Mar 13 Nobel-winning writer Kenzaburo Oe dead at 88 By Mary Yamaguchi, Associated Press The Swedish Academy cited the author in 1994 for his works of fiction, in which “poetic force creates an imagined world where life and myth condense to form a disconcerting picture of the human predicament today.”… Continue reading
Dec 15 12 books to read from 2022 By Jeffrey Brown, Alison Thoet, Anne Azzi Davenport Maureen Corrigan, book critic for NPR's Fresh Air, and New York Times books editor Gilbert Cruz share some of their favorite books of the year. Continue reading
Oct 28 Financial sanctions for organization that targeted author Salman Rushdie By Fatima Hussein, Associated Press The U.S. is imposing financial penalties on an Iranian-based organization that put a bounty on the head of British-American author Salman Rushdie, who was violently attacked in August at a literary event. Continue reading
Oct 05 WATCH: Annie Ernaux, French author of deeply personal works, wins Nobel Prize in literature Ernaux has mined her own biography to explore life in France since the 1940s, illuminating murky corners of memory, family and society. Continue reading
May 10 Coalition of librarians, teachers and publishers forms to fight book bans By Associated Press The American Library Association, the American Federation of Teachers and more than a dozen other organizations have formed a coalition to fight the nationwide wave of book bans and challenges. Continue reading
Apr 21 Mark Twain's weird but perfect ending By Dr. Howard Markel The night Twain was born, there was a brilliant view of Halley's Comet flying right over his hometown. Continue reading
Sep 17 Fiction longlist for National Book Awards includes Richard Powers, Lauren Groff By Hillel Italie, Associated Press Powers' “Bewilderment” is his first book since the Pulitzer winning “The Overstory.” Groff's “Matrix” is her third consecutive work to receive a National Book Award nomination, following “Fates and Furies” and the story collection “Florida.” Anthony Doerr's “Cloud Cuckoo Land”… Continue reading
Jun 30 Rudolfo Anaya, 'godfather' of Chicano literature, dies at 82 By Russell Contreras, Associated Press Anaya came onto the scene with his breakthrough work, "Bless Me, Ultima," in 1972. The novel about a young Mexican American boy's relationship with an older curandera, or healer, influenced a generation of Latino writers. Continue reading
Apr 18 Watch 6:13 Landmark Oregon bookstore strains to survive the pandemic By Tom Casciato The independent book business has been battered in recent decades, as locally owned sellers strained to compete with the online-giant Amazon. But the COVID-19 crisis has forced many to close their doors, depriving both readers and writers the spaces they… Continue watching
Apr 16 'The Plague' perfectly captures the risk in returning to normal By Dr. Howard Markel It's the most vexing phase of an epidemic -- once an illness peters out, healthy people begin to place it in the past. Continue reading