The first ebook, mapping your reading journey, and more

This week was a mix of news, commentary, and fun. Below, you’ll find stories on the very first ebook and a new reading list for poetry skeptics. And don’t forget to check this week’s Neustadt Lit Links for even more literary news and updates!

News, Reviews, and Interviews

Translation has been compared to many things, but most recently, Edith Grossman compares it to marriage, where there is give and take on both sides to make a relationship work.

Lawrence Ferlinghetti, one of the last living links to the Beat generation, will soon be publishing his travel journals with Liveright Publishing.

When did electronic literature really begin? The answer depends on how you define electronic literature, says Publishing Perspectives.

After 90 years of waiting, J.R.R. Tolkien’s translation of Beowulf is finally set to be published.

For Your Calendar

English PEN is currently looking for translators willing to translate Enoh Meyomesse’s work into as many languages as possible.

If you’re in the UK, there will be three Women of Letters events near you very soon, celebrating women writers and the art of letter writing.

A four-day commemoration conference for Seamus Heaney will take place next week at Queen’s University in Belfast. Make sure to register if you are local!

Fun Finds and Inspiration

Where did your reading journey begin? For the New York Review of Books’ Tim Parks, his journey began out of a sense of finding what was good in the world.

A small bookshop in San Francisco called Green Apple has been named as the Publisher’s Weekly bookstore of the year.

This week we celebrated National Children’s Book Day, highlighting the importance and benefits of storytelling for children. Have a favorite children’s book in translation you want to share? The Guardian is currently taking nominations.

Think you don’t enjoy reading poetry? Think again! These poetry collections are perfect for people who think poetry isn’t their thing.