Tag: Controversy (41-50 of 74)

Oct 18 2011 06:08 PM ET

Britain's Man Booker Prize goes to Julian Barnes

Julian-Barnes

Image Credit: Ellen Warner

English author Julian Barnes won this year’s Man Booker Prize, Britain’s most prestigious literary award. (At $80,000, it’s also one of the most lucrative for a single book). The 65-year-old won for his brief, but concentrated, novel The Sense of an Ending, a story about a contented, middle-aged man whose past comes back to haunt him in surprising ways.

Stella Rimington, who headed the panel of judges this year, came under criticism recently for supposedly “dumbing down” the awards when she stated that the judges were looking to honor “readable” books: “We were looking for enjoyable books. I think they are readable books,” she said. “We wanted people to buy these books and read them. Not buy them and admire them.”

Barnes himself has criticized the Prize in the past, calling it “posh bingo” and accusing judges of being “inflated by their brief celebrity.”

The U.S. release of the book was fast-tracked from Jan. 2012 to Oct. 11 of this year in anticipation of the announcement of the award, which Barnes was widely favored to win.

Read more:
EW’s review of ‘The Sense of an Ending’
Lauren Myracle’s National Book Award nomination withdrawn — Myracle reacts on Twitter
National Book Awards finalists announced — Tea Obreht reacts to her nomination
On the Books Sept. 12: Knopf to fast-track publication of Julian Barnes’ novel

Oct 17 2011 12:51 PM ET

Lauren Myracle's National Book Award nomination withdrawn -- Myracle reacts on Twitter

shine

In a truly embarrassing snafu, the National Book Foundation admitted that it incorrectly named Shine, the controversial novel by popular young adult author Lauren Myracle, as a nominee in the Young People’s Literature category last week. The debacle began on Wednesday when the NBF accidentally listed Shine instead of Chime by Franny Billingsley as a nominee. Initially, the list of nominees grew to six to include both Shine and Chime, but on Friday, Myracle was asked to officially withdraw from the running to preserve the “integrity” of the awards and the judges’ decisions. The NBF has agreed to donate $5,000 to the Matthew Shepard Foundation in recognition of their mistake. (The plot of Shine centers on a gay teen who falls victim to a heinous hate crime.) READ FULL STORY »

Oct 5 2011 12:55 PM ET

Amanda Knox book? What publishing insiders have to say

Amanda-Knox

Image Credit: Ted S. Warren/AP Images

According to a recent LA Times poll, most American readers believe Amanda Knox should get a book deal.

So Shelf Life asked major players in the New York publishing world about the desirability of an Amanda Knox book. Although some of the editors and agents we reached out to were unwilling to comment out of fear of jeopardizing current or future book deals, the impression we got is something that’s been obvious all along: Pretty much every agent and publisher in town would love to make an Amanda Knox book happen.

Especially attractive to publishers is that Knox is a sympathetic figure without the “ick factor” of Casey Anthony, the other major headline-maker this year. READ FULL STORY »

Sep 20 2011 04:58 PM ET

Borders employees list grievances: 'Ode to a bookstore death'

Yet another artifact from the slow, painful death of Borders has emerged. A fascinating look inside a (justifiably) angry bookseller’s mind, this manifesto of sorts, “Things We Never Told You: Ode to a bookstore death” informs us of what those helpful Borders folks had to put up with. (I have to admit — seeing the list, I realize I’ve been a bad customer in the past.) Hopefully, we’ll learn from our mistakes and treat the Barnes & Noble people better. The statements from the list are re-printed below — which ones do you agree with? READ FULL STORY »

Sep 19 2011 04:32 PM ET

Jennifer Close, J. Courtney Sullivan, Sloane Crosley: Chick authors who avoid the 'chick-lit' stigma

Jennifer-Close-Dresses

Image Credit: Bill O’Leary/Getty Images

For some smart, young female novelists, having their books branded “chick lit” is the worst imaginable insult. On Friday, author Polly Courtney wrote about her decision to drop her publisher, HarperCollins, after it tried to “shoe-horn” her latest non-chick-lit novel into a “frilly, chick-lit” package. When the pastel-hued cover doesn’t reflect the work inside, she writes, everyone is disappointed: “the author, for seeing his or her work portrayed as such; the readers, for finding there is too much substance in the plot; and the passers-by, who might actually have enjoyed the contents but dismissed the book on the grounds of its frivolous cover.” No surprise, Courtney’s complaints drew ire from those who have more nuanced views on chick-lit, and this debate will undoubtedly pop up again and again.

