opinionated commentary on literary matters - from the complete review

The Literary Saloon Archive

21 - 30 April 2024

21 April: L.A. Times Book Prizes | The Sleepwalkers review
22 April: CWA Daggers longlists | The Novices of Lerna review
23 April: PEN America Literary Awards | Merve Emre Q & A | The Answer to Lord Chandos review
24 April: Deutscher Sachbuchpreis shortlist | Cullman fellows | Sudhir Kakar (1938-2024)
25 April: Women's Prize for Fiction shortlist | Helen Vendler (1933-2024) | How Nietzsche Came in From the Cold review
26 April: EBRD Literature Prize finalists | Surrealism
27 April: PEN World Voices Festival cancelled | RSL Ondaatje Prize shortlist | 'Chronicles' | Nicholas Royle Q & A
28 April: Bookselling in ... Japan | Kazakhstan's literary industry | Salome in Tehran
29 April: International Prize for Arabic Fiction | OCM Bocas Prize
30 April: VCU Cabell Award shortlist | Red Side Story review

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       VCU Cabell Award shortlist

       They've announced the shortlist for this year's VCU Cabell First Novelist Award -- "a tribute to debut novelists who have navigated their way through the complex worlds of imagination to arrive at a moving contribution to the literary arts" -- not yet at the official site, last I checked, but see, for example, their tweet.

(Posted by: M.A.Orthofer)    - permanent link -

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       Red Side Story review

       The most recent addition to the complete review is my review of Jasper Fforde's latest, Red Side Story, the second in his Shades of Grey-series.

(Posted by: M.A.Orthofer)    - permanent link -

       International Prize for Arabic Fiction

       They've announced the winner of this year's International Prize for Arabic Fiction, the leading Arabic-language novel prize, and it is قناع بلون السماء ('A Mask, the Colour of the Sky') by Basim Khandaqji, selected from 133 submitted titles.
       For those who want to read more into the selection: Palestinian author Khandaqji has been in jail since 2004, serving a life sentence for his involvement in a bombing.

(Posted by: M.A.Orthofer)    - permanent link -

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       OCM Bocas Prize

       They've announced the winner of this year's OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature, selected from the three category winners, with non-fiction winner Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair taking the prize; no word yet at the official site, last I checked, but see, for example, the Newsday report.
       See also the publicity pages for Say Babylon at 37 Ink and 4th Estate.

(Posted by: M.A.Orthofer)    - permanent link -

       Bookselling in ... Japan

       In The Japan Times Alex K.T.Martin reports that The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores -- even though, as he notes: "it's not a vocation for entrepreneurs looking to earn quick cash".
       The story doesn't sound great, as: "The number of bookstores nationwide [...] had plunged to 10,918 by March this year" -- and: "Over one-fourth of Japan's 1,741 municipalities no longer have any bookstores". But, hey, sure, maybe renting out shelves is the way of the future .....

(Posted by: M.A.Orthofer)    - permanent link -

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       Kazakhstan's literary industry

       At the Times of Central Asia they offer The Art of Words: Writer Andrei Orlov Discusses the Development of Kazakhstan’s Literary Industry.
       Gotta like the ... attitude ?

What are the main challenges facing Kazakhstani writers today ?

The challenge is not to die ! But jesting aside, there are many difficulties faced by contemporary authors.

       Among the other issues: "People in Kazakhstan are still unused to reading their writers" .....
       So, yes, hoping to see more Kazakh literature in translation seems like a really tall order. Maybe someday .....

(Posted by: M.A.Orthofer)    - permanent link -

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       Salome in Tehran

       My new novel Salome in Graz explores, among other things, the evolution of the Salome-story and the many variations on it, and while in the novel the 1906 performance of Strauss' opera in Graz is presented as the *definitive* performance -- the be-all, end-all -- the play and the opera and other variations on the story continue to appear (see, for example, my recent mention of Atom Egoyan's latest film, Seven Veils).
       The opera is regularly performed worldwide -- catch it next at the Opéra Bastille in Paris, where it's on 9 through 28 May -- but Wilde's play is staged much less frequently (never mind the many other stage-versions, very few of which are revived). There was a rare production of a stage Salome just a few months ago, however -- in Tehran, of all places, directed by Babak Parham; see, for example, the Tehran Times preview-report from November, Adaptation of “Salome” to go on stage at Tehran theater; there's also basic cast and production information, as well as photographs, -- and lots of comments -- at the Tiwall page; see also a trailer of sorts on Instagram, with Salome-actor Nakisa Oqbai getting made up, plus some stills.


