U.S. writer Jonathan Littell has now added Literary Review's Bad Sex in Fiction award to the honors bestowed upon his 900-page novel, The Kindly Ones, an international best-seller and recent winner of the Goncourt prize, France's highest honor to the author of "the best and most imaginative prose work of the year." The winner was announced last night in London.The awards were established by the editors to “gently dissuade authors and publishers from including unconvincing, perfunctory, embarrassing or redundant passages of a sexual nature in otherwise sound literary novels.” They are annually awarded to the author who produces the worst,...
Reading Is No Bed of Roses On This Bed
If you thought the Tempurpedic™ mattress was the last word on healthy and comfortable rest, the Swedish have produced a sharp alternative based upon an old, tried and true style of torturous relaxation.Welcome back the bed of nails, 21st century-style.Power-napping at the office. Note that books can be propped upfor reading by carefully inserting them within the spikes.Caution: Always take care when turning pages.Those who enjoy reading while reclining, particularly at bedtime, may find that the new nail beds require a period of adjustment before curling up with a good book can begin. Words on the page assaulting the eyes...
African American Archivist’s Dream Must Not Be Deferred
Avery Clayton (1947-2009)Avery Clayton lived long enough to find a home for the largest collection of African American artifacts on the West Coast. But not long enough to see the treasure trove of rare books, manuscripts, photographs, feature films and ephemera, his mother's life's work, made available to the public. Mr. Clayton died suddenly on Thursday, while hosting a Thanksgiving dinner. He was 62 years old.Mayme A. Clayton (1923-2006)Clayton's mother, Mayme, spent 40 years amassing materials on African American history from every source imaginable: garage sales, flea markets, attics, used-book stores, and even dumps. She rescued thousands of rare books,...
Albert Camus in Grave Condition, France Holds Its Breath
The author at rest.Albert Camus is in the midst of a post-existential crisis.President Nicolas Sarkozy of France wants to transfer the remains of the writer and Nobel-laureate to the Panthéon, the Paris monument to some of the great men and women of France and one of the nation's most hallowed burial places. Camus is currently residing in the cemetery of Lourmarin, in the Luberon area of Provence, his birthplace.The gall, says Camus’s son, Jean, who asserts that interring his father’s remains at the Panthéon would be contrary to his father’s wishes and does not want to have his legacy put...
2009 Bad Sex in Fiction Award Nominees Announced
Courtney Love presents the 2006 Bad Sex in Fiction Awardto Iain Hollingshead for his novel, Twentysomething.The nominees for Literary Review's 2009 Bad Sex in Fiction Awards were announced last Friday evening.The awards were established by the editors to “gently dissuade authors and publishers from including unconvincing, perfunctory, embarrassing or redundant passages of a sexual nature in otherwise sound literary novels.” They are annually awarded to the author who produces the worst, most laughable and/or jarring description of a sexual encounter in a modern novel.In other words, when sex scenes go horribly wrong secondary to punctuation, syntax, or falling off a...