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Books and literature

Pulitzer Prize-winner Cormac McCarthy, pictured here in 2011, was the author of books including Blood Meridian, The Road, No Country for Old Men, All the Pretty Horses, The Crossing, Cities of the Plain, The Passenger, Suttree and The Orchard Keeper. Photo: TNS
Fame and celebrity

Cormac McCarthy’s ‘secret muse’ was 17 when they first had sex, she says

American author Cormac McCarthy was 42 when he met 16-year-old Augusta Britt, who she says inspired characters in some of his famous novels.

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Chinese culture

Letters | Multilingual writers enrich the world’s literary canon

China’s Communist Party

How Xi Jinping is going back to Confucius to define China’s future

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American cinema

Anne Hathaway set to lead Verity, film based on Colleen Hoover novel

Actress to play lead role in adaptation of Hoover’s Verity, about a struggling writer. Hoover adaptation It Ends With Us is a box office hit.

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Anne Hathaway attends the National Board of Review annual awards gala at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York in January. Photo: AFP/Getty Images/TNS
Icons and Influencers

Why bookshop tees and caps are flying off the shelves

Tote bags from London’s Daunt Books or New York’s The Strand, The New Yorker, Shakespeare and Co or The Paris Review bookshops were the original lit merch, but Idea raised the bar.

Architecture and design

The design secrets of Hong Kong’s private housing estates

These residential complexes may look identical, but new book Cities of Repetition unveils their distinct architectural identities – from Mei Foo Sun Chuen to Sha Tin’s City One.

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Chinese culture

Being Chinese | English took me out of a Chinese factory, but not China out of me

I learned English as a bored young factory worker and began writing in it to avoid censorship. But my decision has come with pros and cons.

Students learn English in a classroom in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province, in 2018. Photo: Shutterstock
Performing arts in Hong Kong

5 must-see music and arts events in Hong Kong this weekend, November 15-17

From an auction where you can bid with stories to a night of dreamy classical music under the stars, here is what is happening this weekend.

Britain

UK writer Samantha Harvey’s Orbital wins Booker Prize for fiction

In her novel set aboard the International Space Station, six astronauts circle the Earth, looping through 16 sunrises and sunsets in a day.

Old Hong Kong

How Hong Kong’s Repulse Bay Hotel became a haven for the famous

Once the pinnacle of opulence and grandeur, the Repulse Bay Hotel hosted guests like Ernest Hemingway, George Bernard Shaw and Wallis Simpson.

Repulse Bay Hotel in Hong Kong, in the 1920s. Photo: courtesy of The Repulse Bay
Australia

British chef pulls children’s book from sale after causing offence in Australia

Jamie Oliver’s ‘Billy and the Epic Escape’ was criticised for employing tropes and stereotypes about Indigenous Australians.

British chef Jamie Oliver. Photo: Picture Alliance / Axel Heimken / dpa
Food and Drinks

‘Text hip’ trend makes books cool in Korea, and a bar catches on

K-pop stars like NewJeans’ Minji are making reading cool again. Chaeg Bar in Seoul is lined with books to read and serves literary cocktails.

Auctions

Copy of The Little Prince worth US$1.25 million for sale at art fair

For sale in the UAE, the typescript, one of only three known to exist, contains handwritten corrections by author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.

What to do in Hong Kong

5 arts events to catch in Hong Kong this weekend, November 8-10

Digital art, the annual India by the Bay festival, choral concerts and a post-apocalyptic musical are among the highlights for arts fans.

Kādal Kaḍal: Endless Love, a dance choreographed, directed and performed by Rukmini Vijayakumar (pictured), is part of the 2024 India by the Bay festival programme in Hong Kong. Photo: courtesy of India by the Bay
Icons and Influencers

Who’s controversial commentator Megyn Kelly’s husband, Douglas Brunt?