       The Tehran Times describes it as an "an adaptation of Irish poet and playwright Oscar Wilde's play", but Parham's note about the play (studiously ?) avoids mention of that source-material -- while the summary of the 'review-session' of the play had the first speaker describe it as 'a new reading of Oscar Wilde's work', and obviously Wilde's play influenced Parham's version -- though other participants also mention other source material.
       Most interesting is what was presumably the biggest change: Parham's سالومه is a one-woman play. This obviously allowed him to avoid the overt ... passions that are so prominent in Wilde's play and the opera-version (and which would presumably not fly in Iran ...) -- as well as doing without Herodias --, but also allows/makes for a focus entirely on the figure of Salome.
       It seems unlikely this will be produced or published outside Iran anytime soon; a shame, I'm very curious about it.

(Posted by: M.A.Orthofer)    - permanent link -

       PEN World Voices Festival cancelled

       Things are not going well at PEN America: after cancelling their literary awards (see my recent mention), they have now also announced that they have cancelled this year's PEN World Voices Festival, which was to run 8 through 11 May in New York City (and 8 through 18 May in Los Angeles).
       What next ?

(Posted by: M.A.Orthofer)    - permanent link -

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       RSL Ondaatje Prize shortlist

       The Royal Society of Literature has announced the shortlist for this year's RSL Ondaatje Prize, awarded: "for a distinguished work of fiction, non-fiction or poetry, evoking the spirit of a place" -- not yet at the official site, last I checked, but see for example the report in The Bookseller.
       Six titles are left in the running, selected from 194 entries.
       The winner will be announced on 14 May.

(Posted by: M.A.Orthofer)    - permanent link -

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       'Chronicles'

       Via I'm pointed to the announcement that The Ashoka Centre for Translation partners with Penguin Random House India to unveil ‘Chronicles’ (also at PRH India).
       It's a new: "non-fiction translation series aimed at bringing creative-critical textual narratives from various Indian languages into English". That sounds promising, and is certainly welcome; the inaugural lineup shows a nice range in both languages and subjects.
       Let's hope these titles also make it into markets beyond just India; I certainly would love to see them.

(Posted by: M.A.Orthofer)    - permanent link -

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       Nicholas Royle Q & A

       At Bookmunch Richard Clegg has “Not part of the mainstream” – an interview with Nicholas Royle, author of Shadow Lines.
       He certainly collects a lot .....
       Royle's White Spines and Shadow Lines (Salt publicity pages here and here) certainly sound like they're right up my alley; I look forward to checking them out at some point. (Meanwhile, two of his novels are under review at the complete review: First Novel and Antwerp.)

(Posted by: M.A.Orthofer)    - permanent link -

       EBRD Literature Prize finalists

       The European Bank of Reconstruction and Development has announced the three finalists for its Literature Prize, "awarded to the year's best work of literary fiction translated into English, originally written in any language of the regions in which the Bank currently invests and published for the first time by a European (including UK) or North American publisher in the period in question".
       The finalists are:

• Barcode, by Tóth Krisztina (tr. Peter Sherwood)
• The End, by Bartis Attila (tr. Judith Sollosy)
• The Wounded Age, by Ferit Edgü (tr. Aron Aji)

       The winner will be announced 13 June.

(Posted by: M.A.Orthofer)    - permanent link -

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       Surrealism

       At Art in America Ara H. Merjian offers a list of Eight Essential Books About Surrealism -- including André Breton's Nadja and Mark Polizzotti's recent Why Surrealism Matters.
       I'd make a case for Gérard Durozoi's History of the Surrealist Movement, too .....

(Posted by: M.A.Orthofer)    - permanent link -

       Women's Prize for Fiction shortlist

       They've announced the six-title-strong shortlist for this year's Women's Prize for Fiction, "awarded annually to the author of the best full-length novel of the year written in English and published in the UK".
       I haven't seen any of these.
       The winner will be announced 13 June.

(Posted by: M.A.Orthofer)    - permanent link -

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       Helen Vendler (1933-2024)

       Poetry critic and scholar Helen Vendler has passed away; see, for example, The New York Times' obituary (presumably paywalled).

(Posted by: M.A.Orthofer)    - permanent link -

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       How Nietzsche Came in From the Cold review

       The most recent addition to the complete review is my review of a Tale of a Redemption, as Philipp Felsch writes about How Nietzsche Came in From the Cold.

