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LATEST Feature Articles
Twitterature: Classics in 140 Characters or Less
by - Thursday, June 25, 2009
"Is there no end to Twittermania? Last week we saw the social networking tool Twitter deployed on the streets of Tehran. This week, moving seamlessly from the sublime to the ridiculous, it is being used to aid the digestion of the world's greatest literature." So writes Guardian correspondent Ed Pikington in New York. BookBuffet is delighted that our favorite (professional) social networking site is putting its technology to good use.
"Fans of the classics will either be delighted or appalled to learn that the New York-branch of Penguin books has commissioned a new volume that will put great works through the Twitter mangle. The volume has a working title that will make the nerve ends of purists jangle: Twitterature."
In it, the authors will squish the jewels of world literature - they mention Dante, Shakespeare, Stendhal, Joyce and JK Rowling - into 20 tweets or less - that is 20 sentences each with fewer than 140 characters.
The book is the brainchild of two 19-year-old first-year students at the University of Chicago who claim to be starting a cultural revolution from their college dormitory. Bashing their heads together one evening in their university digs, Emmett Rensin and Alex Aciman asked themselves what defined the grandest ventures of their generation, and best expressed the souls of 21st century Americans?
Pretentious, maybe. Precocious, certainly. The answer they came up with was double-headed. They identified high literature as a crucial pillar for any generation. ...More >>
LATEST Author Interviews
Author Podcast: Sarah Thornton
by - Saturday, June 20, 2009
The Contemporary Art market has been on fire and who better to talk about it than Sarah Thornton, ethnographer and author of Seven Days in the Art World published by Norton in 2008. Her book has been making waves as having the best insights into this fascinating subculture, market segment and art world phenomenon. Join BookBuffet's host, Paula Shackleton in this three-part interview with Sarah who joins us from her studio in London. The New York Times says,
“Seven Days in the Art World by Sarah Thornton is a field guide to the nomadic tribes of the contemporary art world. The book was reported and written in a heated market, but it is poised to endure as a work of sociology… Where others would be content to gawk and gossip, she pushes her well-chosen subjects to explore the questions ‘What is an artist?’ and ‘What makes a work of art great?”
Alan Yentob, creative director at the BBC says,
“It’s like having your own spy in the art world. Thornton parachutes the reader into the fascinating nitty-gritty of how it all works.”
Annalyn Swan, co-author of DeKooning: An American Master says:
“A smart, engagingly written insider’s look at the machinations and manipulations of today’s art world…. A great read.”
Grayson Perry, (artist) says:
“Seven Days in the Art World” is a great page-turner, I worry that the book demystifies things so much that the next generation of artists will be overinformed.” Join our RSS feeds to get our interviews monthly, or click on the mp3 link for this segment, or just read along with the transcript.
...More >>
Feature Articles >>
A Right to Bare Arms: The State of Feminism Today
by
Friday, June 05, 2009
It is becoming increasingly hard to convince young women that feminism is relevant today. What short memories we have. Only 2 generations ago, women couldn’t vote (for women of color and native women, that right came much later) and had few rights even within the home , expected to “cater to [their] husband’s personal comfort,” “never complain” and “know [their] place.” (See Goodhousekeeping, May 19955) Our mothers’ generation was the first to “have it all” meaning they were “allowed” to have careers and families, but I’m sure any one of them will tell you being a “supermom” wasn’t a walk in the park, nor were they perceived or paid as equals for the most part. It was only a few weeks ago, after all, that Barack Obama signed the Equal Pay bill. That means that 4 months ago it was legally OK to pay a woman less based solely on her gender.
We still get called—and worse, call each other—sluts and whores. We still think certain women deserve respect, and others (prostitutes, transgender women) do not. Shockingly, 1 in 7 think it’s acceptable to hit a woman if she is “nagging or constantly annoying,” and is responsible for inviting sexual harassment if wearing provocative clothing. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article5875108.ece A disturbing majority of teenage girls thought pop-singer Rhianna must have “made [boyfriend Chris Brown] really mad” for him to have beat her unconscious. Clearly, we have a ways to go.
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Book Reviews >>
Miriam Toews: The Flying Troutmans
by
Thursday, June 18, 2009
New out in paperback this month, Miriam Toews fourth novel, The Flying Troutmans (Vintage, June 2009) follows along the author’s well-worn path of funny-sad books about misfits who experience loss and misfortune, but somehow manage to deal with it. It is the story of two sisters, one functional, and the other eccentrically dysfunctional. All their lives the younger sister, Hattie has lived a mix of awe and dread for what spectacle or catastrophe her older sibling, Min would concoct that would either embarrass or frighten her. When Min carries the behavior over into adulthood and relinquishes her hold on life and motherhood to a paralysing depression that requires hospitalization, Hattie returns home to look after her sister’s two kids aged 14 and 11. Logan is a confused pubescent basketball-obsessed young man who writes precocious rants and his younger sister Thebes is a savant eccentric with purple hair, appalling hygiene and a penchant for quoting the dictionary and doing crafts like making giant novelty checks. Instead of facing their pathetic domestic non-routine with the spectre of their mother’s illness hanging over the household, Hattie packs the kids up for a road trip through the United States under the auspices of finding their long lost father who’d been driven out by their mother years earlier. What ensues is a poignant journey of discovery with frequent laugh-out-loud moments as they establish their fundamental bond and accept each other’s insecurities, deficiencies, and quirks. Ultimately they connect through their abiding love for Min. For anyone who doubts that an awesome road trip can't help but connect people, this book is for you. The insights into US-Canadian quirks is bonus.
