The Proposal Guys (Free subscription) | 12/02/2009
Browsing in the bookstore at Gatwick airport recently (ending up with Hillary Mantel’s truly magnificent, prize-winning ‘Wolf Hall’), I couldn’t help but overhear a conversation nearby between a mother and her young child. “This book looks really interesting,” she said. “But I want this one,” he replied, pointing to another choice. “What...
Isak (Free subscription) | 11/23/2009
Stephen Greenblatt calls Hillary Mantel's Wolf Hall "a startling achievement, brilliant...," but it must be said that his own essay that draws from her novel is itself outstanding. Greenblatt, the author of the wonderful Will in the World, spins his book review into an expansive reflection on the purpose and possibilities of historical fiction. Greenblatt notes that the historical...
The Millions (A Blog About Books) (Free subscription) | 11/25/2009
I originally thought I wouldn’t write about the Publishers Weekly Top 10 Books of 2009 , a list that quickly became infamous not for who’s on it, but who isn’t. Namely: women. I noticed the absence immediately, but I was more puzzled than troubled. Come on, PW , have you not read Nothing Right by Antonya Nelson ? This year, readers and critics have gone gaga for lady authors, from Hillary Mantel...
Isak (Free subscription) | 11/06/2009
Alexandra Alter has an interesting piece in the Wall Street Journal about the unusual tactics that seventeen writers have for crafting their fiction. Junot Díaz, Edwidge Danticat, Kazuo Ishiguro, Hillary Mantel, Richard Powers, and Orhan Pamuk are among those who divulge their secrets. Here's part of Colum McCann's story: When he's in the middle of a novel, Colum McCann sometimes...