(Posted by: M.A.Orthofer)    - permanent link -

       Deutscher Sachbuchpreis shortlist

       They've announced the shortlist for the German Non-Fiction Prize -- eight titles, selected from 225 (unfortunately not revealed) submissions.
       The winner will be announced 11 June.

(Posted by: M.A.Orthofer)    - permanent link -

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       Cullman fellows

       The New York Public Library has announced the latest batch of fellows at the Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers who will now receive: "a stipend of up to $85,000, the use of an office with a computer, and full access to the Library’s physical and electronic resources" for the term of the fellowship, which runs September through May.
       The fifteen fellows were selected from 620 applicants, from 66 countries. They include Traces of Enayat-author Iman Mersal and My Fathers' Ghost is Climbing in the Rain-author Patricio Pron.

(Posted by: M.A.Orthofer)    - permanent link -

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       Sudhir Kakar (1938-2024)

       Psychoanalyst and author Sudhir Kakar has passed away; see, for example, Rishika Singh's report in the Indian Express
       Two of his books are under review at the complete review: The Ascetic of Desire and Ecstasy.

(Posted by: M.A.Orthofer)    - permanent link -

       PEN America Literary Awards

       PEN America has announced the cancellation of its Literary Awards ceremony -- and, with 28 authors and translators of 61 nominated for the book awards having withdrawn their books from consideration, several of the prizes are going without winners being named.
       With nine of the ten authors nominated for the PEN/Jean Stein Book Award withdrawing their work from consideration, "the Estate of Jean Stein has directed PEN America to donate the $75,000 award to the Palestine Children's Relief Fund"
       One author who didn't have a chance to withdraw her name will get her prize: Maryse Condé is getting this year's PEN/Nabokov Award for Achievement in International Literature posthumously.

(Posted by: M.A.Orthofer)    - permanent link -

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       Merve Emre Q & A

       In the Hindustan Times Simar Bhasin has a Q & A with Merve Emre - "Things should be read in as many different ways as possible".
       Among her responses:

Any other contemporary writers who, in your opinion, deserve more literary attention ?

I think the next Nobel Prize winner should be Gerald Murnane, who is an Australian novelist and is utterly, utterly brilliant. There is a fantastic English writer named Lars Iyer who is a genius, I think, and writes these fantastic academic satires. Brilliant. Very, very, very funny.

       (Two Iyer novels are under review at the complete review -- Spurious and Wittgenstein Jr. -- as are several works by Murnane, e.g. Barley Patch.)

(Posted by: M.A.Orthofer)    - permanent link -

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       The Answer to Lord Chandos review

       The most recent addition to the complete review is my review of Pascal Quignard's The Answer to Lord Chandos, coming out from Wakefield Press.

       This is Quignard's response to Hugo von Hofmannsthal's classic 'Lord Chandos Letter' -- see, for example, the recent Joel Rotenberg translation from New York Review Books. Quignard dates his letter to Chandos 23 April 1605 -- and today, 23 April, happens also to be Quignard's birthday !

(Posted by: M.A.Orthofer)    - permanent link -

       CWA Daggers longlists

       The Crime Writers' Association has announced the longlists for their Daggers awards -- unfortunately not in one convenient list; annoyingly, you have to click on each category to see the longlisted titles. (The Bookseller has an (incomplete) overview.)
       One of the titles longlisted for the Gold Dagger for best crime novel is under review at the complete review -- The Secret Hours, by Mick Herron.
       Disappointingly, I haven't seen any of the titles longlisted for the Dagger for Crime Fiction in Translation.
       The shortlists will be announced 10 May, and the winners on 4 July.

(Posted by: M.A.Orthofer)    - permanent link -

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       The Novices of Lerna review

       The most recent addition to the complete review is my review of a collection of stories by Ángel Bonomini, The Novices of Lerna, coming out from Transit Books.

(Posted by: M.A.Orthofer)    - permanent link -

       L.A. Times Book Prizes

       They've announced the winners of this year's L.A. Times Book Prizes -- twelve categories, with Ed Park's Same Bed Different Dreams taking the fiction prize.

       I not only have not reviewed any of the winning titles, I haven't seen a single one of the sixty (!) finalists. I am apparently really not keeping up with the latest titles .....

(Posted by: M.A.Orthofer)    - permanent link -

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       The Sleepwalkers review

       The most recent addition to the complete review is my review of the latest Scarlett Thomas, The Sleepwalkers.

(Posted by: M.A.Orthofer)    - permanent link -

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