But isn’t the term “chick-lit” itself a bit passé, very pre-2006? READ FULL STORY »

Sep 15 2011 11:43 AM ET

On the Books Sept 15: 50 Cent vs. Chinua Achebe, new book about the Madoff family, and more

50-Cent

Image Credit: Michael Tran/FilmMagic.com

++ According to the Guardian, author Chinua Achebe allegedly declined an offer from rapper-actor 50 Cent of $1 million to use the title Things Fall Apart for his upcoming football movie. The reports claim that 50 Cent was forced to change the title — which Achebe originally took from the William Butler Yeats poem “The Second Coming” — to All Things Fall Apart.

++ Little, Brown has announced in a press release that it will publish Truth and Consequences: Life Inside the Madoff Family by Laurie Sandell. Sandell has conducted extensive interviews with Andrew Madoff, Ruth Madoff, and Catherine Hooper, among others. The book will be released Oct. 31. READ FULL STORY »

Sep 14 2011 08:02 AM ET

Jacqueline Kennedy interviews: 3 questions for historian Michael Beschloss

In early 1964, Jacqueline Kennedy opened up to historian Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. about life with John F. Kennedy, only months after his assassination. In a series of seven interviews, Mrs. Kennedy, known for her singular style, manners, and poise, offered up “tart commentary on former presidents, heads of state, her husband’s aides, powerful women, women reporters, even her mother-in-law,” according to The New York Times. With today’s release of Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with John F. Kennedy, we get to learn private details about the iconic couple’s life from a surprisingly candid, sharply opinionated Mrs. Kennedy in written and audio form. Historian Michael Beschloss pored over and annotated the 8.5 hours of interview, in addition to writing the book’s introduction. We asked Beschloss a few questions about the newly released recordings, which had been sealed for 47 years. READ FULL STORY »

Aug 30 2011 10:55 AM ET

On the Books Aug. 30: 'Maggie Goes on a Diet' creates a stir, Michele Bachmann announces book

Maggie-Goes-on-a-Diet

++ The children’s book Maggie Goes on a Diet is meant to help kids with making the right eating choices, but it’s riling up nutrition and body image experts even before its publication in October. It tells the story of a girl who diets, loses weight, and becomes more popular and successful at school. READ FULL STORY »

Aug 29 2011 09:07 AM ET

Former prosecutor readies Casey Anthony book for late November

Jeff Ashton, the assistant state attorney who prosecuted Casey Anthony in the high-profile murder case of her daughter, 2-year-old Caylee, is writing a book about the experience. Ashton confirmed to the Orlando Sentinel that publisher William Morrow will publish Imperfect Justice: Prosecuting Casey Anthony in late November. Casey Anthony was acquitted of the major charges against her, and Ashton retired days after the not-guilty verdict was delivered.

Read more:
Casey Anthony gets book cover (already)
Networks plan more Casey Anthony specials

May 20 2011 12:12 PM ET

Memoirist claims he turned tricks for stars like Cary Grant and Spencer Tracy

grant

Image Credit: Everett Collection

Scotty Bowers never acted in a single movie. But his story may cast a new light on old Hollywood by revealing the hidden love lives of stars like Cary Grant, Spencer Tracy, and Rita Hayworth—all of whom Bowers claims as paramours from his heyday trading sex for money.

Literary agent David Kuhn confirms exclusively to EW that Grove/Atlantic president Morgan Entrekin has bought the rights to Full Service: My Adventures in Hollywood and the Secret Sex Lives of the Stars, Bowers’ memoir of his years spent as a bartender, confidante, and gigolo to a laundry list of showbiz icons. A GI who moved to Hollywood after World War II, Bowers describes how he and friends serviced actors and actresses on leave from nearby studios—using an LA gas station as their base.  READ FULL STORY »

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