The Harry Potter spin-off, The tales of Beedle the Bard, supposedly stories left by Dumbledore to Hermione Grainger, went on sale in Britain on December 5 and is predicted to become the biggest selling book of the year in Britain where it is expected to sell more than 650,000 copies by the end of December. All profits from t his book go to a charitable foundation. See the full Age article here.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Presidents who write well, lead well?
Rob Woodard poses this theory in the Guardian this week. He points out that Barack Obama is not only an author but a good writer. Does this make him a good leader? Woodard looks at the history of U.S. presidents for examples of good writers and leaders. He concludes:
Still, the fact that Barack Obama's eloquence carries over to his
writing gives me hope. To write well demands not only ability, but also
intelligence, intellectual curiosity, and often the ability to view
life from more than one perspective at a time. These are qualities that
have seemingly been absent in the US presidency these last seven-plus
years - and it's comforting to know that if Barack Obama's literary
accomplishments are an accurate indication these traits may soon be
back in the Oval Office in abundance.
Commonwealth Prize looks for authors
Any authors out there? The Bookseller reports:
The 2009 Commonwealth Writers' Prize, the global fiction award for both
established and new writers, is calling for entries, with a deadline of
15th November.
The prize covers the Commonwealth regions of
Africa; the Caribbean and Canada; Europe and South Asia; and South East
Asia and the Pacific. A Best Book and Best First Book prize will be
awarded to two writers from each region, with each winner awarded
£1,000. The eight winners will go forward to be judged by a
pan-Commonwealth panel for the £10,000 Best Book prize and £5,000 Best
First Book prize
The shortlists will be announced in February
2009, and the eight regional winners will be judged in May, when the
overall winners will be announced.
Last year, Canadian Lawrence Hill won the overall Best Book prize for The Book of Negroes (Doubleday) and Tahmima Anam from Bangladesh took the overall Best First Book prize for A Golden Age (John Murray).
The 2009 Commonwealth Writers' Prize, the global fiction award for both
established and new writers, is calling for entries, with a deadline of
15th November.
The prize covers the Commonwealth regions of
Africa; the Caribbean and Canada; Europe and South Asia; and South East
Asia and the Pacific. A Best Book and Best First Book prize will be
awarded to two writers from each region, with each winner awarded
£1,000. The eight winners will go forward to be judged by a
pan-Commonwealth panel for the £10,000 Best Book prize and £5,000 Best
First Book prize
The shortlists will be announced in February
2009, and the eight regional winners will be judged in May, when the
overall winners will be announced.
Last year, Canadian Lawrence Hill won the overall Best Book prize for The Book of Negroes (Doubleday) and Tahmima Anam from Bangladesh took the overall Best First Book prize for A Golden Age (John Murray).
Age banding for books?
Recently the Bookseller alerted readers to the issue of age banding for books:
CILIP, the professional body representing librarians, has given its
full backing to the "No to Age Banding" campaign, releasing an
uncompromising statement opposing age guidance on book covers. The
organisation has raised a number of points opposing age banding
including the likelihood of age guidance deterring young people from
reading books that are aged too high or
too low for their abilities.
The
statement goes on to suggests that parents who are unsure about their
child's reading material should ask at libraries and bookshops.
Librarians are also opposed to a system that, it says, "will either
necessarily be too rigid or will have to be so encompassing to be too
vague to be of any
point".
CILIP's statement concludes, "We wish the campaign success and assure you of
the support of the library community".
The full statement reads as follows:
CILIP
supports the aims of the "No to Age Banding" campaign. It believes that
the age banding of books is unhelpful and potentially harmful to the
enjoyment of reading by children for the following reasons:
1.
Children and young people develop at different ages. By banding books
with an age it could make reluctant readers think that a book that is
actually appropriate for their reading ability is too young for them,
thus putting them off reading altogether. Equally a strong confident
reader may
feel that a book that is appropriate for their reading ability is too old for them.
2.
Personal reading experience shows that children take out of their
reading what they need, and many books can be read at different levels.
Parents and others who are uncertain about appropriate books can ask at
bookshops and libraries where staff are experienced and knowledgeable.
3.
It is much more important that the needs and tastes of the individual
child be considered - in libraries, in bookshops and by teachers - in
line with the present educational commitment to a personalised
approach, than applying a banding system that will either necessarily
be too rigid or will have to be so encompassing to be too vague to be
of any point. We wish the campaign success and assure you of the
support of the library community.
CILIP, the professional body representing librarians, has given its
full backing to the "No to Age Banding" campaign, releasing an
uncompromising statement opposing age guidance on book covers. The
organisation has raised a number of points opposing age banding
including the likelihood of age guidance deterring young people from
reading books that are aged too high or
too low for their abilities.
