Book News & Features

Venezuelan author Romulo Gallegos (1884-1969), circa 1950.

Oil, Chavez And Telenovelas: The Rise Of The Venezuelan Novel

10:55am April 12, 2013

by Marcela Valdes

Although Venezuela has a rich literary culture, its writers remain largely unknown outside of the country. Marcela Valdes traces the intersection of literature and politics in the large Caribbean nation, showing the forces that have kept Venezuelan writers from getting the praise they deserve.

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A new documentary about Philip Roth premieres on PBS next week as part of a slew of celebrations in honor of the novelist's 80th birthday.

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Arts

A Measured Look At Roth As The Writer Turns 80

2:11pm March 19, 2013

by John Powers

The celebration of Philip Roth's career reaches its peak in a new documentary — Philip Roth Unmasked — that will screen on PBS next week as part of the American Masters series. There's no doubt that Roth is a master, and not just an American one, but the film tiptoes around the novelist's dark ferocity.

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This Dec. 26, 2004, photograph shows a trail of destruction in the southern Sri Lankan town of Lunawa after tidal waves lashed more than half of Sri Lanka's coastline.

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Arts

'Wave' Tells A True Story Of Survival And Loss In The 2004 Tsunami

7:56am March 05, 2013

by Lynn Neary

Sonali Deraniyagala lost her husband, two sons and parents to the Indian Ocean tsunami that claimed the lives of more than 200,000 people. Her new memoir recounts the events of that fateful day.

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6 Books On Shortlist To Win Oddest Title Prize

7:37am February 27, 2013

The competition coordinator of Britain's Diagram Prize says, "You can't judge a book by its cover, but I think people do." The winner will be announced March 22.

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The Polar Express won the Caldecott Medal in 1986, and was turned into an animated movie with Tom Hanks in 2004.

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Arts

A Colorful Anniversary: The Caldecott Medal Turns 75

10:11am January 28, 2013

by Lynn Neary

The award for the most distinguished children's picture book of the year is announced Monday. The first winner, in 1938, was a book of illustrated animals from the Bible, but the medal has also gone to books like Madeline's Rescue and Where the Wild Things Are.

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Watch an interactive of the Supreme Court justice narrating her personal family photos. (Above: Sotomayor, 1959)

A Justice Deliberates: Sotomayor On Love, Health And Family

3:27pm January 14, 2013

by Nina Totenberg

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor is open about how she benefited from affirmative action, how she came to terms with her diabetes and the "out-of-body experience" of being appointed to the high court. Sotomayor spoke with NPR just before the release of her new autobiography.

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Penguin and Random House, two of the biggest players in publishing, announced in October that they would merge.

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Change Is The Only Constant In Today's Publishing Industry

9:40pm December 27, 2012

by NPR Staff

The publishing industry has been in flux for years. First chain stores, then Amazon, then e-books — all combined to create dramatic change. Industry consultant Mike Shatzkin outlines some of the biggest changes, like the recently announced merger of Penguin and Random House.

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Margaret Atwood has written 13 novels, including The Handmaid's Tale and Oryx and Crake.

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Arts

Margaret Atwood's Brave New World Of Online Publishing

9:40pm December 27, 2012

by NPR Staff

Charles Dickens wrote many of his greatest works in serial form, but serial publishing has fallen by the wayside since his day. Now, it's being revived online, and Margaret Atwood is publishing a future-dystopia novel called Positron in installments via the literary website Byliner.

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Publishers are finding that flexible pricing on e-books can help bring in new readers.

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Arts

E-Books Destroying Traditional Publishing? The Story's Not That Simple

9:40pm December 27, 2012

by Zoe Chace

Conventional wisdom says e-books are destroying the traditional publishing business model. But the story's not that simple. For one thing, flexible pricing allows publishers to hold what amount to one-day-only sales on any given title — which means more people will discover that book.

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E.T.A. Hoffmann's original story, "Nutcracker and Mouse King," is darker and spookier than the ballet version most people know.

No Sugar Plums Here: The Dark, Romantic Roots Of 'The Nutcracker'

4:20pm December 25, 2012

by NPR Staff

Few people today remember E.T.A. Hoffmann, but most everyone is familiar with his most famous creation: The Nutcracker. NPR's Robert Siegel traces the history of everyone's favorite Christmas ballet all the way back to its much darker original version.

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