How the memoir has shaped the Black literary tradition, bookmarks with legs, and more
News, Reviews, and Interviews
This Hong Kong bookseller is keeping banned books on his shelves, selling works that are critical of the Chinese leadership.
Slovenian author Aleš Debeljak died last week. He was one of the most widely translated Slovenian authors, he received numerous accolades, and his essay “In Praise of the Republic of Letters” was WLT’s reader’s choice winning essay in 2012.
The 2016 PEN literary awards shortlists were announced this week.
This week on the Race Matters radio show, novelist Rilla Askew sheds light on the Tulsa Race Riot and continued racial violence in America.
Anuradha Roy has catapulted into the limelight after winning the 2016 DSC Prize for South Asian Literature. In this interview, the author—who was on WLT’s list of 60 essential English-language works from modern India—discusses the positive impact of winning a literary prize.
Imani Perry discusses how the memoir has shaped the Black literary tradition in America.
Via NPR’s All Things Considered, Yuki Noguchi explains why Amazon probably isn’t opening hundreds of brick-and-mortar bookstores.
Fun Finds and Inspiration
Literary Hub lists 25 new books by African writers that you should read.
Was the ampersand once our 27th word? This article from the Poetry Foundation explores the mysterious history of the ampersand.
From hobbit feet to Alice in Wonderland’s striped stockings, check out these fun bookmarks that feature the little legs of famous literary characters.
