Paper Bag Princess Turns 40: A Podcast Primer

A classic of children's literature will be celebrating a big birthday in May 2020; its 40th, to be precise. And what a celebration it will be! Robert Munsch's seminal story, The Paper Bag Princess, has been adored by millions of children around the globe, and inspired countless artists over the last forty years to challenge the framework of 'normal' fairy-tales. The CBC recently published an illuminating interview (which you can check out here) on Munsch's creative process and various inspirations for PBP, along with the exclamation that Elizabeth's proud declaration of independence is indeed a happy ending; Munsch adds, "That's the ending it's supposed to have."

Stay tuned for more PBP news & updates - there's going to be plenty this year!

John Landis`s Favourite Monsters!

DK Publishing has put together a fabulous interview with John Landis, a revered film director, where he discusses all his favourite monsters in the history of cinema, just in time for Halloween! Of course, Mr. Landis has some esteemed experience in the horror genre, directing both the classic film An American Werewolf in London, and Michael Jackson`s `Thriller` music video, after Jackson saw the movie and was incredibly impressed. His list includes Frankenstein, King Kong, The Creature From the Black Lagoon, and other celebrated monsters in the history of film, coupled with insights both from Mr. Landis`s childhood memories and behind-the-scenes knowledge of how these films and their characters were brought to life on the big screen. Isn`t it so cool to learn where legendary creators take their inspiration from?

To read the full article, click the link here

Which Anne of Green Gables Character Are You?

Marilla or Matthew? Diana or Gilbert? Or are you Anne all the way? Anyone who's read L.M. Montgomery's classic, or fell in love with any one of the films or T.V. series has a favorite character! Find out who you are with this fun Bookriot Quiz!

Literary London Town

Harry Potter? Shakespeare? Woolf? Shelley? All in the same place?? Only in London! From the George Inn, to the Sherlock Holmes Museum, to the Harry Potter Shop, London is chalk full of any literary lovers dream spots! Check out Buzzfeed’s complete list here! 

Britain's Great Book History

Talk about a book lovers dream! From Kent to Whitby to the British Library, Britain is filled with breathtaking literary monuments and landscapes. This incredible Mashable list explores Jane Austen’s Bath, William Shakespeare’s Stratford, and everywhere in between, showing that Britain truly is a must visit destination for any bibliophile.

Take the Quiz!

CBC Books has done a cool quiz on the greatest Canadian books of all time; I didn't do too bad (37/100) but I have a LONG way to go!!! See how you do...

Cozy Classics: How They Do It

Canadian creators and international bestsellers Jack + Holman Wang did a piece in the Guardian on how they created War and Peace, one of their very cool books in the Cozy Classic series. Make sure you scroll down to get the full scoop.

New Dr. Seuss!. . .

Hooray, seven "new" Dr. Seuss stories that he wrote for magazines in the 1950s will be published this fall as The Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories.  You can read more about the find here. The title story sounds like fun - it's about a conniving cat who convinces an innocent duck to make a bad decision.

Heinrich Böll Revival. . .

Ever since reading Hans Fallada's Every Man Dies Alone, I've been a bit obsessed with reading German literature of the twentieth century.  And Melville House, responsible for bringing Fallada back into print and into English translation, has now turned its attention to Heinrich Böll.  Starting this month, they will be reissuing several of Böll's works - The Clown, and The Safety Net, translated by Leila Vennewitz, and Billiards at Half-Past Nine, translated by Patrick Bowles.   Three more titles - The Train Was on Time, Group Portrait With Lady and Irish Journal, all translated by Leila Vennewitz - will follow in April.

There is an amazing, and I mean AMAZING interview with the indefatigable Dennis Johnson, editor and publisher of Melville House, conducted by Jessa Crispin, who contributes an afterword to Billiards at Half Past Nine. They talk about the literature of aftermath, Melville's new imprint Neversink Library, devoted to bringing back lost classics (I can't tell you how excited I am by this - they have some incredible books lined up!) protests in Ireland and why publishing isn't for wussies.  Read it here. 

Can you hear Lara's Theme in the Background?. . .

It's hard to convey how truly beautiful this new edition of Boris Pasternak's Dr. Zhivago is, unless you are actually holding a copy.  The translators are the married dynamic duo of Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky who have recently done critically acclaimed translations of War and Peace, Anna Karenina and several Dostoevsky novels.  I've never read this classic before but started it last night, in preparation for the online discussion that will be taking place this month, hosted by Nonsuch Book.  There's plenty of time to join in - you have until November 16th to finish Part I, with discussion of the second part starting on November 30th.

A Noble Nobel Challenge. . .

Here's an interesting challenge that kicks off in the 100th issue of Bookslut, the literary review of the well-know blog.  Two American authors, Ben Greenman and Pauls Toutonghi, are reading their way through at least one work by every Nobel Prize winner and writing each other letters about the experience.  In their first correspondence they discuss Imre Kertész's Union Jack and Samuel Beckett's short story "The Lost Ones".  While I hope they won't just be actively seeking the authors' shortest works to read, I think it's a cool challenge.  You can read the first installment here, and the rest of the issue is also well worth checking out.

