News•Mar 11, 2026
Elaine Scarry Says Pain Unmakes Language. Jan Steyn, Begs to Differ — or at Least Keeps Translating and Typing
The essay intertwines a personal bout of gout with the craft of literary translation, illustrating how chronic pain shapes the translator’s voice. It surveys gout’s medical profile—affecting 1‑2% of adults, driven largely by genetics, and disproportionately impacting men, post‑menopausal women, Māori and Black Americans. The author links these bodily experiences to cultural narratives, citing La Fontaine’s fable "La Goutte et l’Araignée" and its Afrikaans rendition, showing how societies encode the disease in language and morality. Ultimately, the piece argues that translating while in pain reveals the inseparability of body, language, and meaning.
By Arts & Letters Daily
News•Mar 11, 2026
Blood Cancer Has Not Abated the Verbose, Sardonic, and Unpredictable Will Self’s Rage with the Literary World
British novelist Will Self, 63, is battling secondary myelofibrosis, a blood cancer. He is halfway through his 64th year while completing a new work titled "The Quantity Theory of Morality," positioned as a sequel to his 1991 debut. The book...
By Arts & Letters Daily
News•Mar 11, 2026
On My Mind: The Mary Janes I Wore on My Book Tour
Editor Ailbhe Malone embarked on a multi‑stop press tour to promote the short‑story collection Banshee, juggling a launch party, media appearances, and a podcast recording while traveling with only hand luggage. She detailed a streamlined wardrobe and makeup routine, highlighting...
By The Strategist (NYMag)
News•Mar 11, 2026
The Longreads Questionnaire, Featuring Julian Brave NoiseCat
Julian Brave NoiseCat, an Oakland‑raised writer, journalist and the first Indigenous North American filmmaker nominated for an Oscar, released his debut book *We Survived the Night*. The work weaves memoir, Indigenous myth, oral tradition and reportage to portray contemporary Indigenous...
By Longreads
News•Mar 11, 2026
The Greatest Dangerous Female Characters in Literature
The article examines the evolution of dangerous female characters in literature, from early one‑dimensional villains like the Wicked Queen to modern, trauma‑driven antiheroes such as Cersei Lannister and Annie Wilkes. It highlights a poll of bestselling authors who name their...
By CrimeReads
News•Mar 11, 2026
Book Review: ‘In the Days of My Youth I Was Told What It Means to Be a Man,’ by Tom...
Tom Junod’s new memoir, *In the Days of My Youth I Was Told What It Means to Be a Man*, delves into his tumultuous relationship with his charismatic father, a post‑war handbag salesman whose larger‑than‑life persona embodied mid‑century notions of...
By The New York Times – Books
News•Mar 11, 2026
Book Review: ‘The Golden Boy,’ by Patricia Finn
Patricia Finn’s debut, *The Golden Boy*, follows disgraced TV executive Stafford Hopkins, exiled to Maui after a failed gamble, as he wrestles with his philosophical ego and a haunting past. The narrative pivots when a letter summons him back to...
By The New York Times – Books
News•Mar 11, 2026
Do Not Go Gentle by Kathleen Stock Review – the Case Against Euthanasia
Philosopher Kathleen Stock’s new book, Do Not Go Gentle, argues against state‑sanctioned assisted dying, targeting the UK’s pending end‑of‑life bill. She warns that legalising euthanasia creates a slippery‑slope, citing expansions in Canada and the Benelux that now cover non‑terminal and...
By The Guardian – Books
News•Mar 11, 2026
Stella Prize 2026 Longlist Celebrates the Power of Memory, Truth and Creative Fiction
The 2026 Stella Prize longlist, announced today, features 12 works by Australian women and non‑binary writers across poetry, memoir, fiction, non‑fiction and graphic novels. The prize received 212 entries, and each longlisted author will receive $2,000, with the ultimate winner...
By ArtsHub (AU)
News•Mar 11, 2026
The Book of Michael Silverblatt
Michael Silverblatt, host of KCRW’s long‑running radio program *Bookworm*, died on February 14 after 33 years of championing literature. His interview style involved rereading a guest’s entire body of work and immersing himself in their language before each conversation. A...
By Literary Hub
News•Mar 11, 2026
Program Picks: What’s on For Tomorrow’s London Book Fair
The London Book Fair’s final day on March 12, 2026 features a packed agenda targeting the most pressing industry challenges. Sessions cover indie publishing cost pressures, AI‑driven author‑rights threats, and the growing influence of Black and Latin American literature. Panels on...
By Publishing Perspectives
News•Mar 11, 2026
A Call to Action – Closing the Gender Gap in Nonfiction Publishing
A panel at the London Book Fair highlighted the gender gap in nonfiction publishing, citing that women account for only 26.5 % of newspaper reviews, 33.3 % of major nonfiction prize wins, and earn 36 % less than male peers. Despite overall nonfiction...
By Publishing Perspectives
News•Mar 11, 2026
Rasputin: Untangling the Man From the Wild and Complicated Myth
Antony Beevor’s new biography, *Rasputin: And the Downfall of the Romanovs*, separates the Siberian mystic’s legend from fact, showing his real influence was largely symbolic. Rasputin’s charisma won Empress Alexandra’s trust, especially after allegedly easing her son Alexei’s haemophilia crises, which...
By The Independent – Books
News•Mar 10, 2026
Please, No More Disaffected White Girls
Anika Jade Levy’s debut novel Flat Earth (2025), released by Catapult, satirizes the disaffected white‑girl archetype that dominates contemporary art‑world narratives. The book’s clipped, emotion‑less prose mirrors the numbness of modern digital culture, weaving references to QAnon, fertility anxieties, and...
By Hyperallergic
News•Mar 10, 2026
K.K. Venugopal Biography an Attempt to Come to Terms with Himself: N. Ram
Senior lawyer K.K. Venugopal’s memoir, *An Accidental Lawyer—My Adventures in Law and Life*, was highlighted by The Hindu’s N. Ram as an effort to “come to terms with himself.” The book mixes personal anecdotes, family stories, and reflections on landmark...
By The Hindu – Books