Chinese sci-fi, poetry events calendar, and poets with their cats

This week’s links are jam-packed with literary news (as you can see), including several links about Chinese literature, commentary on upcoming lit prize announcements, and, as always, lively discussions about the latest and greatest in the publishing industry.

News, Reviews, and Interviews

Saud Alsanousi, author of The Bamboo Stalk, is the first Kuwaiti writer to win the International Prize for Arabic Fiction.

New letters penned by J. D. Salinger have been unearthed.

English PEN will be focusing its attention on Turkey all year long.

Lucas Klein, Chinese to English translator extraordinaire, was the translator spotlight interview at Intralingo earlier this month.

In today’s globalized world, what does it mean to have a country you call home? English PEN writer Ece Temelkuran explores this in her latest Atlas piece.

Comma Press recently released a free lit app for iOS, where you can dive into stories from around the world.

Does giving away ebooks for free devalue the content contained within them? Publishing Perspectives explores.

Mo Yan has debuted his new book, which is about his trip to Sweden for the Nobel Prize ceremony.

How does a translator tackle language variants like regional dialects? Intralingo has the answer.

What role does science fiction play in contemporary Chinese literature? Ask author Fei Dao, who recently sat down to do an interview with the LA Review of Books.

For Your Calendar

The Griffin Trust’s poetry events calendar is a great resource for finding local poetry events near you.

Have you seen the shortlist for the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize? The winner will be announced May 20.

Fun Finds and Inspiration

Remember beloved children’s author E. L. Konigsburg with us through this video clip of her most famous story, “The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.”

Need some inspiration for your creative workspace? Buzzfeed has a list of pretty famous ones.

One could say that poets and their cats are the greatest and most understanding of companions. 

Plotto, a plot-counting robot from 1931, determined that there are only 1,462 plot possibilities in literature. 

Branch out this week and find your next favorite book at the Arabic Literature (in English) blog, featuring the “5 Arabic Books to Read ‘Before You Die.’”