NYRB Challenge Book #8: L'amour dans deux langues. . .

I've had a busy week on the road in Montreal and Ottawa and I needed another short read. But even if I'd had all the time in the world, I still would have packed No Tomorrow by Vivant Denon, translated by Lydia Davis, as it really was the perfect accompaniment for my trip.

This entrancing little novella was originally published in 1777 and then revised in 1812 (this is the edition included here), and what NYRB have done is published a bilingual edition. With my dictionary close by, I read the French version first on the train to Montreal. But my French isn't strong enough to get all the nuances - I tend to translate too literally - and so was happy to follow it up with the English translation, and then go back and read certain sections in French again. Because this is a story of playful seduction (very erotic at times), and quite frankly, it reads better in French. I have certainly improved my French vocabulary.

Our main character is only twenty and by his own admission is quite naive. He is desperately in love with the Comtesse de -----, yet willingly allows himself to be seduced by her married friend Mme de T ----- only to find out that she has some ulterior motives of her own. But it's all part of the delicious game of love; as Peter Brooks writes in his introduction, No Tomorrow is about the "ethics of pleasure". And the setting plays an important part: moonlight, a terrace overlooking the Seine, an empty pavillion, comfortable cushions strategically placed to catch reclining bodies. It's just a lovely little interlude, both the romantic encounter and the reading experience. Fans of Laclos' Les Liaisons Dangeuses will enjoy this.

Just as fascinating is to read about Vivant Denon's life, which is charted in the excellent introduction. He accompanied Napoleon on his Egyptian campaign and was appointed as the first director of French museums, responsible for starting up the Louvre with many of the "spoils" that Napoleon gathered during his battles. He also had a private museum in his Paris apartment that apparently contained, among other relics, a drop of Napoleon's blood, one of Voltaire's teeth, some ashes of Abelard's Eloise, and a few hairs from the moustache of Henri IV. (Having just read Orhan Pamuk's The Museum of Innocence, I find this fascinating).

And to make the experience even more relevant, I had a few spare hours in Montreal and went off to the Musée des beaux-arts, where there just happened to be an exhibit of personal artifacts from the Napoleon era, including the famous hat he wore during the Russian campaign in 1812, furniture, clothing and paintings and etchings depicting him. I wished I'd written down the name of the artist - but there is a very interesting and quite amusing print, depicting the rise and fall of Napoleon purely through the changes in his hat. Do catch it if you are in the city. I can also highly recommend the J.W. Waterhouse: Garden of Enchantment exhibit if you are a fan of Pre-Raphaelite painting. To see the vibrant colours of those paintings up close is magnificent. And lots of lust (if repressed) and longing there too.

And now, if you'll excuse me - I need to find a comfortable divan to recline and languish upon.

Remembrance of Authors Past. . .

Have you always been meaning to read Proust and just need that extra push of encouragement? Hey, I'd give you a whacking thump on the back; spending a summer reading In Search of Lost Time remains one of the reading experiences of my life. Yes, it really is that good. Publishing Perspectives has just launched a new blog called The Cork-Lined Room in which you can read the novel and hook up with other readers online. They'll be starting the discussion on November 2nd. But first they offer ten good reasons for reading this mammoth, but oh-so-satisfying classic. If you need more guidance, you can also turn to this new guide: Marcel Proust's Search for Lost Time: A Reader's Guide to The Remembrance of Things Past by Patrick Alexander. Isn't the cover terrific?


Another great writer was Vladimir Nabokov and next month sees the somewhat controversial publication of his unfinished novel, The Original of Laura. He had originally instructed his wife to burn the 138 handwritten index cards that make up the "manuscript" of this book but they were locked away instead. Now his son has authorized the publication of this first draft. I'm excited to read this if only because the published format will be quite experimental and interesting - the book will consist of detachable facsimiles of the handwritten index cards (so not particularly practical for public libraries - sorry). Robert McCrum has a great article in The Guardian on the history of the manuscript and the controversy. It makes me want to stop everything and just read nothing but Nabokov for days on end. Check it out here.

Great book and movie combo. . .

The recent release from Criterion of Alain Resnais's amazing film Last Year in Marienbad - which has a secure place in my list of top 20 films of all-time - allows me to give another pitch for the novel that inspired the film - Adolfo Bioy Casares's The Invention of Morel, translated by Ruth L. C. Simms, and easily in my list of top 20 favourite NYRB Classics. This may not be a very helpful blog entry, as it's completely impossible to truly describe either the novel or film and do either of them justice. They are both simply unique and brilliant "experiences" that explore the mysterious nature of reality, love, the sense of place and time, and the wonder, suspense and illusion that lies behind all fiction and film. Over on the Criterion website, you can watch the excellent trailer of Last Year in Marienbad here which may - or may not - give you a sense of what the film is about. But if it leaves you intrigued and the summer blockbusters are boring you to death, do pick up Casares' slim little novella and pair it up with the movie over some weekend this summer. A good bottle of wine and some friends wouldn't go amiss - you'll have lots to discuss afterwards. I'll definitely be purchasing a copy of the DVD - it's a stunningly beautiful film to watch.