In his new book, Randall Munroe of xkcd fame takes the principles of clear communication to what feels like their furthest extent, but there’s a place for dense grammar in our theories and ideas.
George tells the story of Melissa, a ten-year-old girl who the world sees as a boy named George. Such books will, hopefully, move from being anomalies to part of the status quo.
The Australian government yesterday announced it intends to repeal parallel importation restrictions on books, which has again caused concern in the publishing industry. But, really, what’s the problem?
Sales of scholarly books are dropping, even as their prices are rising. Will academia give up its resistance to an open-access digital model?
Gloria Steinem’s new autobiography reminds us of her work as a tireless grassroots campaigner. Here pictured with Barack Obama receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013.
Reuters/Larry Downing
In her new autobiography, celebrated feminist, activist and author Gloria Steinem seeks to set the record straight on controversial aspects of her legacy.
The distinctions between highbrow and middlebrow fiction are as old as literature itself.
régine debatty
The distinctions between highbrow and middlebrow fiction are as old as literature itself. So does the current spat over such terms mean anything in the long term for works of literature? Unlikely.
A recent exchange highlights the complicated nature of ownership when it comes to the Harry Potter universe.
Luke MacGregor/ Reuters
JK Rowling has come under fire for signing an open letter opposing a cultural boycott of Israel. The form of the complaints, and Rowling’s response, tell us much about the author-fan relationship.
The Nursery Alice, illustrated by John Tenniel.
Jane Burdon Morris/YouTube
It’s 150 years since an Oxford mathematics don published the most important work of children’s literature and one of the most influential books of all time. The origins of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland…
Qiu Xiaolong’s nine novels give excellent insights into China from the time of Mao Zedong and the Cultural Revolution to the present.
Reuters/David Gray
Struggling to get a handle on modern-day China and all its complexities? Looking to have fun while doing so? The Detective Chen novels could be just the ticket.
Smith’s disavowal of plot makes for an utterly tantalising read.
REUTERS/Erik Refner/Scanpix Denmark
Smith’s claim that she is writing about nothing is really her way of renouncing any expectation that her memoir should be anchored by a readily defined plot. This isn’t a story in which a lot of things happen.
When we speak of writer’s block, we may actually be talking about a ‘creation block’.
M Yashna
The dreaded blank page haunts every writer. But what happens in your brain when you run dry? And, more importantly, what – if anything – can be done about it?
Marlon James, who this week became the first Jamaican to win the Man Booker Prize, represents a new generation of Caribbean novelists.
Neil Hall/Reuters
Marlon James won the Booker Prize this week with a book that focuses on the unrest and violence of 1970s Jamaica, a troubled chapter that continues to shape the island nation’s present - and its future.
Every year thousands of students read George Orwell’s 1984 and are doubtless convinced that its perspective on language and power is “definitive”. Except that it’s not; and hasn’t been since at least the 1970s.
Manuel Harlan/Melbourne Festival
Many still regard George Orwell’s 1984 and its message about the nature of language and power “definitive”. But globalisation has revolutionised how we communicate; 1984 tells us nothing about our future.
A new study examines the responses of Australian authors, publishers and readers to global changes in the contemporary publishing environment.
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A study into the responses of Australian authors, publishers and readers to global changes in the contemporary publishing environment suggests authors are being innovative, but financial rewards can be elusive.