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Publisher News >>
Picador Uses Twitter To Market Books
by
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Since its launch in 1995 Picador has rapidly established itself as one of the leading literary trade paperback imprints in the country. Working closely with the esteemed hardcover houses Farrar, Straus & Giroux, Henry Holt and St Martin's Press, Picador's stable of authors include fiction and non-fiction Pulitzer Prize winners: Michael Chabon, Michael Cunningham, Marilynne Robinson and Jeffrey Eugenides; National Book Award winners Shirley Hazzard, Susan Sontag and Jonathan Franzen; and National Book Critics Circle Award winners Jim Crace and Philip Gourevitch. Picador's bestselling authors include Anita Diamant, Augusten Burroughs, Salman Rushdie, Lorrie Moore, Atul Gawande and Tom Wolfe.
The fun part is every Tuesday Picador will announce a new book pick and give readers two weeks to complete it. You could be one of the lucky people to win a free copy of the book. Book picks range from mystery to literary fiction to a work in translation. On the second Friday you'll get to correspond directly with the authors and editors of the book! Or you can submit questions before Friday to be addressed by the authors the day of the "discussion." Picador will pick books for every taste and reader. Read on to learn about Picador's Twitter program.
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Whistler Reads >>
Whistler Reads: Seven Days in the Art World
by
Monday, June 01, 2009
Summer is a favorite season in Whistler. The days grow long, the valley heats up, and people spread out to hike, bike, golf, canoe, dine al-fresco and participate in the village's summer art programs put on by the Whistler Arts Council. This summer Whistler Reads is adding to the fun. On Thursday July 30th, 2009 at 7:30 pm at the Whistler Public Library we'll be discussing Sarah Thornton's award-winning book about the Contemporary Art scene titled, Seven Days In The Art World. "It's a literary-art event", says Founder Paula Shackleton "that starts with wine and light jazz entertainment, followed by an impressive five-member panel of local to international art specialists who will gather to discuss this book from their various perspectives within the art world. If you are an artist, a collector, a gallery owner or simply interested in this fascinating subculture, ask yourself: Why is the art market thriving despite the economy? What defines art? How does an artist achieve success and even fame? How do curators determine what to collect? Join us!
To compliment the event we are excited to announce the installation of a stunning book-art sculpture, (Yes, it's constructed entirely of books!) in the library that will serve as appropriate eye-candy and will be a popular stop on the Whistler ArtWalk tour.
Use the link to purchase the book online today and slip it into your beach bag or suitcase for summer reading. If you're a local, pick-up a copy from Armchair Books in the village. "I can't think of a better way to celebrate the fusion of art and books," says Shackleton. Listen to BookBuffet's interview with the author, Sarah Thornton. (Podcast here.)
This book is the best thing to come out in years to help de-mystify the art world. It has received serious critical as well as popular acclaim everywhere. "Seven Days" covers every segment of the art world: from art auctions, to art institutes, to art fairs and art schools, to art prizes, the media and the professionals that make up the art culture. Following along with Sarah in the book, the reader gets an intimate look at a Christie’s London art auction, the scene at the Basel Art Fair, inside a “crit” at CalArts, the people and drama surrounding the Tate’s Turner Prize, visits to the studio of Japanese iconic Modern Art phenomenon, Takashi Murakami in Tokyo, and finishing up with the Biennale in Venice. ....More >>
WGBH Boston >>
Masterpiece Mystery: Six Agatha Christies Starting in June
by
Thursday, June 04, 2009
BookBuffet and PBS Masterpiece WGBH Boston have teamed up to offer you more great book give-away tie-ins for their upcoming Mystery Series. Join our Book & Film Club (instructions follow) and be entered to win free copies of these mystery classics for your summer beach reading. Then regardless of where you are, commencing in June 21st-July 26th, you can still tune in each Sunday to PBS at 9pm ET to catch six television episodes of the world's most popular crime writer, Agatha Christie. (check local listings) "Transcending the mystery genre, Christie remains the most popular novelist in history, with her work appearing in 50 languages in over 70 countries and more than two billion of her books sold to date. Published between 1920 and 1976, her 85 volumes of detective novels and short stories include other sleuths besides Poirot and Miss Marple.
