In the 19th century, politicians increasingly turned out memoirs as campaign books. The writing shifted from ideas and policies to character and personality. The writings of Andrew Jackson, a colorful veteran of wars and duels, exemplified this change. – Washington Post
Category: words
London Book Fair Canceled Over COVID Fears
The event was already set to be a ghost town when it opened its doors, after publishers and rights agencies began withdrawing en masse over the last week. Some of the world’s biggest, including Penguin Random House, HarperCollins and Hachette had already pulled out, as had Amazon and a host of literary agencies including Curtis Brown. – The Guardian
How Did Scholars Figure Out That Homer’s Epics Were Oral, Not Written, Literature?
In the late 19th century, few believed that anyone, literate or not, could have memorized something as long as the Iliad or Odyssey. (The main argument at the time was whether “Homer” was one person or many; the two sides were the Unitarians and the Analysts.) Who established that Homer’s verse was recited by heart? A clever Harvard professor, helped by some Bosnian bards. – JSTOR Daily
‘If You Give A Mouse A Cookie’ — Beloved Children’s Book Or Cautionary Tale About Welfare Dependency?
If you think that’s a ridiculous question, the woman who wrote this article agrees with you. But it became a question nonetheless, thanks in part to (no surprise here) the American Enterprise Institute. Rebecca Christie explains how this happened and (for those who haven’t read the book) just why it’s ridiculous. – Slate
Two Veteran Chicago Tribune Reporters Search For Someone To Buy The Paper
Late last year, a one-third share of the Tribune was purchased by Alden Global Capital, an equity firm notorious for buying newspapers and stripping them bare. Contractual issues prevent Alden from acquiring a controlling share until June — so a pair of Tribune investigative reporters is using every tool they have to find some other, more sympathetic buyer. Are they having any success? – The New Yorker
James McBridge Says That New Writers Need To Know The Simplest Story Might Be The Best
McBride is also a realist, which is why he loves novels. “In the real world, villains too often succeed and heroes, too often die. … In novels you can move matters around … you get to show the best side of people. You get to show redemption, and forgiveness, and you get to show the parts of people that most of us never get to see.” – NPR
A List Of All The Books Referenced In The Brilliant British Comedy ‘Sex Education’
Perhaps you haven’t yet watched the Gillian Anderson-fueled comedy (it’s streaming in the US on Netflix), but you should know that there’s a high school girl who is a love interest for Anderson’s character’s son. But more than that: “What we learn about Maeve over the course of the show is that she is, secretly, a real Lit Girl. While her classmates are drinking cheap beer at house parties, she’s home reading the classics.” – LitHub
What In The Heck Is Going To Happen To All Of Our Books?
At some point, academics and scholars but also fiction lovers have to face the facts: Kids or other descendants aren’t going to want all of those lovely books. What happens to them? (And, uh, everything else in a country that “has become awash in stuff.”) – Inside Higher Education
Of Course Ireland Has A Secret Tree Inscribed With Literary Autographs
Obviously. If you had to pick a country for this, Ireland would be high up on the list.”Though the centenarian tree’s stubborn, and frankly rude, refusal to stop growing has caused some of the names to warp a little over the decades, if you look closely you can still make out the signatures of such Gaelic literary luminaries as Sean O’Casey, … and, of course, the OG softboi of Irish poetry: W. B. Yeats.” – LitHub
When You’ve Devoured Hilary Mantel, These Are The Historical Novels You Could Hit Up Next
Sure, yes, we all love (reading about) Thomas Cromwell, but there’s a lot more history out there. “A novel set centuries ago has a freedom denied to fiction that goes back only decades, to times for which we still have records or even memories. Some contemporary novelists clearly find historical distance a liberation.” – The Guardian (UK)