Awards! Argentinian illustrator Isol won the 2013 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. I just posted a round-up of the major Science Fiction & Fantasy awards. Not included there is the fact that Dutch author Thomas Olde Heuvelt is nominated for a Hugo Award in the Novelette category, for his short story The Boy Who Cast No Shadow. Hup, Thomas, Hup!
- Speaking of Dutch authors, did you know that Herman Koch’s The Dinner has been on the NY Times bestseller list for 7 weeks now? I think you’d better grab a copy and join that Starbucks Bookclub, don’t you?
- Still staying local, here’s a quick explanation of the difference between the Netherlands and Holland.
Terrible, terrible news: Iain Banks has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Apparently he has been given less than a year to live. Let’s hope he’s one of those rare individuals that defies medical science and will live and write for many a year to come!
- Writers and their typewriters. To counteract the sad news above.
- Lists! Five Literary Classics That Put X-Rated Movies to Shame (probably NSFW…). Also, 10 of the Coolest Librarians, and 10 More. Although those lists don’t feature my cousin, so they’re missing at least one.
- In which Amazon buys something else most of us loved for the precise fact that it was independent: Goodreads “joins the Amazon family”. JeroenW and I are rather less than ecstatic, although apparently Goodreads will remain independent. Let’s hope so.
- Stephen King fans, get ready for the TV adaptation of Under the Dome!
Happy 70th birthday to The Little Prince! Flavorwire lists the most eye-popping merchandise connected to the book.
- And finally, how right does Granta get their Best Young British Novelists lists? Below is the picture from 1983 – can you find William Boyd, Julian Barnes, Martin Amis, Rose Tremain and Ian McEwan, to name a few? On April 15th, the next 20 will be named.
Many thanks to Tom, JeroenW, Sigrid, Steven and Joke for several of the above links! If you have any book-related news links you want to share, mail blog@abc.nl.
