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Elie Wiesel — who survived the Holocaust and became writer, teacher and human rights champion, and who died in July 2016 — stands as a moral beacon for the world. Many of us have read his most famous work, “Night,” but did not otherwise meet him. Among those who felt his influence firsthand: Ariel Burger, his longtime teaching assistant. Now a rabbi, activist, artist and writer, Burger wrote an acclaimed book, “Witness: Lessons from Elie Wiesel’s Classroom” and soon will be in Norfolk to give a talk.

“Witness” is full of stories about Wiesel’s work at Boston University and is “a highly personal account of Burger’s relationship with Wiesel over decades,” one that developed into “a profound bond between a mentor and a rabbi,” wrote David Gushee in a review for The Christian Century, describing himself as “deeply affected by (Wiesel’s) moral vision.” “Burger tells us enough about his own journey to help us understand the wisdom that Wiesel was able to offer him at pivotal stages of his life, and he reports in detail on specific conversations the two had over many years."

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Burger’s talk is part of the annual Lee and Bernard Jaffe Jewish book festival in Virginia Beach. 7:30 p.m. Jan. 27, Congregation Beth El, 422 Shirley Ave., Norfolk. Free, but RSVP to jgrossman@ujft.org or 757-965-6137. Details: JewishVa.org/bookfest.

Want your writing critiqued? Get ready: Hampton Roads Writers has a session soon. “Show and Grow Your Prose With Professional Critiques,” this time led by Dennis Bounds and Sally Parrott, Feb. 8, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Muse Writers Center, 2200 Colonial Ave., Norfolk. Pre-register: HRWriters@cox.net, HamptonRoadsWriters.org or 757-639-6146. Audience welcome.

Stephen King got some blowback Tuesday after he wrote on Twitter that when he votes on Oscars as a member of the Academy, “I would never consider diversity in matters of art. Only quality. It seems to me that to do otherwise would be wrong.” (The Guardian)

An Anthony Bourdain book, “World Travel: An Irreverent Guide,” is due Oct. 13 from Ecco ($40). He wrote much of it; after his death, assistant Laurie Woolever, already a co-author, picked up the task. Also included: essays by friends, colleagues, family. A few days before that midweek announcement, Bourdain’s mother, Gladys Bourdain, died. She was 85. As a New York Times copy editor, she spoke to a colleague who was married to The New Yorker’s David Remnick, opening the door for Tony’s writing breakthrough: the article “Don’t Eat Before Reading This.” (Publishers Lunch, NYT)

Also in the pipeline: Another Bob Woodward book about the Trump administration. The Washington Post’s Josh Dawsey said Trump told senior aides to cooperate with Woodward this time. (Publishers Lunch)

Lawsuit settled: Audible, the Amazon-owned (and market-dominant) audio book company, and the plaintiffs alleging copyright infringement have settled. The “Big Five” — Penguin Random House, Hachette, Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins and Macmillan — and others sued over Audible’s plan to use AI to create captions for audiobooks and sell the result as new digital books. Settlement terms were not disclosed. (AP)

On screen: The Netflix series “The Witcher,” which launched Dec. 20, is so popular that the books it’s based on, by Poland’s Andrzej Sapkowski, are selling out. Orbit is printing 500,000 more. More than 2 million have sold, including “The Last Wish,” a current New York Times bestseller. Netflix plans a second season. … Lee Child’s Jack Reacher novels will be the basis of a series on Amazon’s Prime Video; season one is based on the Reacher debut, “The Killing Floor.” More than 100 million Reacher novels have sold, in 49 languages. His latest, “Blue Moon,” is now a bestseller. (Publishers Weekly, Hollywood Reporter)

Obituary note: Christopher Tolkien, who guarded the legacy of his father, J.R.R. Tolkien, was 95.

New and recent

From “Downton Abbey” actress Catherine Steadman, another great novel: “Mr. Nobody,” a psychological thriller involving a man who washes up on an English beach, amnesiac but somehow knowing people’s long-hidden secrets. Steadman’s debut novel, “Something in the Water,” will be a film by Reese Witherspoon. (Washington Post)

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