Clifford Garstang's Blog, page 183
October 8, 2009
In an Uncharted Country in India
If you happen to be in India, you can order my book from Flipkart.com, for a mere Rs. 738 (about $15.80), which seems like a pretty good deal considering that shipping within India is free, I gather.
Nobel Prize Goes to Müller
The Nobel Prize for Literature was awarded this morning to German Herta Müller, of whom I know zero, except what I'm reading about her today. Never heard of her. I actually like this about the Nobel Prize for Literature -- I know all about the great American writers and many Canadian and English writers also. But my knowledge of world literature is sorely lacking. Now I have someone new to discover.
October 6, 2009
Man Booker Prize Winner Announced
And the winner is . . . Wolf Hall, by Hilary Mantel, which surprised no one, apparently.
October 5, 2009
FTC Craziness
There's considerable buzz today about an FTC decision that could have implications for bloggers who review books, as I do from time to time. Check out Ed Champion's interview with the FTC's Richard Cleland about the new rules.
As I read this, if an author or publisher sends me a book for review, I must disclose this fact at the time my review appears or dispose of the book. If I don't, that's deemed compensation in violation of the rule and I could be subjected to a fine. Or not? They're still...
As I read this, if an author or publisher sends me a book for review, I must disclose this fact at the time my review appears or dispose of the book. If I don't, that's deemed compensation in violation of the rule and I could be subjected to a fine. Or not? They're still...
New Issue: The Short Review
The October issue of The Short Review is now up and includes reviews of work by Stephanie Johnson, Stephen Shieber, Sean Lovelace, Simon Van Booy, David Gardiner, Nuala Ni Chonchuir, Samuel Ligon, Adam Marek, Rebecca Miller, and an anthology edited by Peter Wild. That's a lot of short stories!
Nobel Prize
It's Nobel Prize season again. This year's Nobel Prize for Literature will be announced on Thursday, October 8. (There's a live webcast of the announcement at 11:00 GMT, which is 7 AM EDT.)
Anyone guesses on the winner?
Anyone guesses on the winner?
September 30, 2009
The New Yorker: "Victory Lap" by George Saunders
Last week's story was very good, but this one is better. Or at least I enjoyed it more and was more compelled to keep reading. Alison is fourteen, almost fifteen. She's a typical teen, maybe brighter than most. She does ballet, loves everyone, has an active imagination (love the thing with the talking baby deer from whom she hides the death of its mother), and looks down on the neighbor kid, Kyle, with whom she played as a kid. But Kyle, into whose point of view we shift, is also pretty norma...
Andrew's Book Club Mini-interviews
Andrew has posted mini-interviews with Anne Sanow and Holly Goddard Jones at Andrew's Book Club. Anne's and Holly's books are the picks for September (both of which I'm anxious to read).
September 28, 2009
Zoetrope Surprise
I subscribe to Zoetrope: All Story, and the latest issue arrived recently. I was busy and set it aside on my desk to look at later. Taking a break this morning, I thumbed through it and was shocked to see the title of the Sam Shepard story: "Thor's Day (Highway 81 North, Staunton, Virginia)."I live in Staunton, Virginia, not far from Interstate 81. (This story may now join William Henry Lewis's story "I Got Somebody in Staunton" as the only pieces of literature naming our town in the title.)
T...
