2015 International Writer of Courage, Scotland’s favorite literary quote, and more
News, Reviews, and Interviews
Bestselling Swedish author Henning Mankell passed away this week at the age of 67. Mankell was one of the main figures of Scandinavian noir, and he was often discussed in J. Madison Davis’s International Crime and Mystery columns in WLT.
The first U.S. book translation of Uruguayan poet Circe Maia has been published. Jesse Lee Kercheval translated the book, and you can read more of Kercheval’s translations of Maia’s poetry in the January 2015 issue of WLT.
Raif Badawi, a jailed blogger from Saudi Arabia, was named the 2015 International Writer of Courage this week. British poet James Fenton also selected Badawi to be his co-recipient for the PEN Pinter Prize.
Via the Los Angeles Times, Carolyn Kellogg muses on likely candidates for the 2015 Nobel Prize in Literature. One of the suggested possibilities is Somali poet and Neustadt prizewinner Nuruddin Farah.
Nigerian author Chigozie Obioma won the inaugural FT/OppenheimerFund Emerging Voices Award this week. His debut novel The Fishermen will be reviewed in the November issue of WLT.
A quest to find Scotland’s favorite literary quote has been launched as part of Scotland’s biggest celebration of books and reading.
Belarussian journalist and prose writer Svetlana Alexievich won the Nobel Prize in Literature. She was a finalist for the Neustadt International Prize for Literature in 1994.
Fun Finds and Inspiration
Book Riot gives its rating of the 9 best Halloween costumes based on children’s books.
Neustadt Prize juror Porochista Khakpour shares this “shelfie” with Literary Hub to tell readers a little about her reading space and the books she has read.
These five library posters by graphic artist Arlington Gregg were commissioned during the late 1930s to teach kids how to take good care of books.
