Books

Books
Arts

The 'Girl' In The Title: More Than A Marketing Trend

3:02pm February 22, 2016

by NPR Staff

Lately it seems as if every thriller written by a woman gets compared to two recent blockbusters: Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train. So what makes those two books so appealing and influential?

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The Battle for Room 314 by Ed Boland (Grand Central Publishing)

Yet Another Teaching Memoir? A Teacher's Critique

1:01pm February 22, 2016

Recent years have seen a proliferation of books about the struggles of rookie teachers. We asked a veteran New York City teacher to review The Battle for Room 314 by Ed Boland.

Books
Arts

'Tender' Author Calls Novel On Friendship 'Autobiographical To Its Core'

7:59am February 21, 2016

Adolescence is a time when "friendship feels like something you die for," says Irish author Belinda McKeon. It's how she explains the characters in her new novel "Tender" to NPR's Rachel Martin.

Family And Friends Pay Tribute To 'Mockingbird' Author Harper Lee

7:59am February 21, 2016

In a tribute to the late Harper Lee, we hear several poignant passages read from her novel, "To Kill a Mockingbird."

Harper Lee's Hometown Reacts To Her Death

12:51pm February 20, 2016

by Kyle Gassiott

The news of Harper Lee's death hit her beloved hometown particularly hard. Fans and friends in Monroeville, Ala., reflect on her passing.

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'To Kill A Mockingbird' Author Harper Lee Dies

11:18am February 20, 2016

by Lynn Neary

Lee won the Pulitzer Prize for the novel that was published in 1960 and didn't publish another book for more than 50 years afterward. She avoided the spotlight her entire life. She was 89.

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Ann Goldstein is an editor at The New Yorker. She says she tries to stick to the text when she translates. "You're not trying to write your own version of it," she says.

Books
Arts

Translator Behind Elena Ferrante Novels Says Her Job Is To Be An 'Enabler'

11:02am February 20, 2016

by NPR Staff

Ann Goldstein is the translator for the mysterious novelist's popular Neapolitan series. She says her role is to "enable someone to express him or herself as much as he or she possibly can."

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Harper Lee Remembered As Reclusive

8:25am February 20, 2016

Linda Wertheimer talks to Harper Lee's longtime friend Wayne Flynt about the late author. He will deliver Lee's eulogy.

Italian writer Umberto Eco attends an event at the Paris Book Fair on March 30, 2010.

Italian Author And Philosopher Umberto Eco Dead At 84

9:24pm February 19, 2016

by Merrit Kennedy

Internationally acclaimed Italian author Umberto Eco has died, according to his American publisher. He was 84. He launched his career as a novelist with The Name of the Rose in 1980.

Pulitzer Prize winner and To Kill a Mockingbird author Harper Lee smiles before receiving the 2007 Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House.

Harper Lee, Author Of 'To Kill A Mockingbird,' Dies At Age 89

6:47pm February 19, 2016

by Bill Chappell

The Pulitzer Prize-winning writer died in her hometown of Monroeville, Ala. Published in 1960, To Kill a Mockingbird has sold tens of millions of copies and been translated into dozens of languages.