Against Age-Based Writer Lists, Two Hundred Years of Jane Austen Covers, and More

by
Staff
11.14.14

Every day Poets & Writers Magazine scans the headlines—from publishing reports to academic announcements to literary dispatches—for all the news that creative writers need to know. Here are today’s stories:

“In our long-lived, serial-career age, these lists say something about how we’re beginning to think of writing—as a young person’s game.” Read Joanna Walsh’s argument against the concept of age-based “best-of” lists at the Guardian.

Jane Austen’s Emma character has certainly changed over the last two hundred years—her image on book cover art, that is. Margaret Sullivan’s new book, Jane Austen Cover to Cover, examines a collection of covers from different publishers and eras from Austen’s six major novels. At the Paris Review, Dan Piepenbring features examples of diverse cover designs from Austen’s novel Emma, and states that the variance of covers “provides a fascinating glimpse into a variety of publishing cultures, and…reminds that even our classics are mutable, pitched to appeal to any number of sensibilities, their literary status in constant flux per the dictates of the market.”

Publishers Weekly has released a number of initial reactions to the Amazon-Hachette deal reached Thursday, after a months-long negotiation stalemate between the retailer and publisher. Responses from the president of the Authors Guild and others express some relief but also concern about what the agreement might mean for authors in the future. For example, Douglas Preston, who founded Authors United (a platform for authors to voice their concerns about Amazon’s tactics) was “relieved” to hear about the deal, but will still move forward with Authors United’s plan to ask the Department of Justice to investigate Amazon for antitrust issues.

Perhaps you share a similar sentiment with Jorge Luis Borges, who said, “I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library.” If so, send your library love letters to the Guardian! Book Week Scotland has launched a campaign for readers to write love letters to their favorite libraries, and the Guardian will publish a selection of reader letters, alongside letters from famous authors, during Book Week Scotland (beginning November 24).

On December 2, Sotheby’s will auction off an archive of Sylvia Plath’s early manuscripts, lecture notes, letters, self-portraits, and other ephemera from the famed poet’s life. According to the auction catalogue, “This is the most significant collection of important Sylvia Plath material to appear on the market in many years.”

In 2015, the United Kingdom’s World Book Day festival will travel to ten cities, as opposed to five in 2014. World Book Day will host literary events for children of all ages during what the charity is calling the “Biggest Book Tour On Earth.” Over forty authors and illustrators will visit the ten cities in hopes of reaching 14,000 children. Director Kristen Grant states that World Book Day’s “ultimate mission is to encourage a love of reading in all children, and by doubling our tour stops we’ve made a major step forwards achieving this ambition.” (Bookseller)

In an essay for the Poetry Foundation, Jaswinder Bolina discusses the expectations and realities of pursuing an MFA, how the academy affects writers and class structure, and the persistent question of poetry’s importance in society.

Comments

How cool to own a piece of

How cool to own a piece of literary history.  Any time a fans get a chance to view original manuscripts, papers, and pages of any writer (let alone their favorite famous author) is a great day for both readers and writers.  Janelle  www.janellefila.com