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Wine & Book Club >>
Wine & Book Group Pick for Mar-Apr
by
Sunday, March 01, 2009
This month's Wine & Book Group pick is Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell (Little Brown & Co 2008) the latest block-buster nonfiction title from the New Yorker staff writer who moonlights as a penetrating social anthropologist. His first two books, "Tipping Point" and "Blink", talked about things that combine to push us over the edge into a new paradigm, and conversely, the things that we conclude in a flash or blink of an eye based on all of our previously learned knowledge and assumptions. This time Gladwell examines success - both debunking our misconceptions and drawing upon new examples to explain why some people succeed where others do not. This should be a thought-provoking discussion and so we've paired it up with some complex, "heady" wines... Details of how to join the group and discussion points and added research enclosed. Why not discover great wines and good books together! Enjoy
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Author Interviews >>
Author Podcast: Patrick French
by
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Patrick French is an English writer, historian and biographer educated at the University of Edinburough. His latest book, The World Is What It Is (Random House 2008) is his second work of biography. His subject is widely considered to be one of the masters of modern English prose, the Indo-Trinidadian novelist and essayist V.S. Naipaul who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2001 and subsequently knighted. People currently refer to him as Sir Vidia Naipaul. In an interesting, if not ironic twist, Patrick French was also offered the OBE for his literary contributions back in 2003. He turned it down. His comment was, "It is ridiculous that honours given in the 21st century would have the word empire in them. The motto that goes with the OBE is 'For God and the Empire'. Which God and which Empire?" He added that understanding the British Empire in history lessons is "crucially important" and that it was not "taught in enough detail in schools". But this argument about medals relates to the present. And so we have a citizen of Britain refusing the same honor that a colonialist (who he is writing about) has accepted with pride if not glee. Didn't the Duke of Edinburgh suggest, about 30 years ago, that "the word empire in the medals OBE, CBE etc should be replaced by the word 'Excellence'? 'The Order of British Excellence' has a good ring to it." At any rate, turning down the OBE hasn't stopped Patrick French from winning the 2008 National Book Critics Circle Award for this book, or being shortlisted for the prestigious Samuel Johnson Prize for Nonfiction 2008. BookBuffet caught up with Patrick French this past summer at the Southbank Centre on the banks of the Thames, London when he spoke about The World is What it Is and the issues of working with such a reputedly idiosyncratic personality.
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Technology Corner >>
Alchemist Author Says Giving Away His Books Increases Sales
by
Monday, April 27, 2009
Brazilian author, Paul Coelho of The Alchemist gave a keynote address at the Digital Life Design 08 conference in Munich, Germany (watch the video). Why would a Portuguese author entered into the Guinness World Record Book as the most successful living author in book sales worldwide (150M copies sold in 150 countries) be a guest at a digital conference? Because he has embraced the digital era like no other writer. Coelho spoke about his experiences using peer to peer file sharing and social networking, and he gave the three conclusions he has come to as a consequence of this activity. The first was the surprising realization that by giving away his books for free via digital downloads on the internet, his printed book sales have increased remarkably.* This has led him to challenge his publishers protectionism and claim that current copyright laws are outdated. I will get to the history of copyright laws later. For now, check out Pirate Coelho. The second of his observations is how rapidly world languages are evolving with the common use of internet slang, SMS and so forth to communicate. People use "u" for "you", and "4" for "for" in French, German, Spanish—in all languages, not just English, and Coelho predicts that in 20 years our languages will be very different as a consequence. The third experience is an enriched connectedness to his readers around the world through the internet. This point he finds the most rewarding aspect of all. Coelho is a man who has embraced new technology and recognizes its power to connect people the world over. He has been named "the Googliest author"—a reference to Google's ongoing attempts to digitize the world libraries, which has posed a perceived threat to publishers and adherents to copyright laws. Listen to his story of a party invitation...
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Events >>
London Literary Festival 09
by
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
This is the 3rd annual London Literary Festival held at the Southbank Centre July 2-16. Enjoy the best in international writing, performance, music and debate this summer. What I like about festivals in the UK is the diversity of participants and the scope of the topics. And of course, it's not all books! When you hang out in London you get to take in some of the greatest museums, galleries and restaurants of the world, too! Be sure to stay at the Berkeley (pronounced Bark-ley) in Knightsbridge, go for a drink at the swanky, newly renovated Coburg Bar at the Connaught in Mayfair, where the bartender makes exquisite cocktails and the patrons are always fun and interesting. Jog or walk through Hyde Park around the Serpentine under the cool of the deciduous forest canopy beside the lake where the Serpentine Gallery is showing renowned contemporary artist Jeff Koons, and for shits & giggles book a reservation on the London Eye, that huge futuristic ferris wheel right next to the Southbank Center, and view the cityscape courtesy of British Airways. Uhoh—sidetracked! Back to books. For the full programme of events visit www.southbankcentre.co.uk/londonlitfest. Tickets for the festival are still available and they range from 7-12. Here's a quick line-up of author events to mark on the calendar: Booker Prize winner, ARUNDHATI ROY, author of God of Small Things will headline the festival
2 July in discussion with Shami Chakrabarti on the topic of democracy. BUZZ ALDRIN 4 July On the 40th anniversary of the moon landing. One of the UK's poetry greats, BENJAMIN ZEPHANIAH 10 July will be performing new work and favourites. PETER ACKROYD
13 July Peter Ackroyd retells The Canterbury Tales. HANIF KURESHI, DCB PIERRE, KAMILA SHAMSIE & JEANETTE WINTERSON 14 July Come together with original stories.
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Some Member Book Selections
 
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