Eleanor Catton’s 848-page second novel THE LUMINARIES won the Booker Prize, awarded in London on Tuesday night. At 28, she is the youngest Booker winner ever. Little, Brown just published the book in the US earlier in the day, though it was issued previously in the UK (Granta) and her home of New Zealand (Victoria University Press). Little, Brown published her debut novel The Rehearsal as well. In thanking her publishers, Catton noted wryly that it “was a publisher’s nightmare,” since “the shape and form of the book made certain types of editorial suggestions…not only mathematically impossible, but also astrologically impossible.” (A […]
Awards
Tonight’s Booker
The Booker Prize will be awarded this evening in London. Jim Crace’s HARVEST has been the bettors’ favorite from the start and remains so today, albeit by a small margin. Based on historical trends, that makes it highly likely Crace will not actually win, since except for Hilary Mantel, the Booker “favorite” almost always loses. Eleanor Catton’s 848-page The Luminaries is a close second in the betting, and is finally on sale in the US today. There’s some question as to how much is actually wagered on the prize, though. The Telegraph says that “a mere £24” has been bet on […]
Setterfield Tops November Library List
The new LibraryReads initiative has announced their third monthly list of librarian favorites for November. Their No 1. pick is Diane Setterfield’s new novel, which also appears on the November IndieNext list (as do three other titles.) The full list: Diane Setterfield, Bellman & Black Julia Spencer-Fleming, Through the Evil Days Pat Conroy, The Death of Santini Joshilyn Jackson, Someone Else’s Love Story Amy Tan, The Valley of Amazement James Whitfield Thompson, Lies You Wanted to Hear P.S. Duffy, The Cartographer of No Man’s Land Barry Maitland, The Raven’s Eye Lene Kaaberbol & Agnete Friis, Death of a Nightingale Mira […]
Munro Wins the Nobel
The Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded this morning to Alice Munro, cited briefly as “master of the contemporary short story.” She is the 13th woman and first Canadian (aside from 1976 winner Saul Bellow, born near Montreal) to win the literature prize, which comes one year after her most recent short story collection DEAR LIFE and several months after telling the National Post and the New York Times she had retired from writing. In a follow-up interview with press Swedish Academy permanent secretary Peter Englund said: “I think no one has better deconstructed the central myth of modern romantic […]
People, Etc.
Melina Gerosa Bellows has been promoted to publisher of National Geographic Books, adding responsibility for sales, marketing and distribution to her current role as National Geographic’s chief creative officer for Books, Kids and Family. Ken Rhodes has been promoted to managing director, NBN International. Will Lach is joining the American Museum of Natural History as director, licensing and publishing. Previously he was manager of product development, Department of Printed Product, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. At the Stuart Krichevsky Literary Agency, Ross Harris has been promoted to literary agent. At Harper Children’s, Melissa Miller has been promoted to editor […]
Forthcoming: Nobel Literature Prize Announced Thursday; Morning Joe Hosts For National Book Awards; Russell Novella Leads Atavist Books List; and More
Just in time for Frankfurt, the Nobel Prize for Literature will announce its winner on Thursday, October 10, at 7 AM EDT. The National Book Awards will be hosted by “Morning Joe” co-hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, Crain’s reported in advance of this morning’s official announcement. The show will also announce the award shortlists on October 16, repeating the same gambit as last year. Perseus ceo and National Book Foundation chairman David Steinberger said of Morning Joe duo, “If you want to reach the broader culture, they are the perfect vehicle”, but he is also their publisher (via Perseus […]