Zadie Smith on the Politics of Fiction – Interesting interview with Zadie Smith on how much of today’s fiction provides readers with the opportunity to both escape and be “immersed” in current social and political realities. When asked if fiction writers can make readers see things from a different perspective, she ... more >
WRITING ON THE WALL: DISAPPEARED BOOKSELLERS AND FREE EXPRESSION IN HONG KONG – PEN America has weighed in on the relationship between China and Hong Kong publishing, and in particular the recent case of the disappearing booksellers. The report “examines the wide-reaching impact for Hong Kong as an international publishing center ... more >
Harlequin Lawsuit’s Happy Ending – Thanks to a DA reader for seeing this blog post from former Harlequin author Patricia McLinn on the disbursement of the $4.1M settlement in Keller v. Harlequin, which the court approved in July. McLinn was involved in organizing authors six or so years ago, which makes her ... more >
Bookstores brave digital onslaught – An interesting story on China’s attempt to adapt to the changing book market, which has been challenged by factors such as drastically increasing commercial space rents and, according to this article, at least, the rise of digital reading. These bookstores seem to be going through the ... more >
Book Debate Raises Questions of Self-Censorship by Foreign Groups in China – While there has been ample discussion about censorship by the Chinese government, the behavior of foreign entities – in this case the American Bar Association – has not been widely scrutinized. However, when the ABA rescinded an offer to ... more >
World Book Day: century-old library distributes 50,000 books – World Book and Copyright Day was created by UNESCO is held on April 23rd (the birth and death date for some prominent authors including Shakespeare and Maurice Druon). The day is designed as a tribute to books and authors, and aims to ... more >