The pair met on a blind date in 2006 and now have 3 children – Brunt has said that the former Fox News anchor is the ‘secret sauce’ in their 16-year marriage.

Controversial American commentator Megyn Kelly has a low-key and steady hubby, Douglas Brunt. Photo: @megynkelly/Instagram
Art

John Banville on ‘eerie’ masterpieces at Spain’s Prado museum

The Booker Prize winner talks about Old Masters’ pictures that ‘look at you’ and AI in art as he takes writing inspiration from the Prado.

United States

Tributes pour in for bookshop owner, but he’s very much alive

His landlord thought he’d died. People shared fond memories of him. A clearance sale was arranged. But Bill Fiedler had simply retired.

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Japan

The bookstores where anyone can rent a shelf to sell books, new or used

In Japan, where many conventional bookstores have closed, a new business model sees people rent shelves in a store to sell their books.

A rented shelf at the Honmaru bookstore in Kanda Jimbocho, Tokyo. Photo: AFP
South Korea

Literary but not literal, translator introduces Korean writers to the world

Award-winning translator Brother Anthony ponders Nobel Prize hype and the complexities of translating Korean poems and novels into English.

Censorship

Jodi Picoult, Margaret Atwood, Alice Walker books top banned list in US

Once recommended for young adults, Picoult’s Nineteen Minutes leads among 4,200 titles banned in schools, writers’ group PEN America says.

Fame and celebrity

Meet Amy Griffin: the G9 Ventures founder’s cut deals for Spanx, and Goop

Her husband John Griffin was the founder of major hedge fund Blue Ridge Capital, but Griffin carved her own niche in venture capital by focusing on female-led unicorn start-ups and building relationships.

G9 Ventures founder Amy Griffin with long-time friend, actress and Goop founder Gwyneth Paltrow. Photo: @amygriffin/Instagram
American cinema

Game of Thrones movie said to be in the works, or talked about at least

After hit HBO series, Warner Bros is reported to have been ‘quietly developing at least one film’ about the feuding noble clans of Westeros.

Kit Harington as Jon Snow and Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen in a still from the HBO series Game of Thrones. Warner Bros has been “quietly developing at least one” Game of Thrones film, but no stars have yet been attached to the project, reports say. Photo: HBO
Fame and celebrity

Where’s the cast of Glee now? From Broadway triumphs to untimely deaths

Fox musical drama Glee became a sensation when it was released in 2009 and put its cast firmly in the spotlight – nearly 10 years after the show’s end, only a few are still acting regularly

Nick Harkaway on stepping into dad John le Carré’s shoes

Author talks about reviving spymaster character George Smiley for Karla’s Choice, and how he got over his terror of writing the thriller.

Food and Drinks

Cookbook takes stress out of sharing kitchen with recipes for bonding

A Couple Cooks: 100 Recipes to Cook Together has recipes from pizza to sides in which the labour is split to make things ‘more fun together’.

A recipe for salmon piccata in A Couple Cooks: 100 Recipes to Cook Together, in which married food bloggers Sonja and Alex Overhiser take the heat out of sharing the kitchen and promote “bonding moments”. Photo: Chronicle Books via AP
South Korea

Nobel winner Han Kang’s book faces backlash from South Korean parents

More than 10,000 people have signed a petition demanding the book’s removal from school libraries.

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Books by South Korean author Han Kang on display at an outdoor library event in central Seoul on October 11. Photo: AFP
Fame and celebrity

Novelist Nicholas Sparks on Counting Miracles, its Bible connection

The author talks about where his ideas come from, how characters in his new book compare to those in earlier ones, and being a visual writer.

Celebrity children

Who is American weatherman Al Roker’s foodie daughter, Courtney Roker Laga?

Courtney Roker Laga has an extensive culinary background, working at Michelin-starred restaurants and Google HQ – she and her dad will host a masterclass in New York City to promote their cookbook.

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Books and literature
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Books and literature. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
last updated:
9 September, 2024
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