The
statement goes on to suggests that parents who are unsure about their
child's reading material should ask at libraries and bookshops.
Librarians are also opposed to a system that, it says, "will either
necessarily be too rigid or will have to be so encompassing to be too
vague to be of any
point".
CILIP's statement concludes, "We wish the campaign success and assure you of
the support of the library community".
The full statement reads as follows:
CILIP
supports the aims of the "No to Age Banding" campaign. It believes that
the age banding of books is unhelpful and potentially harmful to the
enjoyment of reading by children for the following reasons:
1.
Children and young people develop at different ages. By banding books
with an age it could make reluctant readers think that a book that is
actually appropriate for their reading ability is too young for them,
thus putting them off reading altogether. Equally a strong confident
reader may
feel that a book that is appropriate for their reading ability is too old for them.
2.
Personal reading experience shows that children take out of their
reading what they need, and many books can be read at different levels.
Parents and others who are uncertain about appropriate books can ask at
bookshops and libraries where staff are experienced and knowledgeable.
3.
It is much more important that the needs and tastes of the individual
child be considered - in libraries, in bookshops and by teachers - in
line with the present educational commitment to a personalised
approach, than applying a banding system that will either necessarily
be too rigid or will have to be so encompassing to be too vague to be
of any point. We wish the campaign success and assure you of the
support of the library community.
Friday, June 6, 2008
Sisters in Crime Launch 20 June 2008
8pm Friday June 20, 2008; Launch of Deceptions, Deceits and Desires Murder and Mayhem in Italian Crime Fiction
edited by Mirna Cicioni & Nicoletta Di Ciolla (University of Delaware Press)
By Lilit Thwaites, Associate fellow, La Trobe University (former Head of Spanish Program)
edited by Mirna Cicioni & Nicoletta Di Ciolla (University of Delaware Press)
By Lilit Thwaites, Associate fellow, La Trobe University (former Head of Spanish Program)
Italian crime fiction (known as gialli in Italy) has developed from a popular genre to a fully-fledged literary genre. This collection of 12 essays is the first one in English to deal exclusively with Italian crime fiction—from well-known writers such as Umberto Eco, Leonardo Sciascia and Andrea Camilleri, the creator of Inspector Montalbano, as well as newer works by younger writers.
They bring together four of the most significant strands of Italian gialli: the way gialli develop or subvert the tradition and conventions of the crime genre; regional specificity within Italian crime fiction; gialli by and about women, lesbians and gay men; and representations of Italy in crime novels by English-speaking writers.
They bring together four of the most significant strands of Italian gialli: the way gialli develop or subvert the tradition and conventions of the crime genre; regional specificity within Italian crime fiction; gialli by and about women, lesbians and gay men; and representations of Italy in crime novels by English-speaking writers.
Lilit Thwaites will talk to co-editor Mirna Cicioni about all this and much more. Mirna Cicioni is honorary research fellow in Italian Studies at the School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics of Monash University. Her publications include essays on Italian Feminism and post-World War II Italian Jewish writers, Women in Italian Culture (co-edited with Nicole Prunster) and Primo Levi: Bridges of Knowledge. She has been a member of Sisters in Crime since the early 1990s. Her co-editor, Nicoletta Di Ciolla, is senior lecturer and head of Italian at the Manchester Metropolitan University and unfortunately can’t be here.
Complimentary glass of champagne.
Followed by a debate:
“The female of the species is deadlier than the male”
Sisters in Crime (for the positive)
Vicki Petraitis (true crime writer—latest book, Crime Scene Investigations)
& Sue Turnbull (Convenor and crime columnist for the Sydney Morning Herald)
Vs
Brothers-in-Law (for the negative)
Jarad Henry (crime author—latest book Blood Sunset)
& Robert Gott (crime author—latest book Amongst The Dead)
May include other speakers TBC
“The female of the species is deadlier than the male”
Sisters in Crime (for the positive)
Vicki Petraitis (true crime writer—latest book, Crime Scene Investigations)
& Sue Turnbull (Convenor and crime columnist for the Sydney Morning Herald)
Vs
Brothers-in-Law (for the negative)
Jarad Henry (crime author—latest book Blood Sunset)
& Robert Gott (crime author—latest book Amongst The Dead)
May include other speakers TBC
Note new venue: Bell’s Hotel, 157 Moray St., South Melbourne (cnr Coventry). Mel 57, G1. Try 112 or St Kilda Road trams. Info: http://www.bellshotel.com.au/
$5/$10 (non-members) 10 % discount for members from the Chronicles Bookshop stall.
If you would like to join Sisters in Crime for dinner from 6.30pm, ring Bell’s Hotel on 9690 4511 and ask to be included in the booking.
Further info: Ring Carmel Shute on 0412 569 356
Thursday, March 27, 2008
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