publishers,’ Barry remembers. ‘It’s kind of a laugh now, because you run into so many things you never anticipated.'” Manager of the Spirit […]