Rowling “publishes” a new book, James Frey may be ordered to pay readers back for his “fraudulent” memoir, and Leon Hale is talking with mules. All a week’s work in the world of modern literature. On the upside, modern convenience means one can experience all of this cozily on a Sunday morning from the safety of one’s bed with tea in hand. Today I visited my usual favorite columns and least favorite news venues take the pulse of the literary world. I’m here to say, it’s beating a bit…weird…this week.
Leon Hale, one of my new found favorite author bloggers, has announced “The talking mule sings hymns, too.” I’m taking it as a sign of age. I think he is too.
It’s a sign of the times when Love in the Time of Cholera and Book of the Dead hold the titles for number one best sellers in D.C. for paperback and hardback, respectively. Such a cheery town to live in.
In other I’m-obsessed-with-this-woman’s-writing-sucess news, one of Rowling’s Tales of Beedle the Bard will be auctioned at Sotheby’s on December 13 with a starting price of $62,000. CNN reports the proceeds will go to The Children’s Voice, a charity that helps vulnerable children across Europe. Now if only we all looked this good writing wildly successful books and saving needy children.
Washington Post’s Ronald Grigor Suny reviewed Simon Sebag Montefiore’s Young Stalin, noting that “Stalin was a precocious gangster, robber and arsonist.” Imagine that.
Glamour celebrated Mariane Pearl, whom Publisher Weekly describes as “author of A Mighty Heart and widow of reporter Daniel Pearl, on her newest book, In Search of Hope.” I’m sure her ghost writers were thrilled that Publisher’s Weekly went on to skip any review of the new book to instead observe that Ms. Pearl “look[ed] glamorous herself in a low-cut black dress with her telltale curls piled atop her head.” Well if that just doesn’t make me take her (or Publisher’s Weekly) serious, I don’t know what will.
And in my favorite literary news, James Frey, author of the much smacked about Million Little Pieces, may have to use some of his $4.4 million in royalties to pay 1,729 readers back for the purchase of his book. Who says law and literature don’t mix?
