Charles Simic has been named the 15th Poet Laureate by the Library of Congress. Along with the title, he will receive an $35,000 award, plus $5000 for travel expenses. The post, which is largely ceremonial, is meant to give the poet a chance to work on his/her craft during the year-long tenure.

You can read all about Simic and his new job at this Guardian Unlimited article:
Charles Simic named US poet laureate

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Have you ever wondered if well-known, classic authors would be able to get published today? One man attempted to find out for himself. David Lassman tried an experiment where he would send out manuscripts of some of Jane Austen’s most timeless work, with a few minor changes. The experiment’s premise is that in todays publishing world, where blockbusters and marketability are everything, someone like Austen wouldn’t stand a chance of landing a publishing contract. Here’s what happened:

After making only minor changes, he sent off opening chapters and plot synopses to 18 of the UK’s biggest publishers and agents. He was amazed when they all sent the manuscripts back with polite but firm "no-thank-you’s" and almost all failed to spot that he was ripping off one of the world’s most famous literary figures.

Now remember that Jane Austen isn’t only known to the literary elite. And as the article from the Guardian Unlimited points out, her books have withstood the test of time and have sold millions of copies. Not to mention all the movie adaptations made from her writing. Jane Austen is definitely a literary powerhouse.

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What books do you imagine filling a CEO’s library? Actually, this question can be broadened from CEO to anyone who has reached a high level of success in life. You might be thinking business books, investor guides and other dry writing that would have most of us asleep in seconds. And you’d be wrong.

Many of the most successful people in the business world today have a surprisingly literary library, where non-fiction business books are the rare commodity. According to an article from the New York Times, these high-powered movers and shakers seek something else from their reading material:

Serious leaders who are serious readers build personal libraries dedicated to how to think, not how to compete.

It’s hard to describe the subtle difference that the above passage is trying to convey. A business-oriented book, for example might give successful sales strategies by laying them out in layman’s terms so the reader can easily absorb the main point without much thought. In other words, the point of the book is being spoon fed to the reader.

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I know what you’re thinking: "Another post about Harry Potter?" Yeah, I know. To be honest, now that the final book is out, I promise this will be one of the last Potter posts for a long while.

Whenever a series as popular as Harry Potter hits the reading public, there is bound to be criticism. Not everyone will be a fan – that’s to be expected. But in the case of the Potter series, I haven’t read a lot of criticism at all. Maybe I’m just not paying attention. Maybe I’m reading all the wrong newspapers, magazines and websites. I really don’t know why, but heavy Potter criticism doesn’t seem to be out there.

One thing I have really been interested in, is knowing what academics think of Harry Potter. I’m talking about literary theorists and old grouchy college literature professors. I finally got my wish the other day in my email inbox in one of my many Google Alerts I receive regarding literature.

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A little more than 24-hours from now the newest and final Harry Potter book will be released to the masses. Of course, for some, the book has been released a little too early for the publisher’s taste. I’m not surprised. Given that this is one of the most anticipated book releases of one of the most popular children’s series to ever hit literature, is anyone else really surprised that the book leaked out early?

I’m actually even more surprised at the actions of the publisher, Scholastic. They appear hell-bent on take legal action on anyone who lets the book out early. While many agree with their position, and to a point, so do I. But let’s consider that all the books that were leaked out have been paid for. Let’s also consider it’s a well-known fact that booksellers aren’t going to make a cent off direct sales from the new Potter book. Then where does all that money go? Scholastic, of course!

The publisher doesn’t seem to be losing money on this deal. If a few books slip out early, that’s the price of doing business. The only crime would be if books were somehow stolen, then a lawsuit would be in order. But suing their own customers?

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I’m going to be honest, I never really thought about this issue much until I came across this article in the Guardian Unlimited. The issue: contemporary fiction authors ignoring the explosive political climate America finds itself in. There aren’t many authors speaking out against the current administration, not to mention all the injustices done by way of eroding civil rights.

Instead, a majority of criticism has come from, of all other people, a former sports broadcaster! Keith Olbermann takes constant jabs at our government on his daily, primetime show, Countdown, asks questions and raises issues that few dare to bring up. I watch the show whenever I get a chance and must admit he does an incredible job pointing out the blunders of the Bush administration (not that it’s very hard to begin with).

Yet, in the United States, intellectuals (ie. authors) are usually thrown into the background and regarded as sideshow entertainment, listened to but not taken too seriously. And novelists just haven’t been that vocal in the American political scene, especially since 9/11:

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Nothing strikes terror into my heart like the idea of a marathon. As one who is "slightly-less-than-active", I prefer my exercise in quick bursts – done fast and with the least amount of pain.

But the story I came across on Yahoo! today spoke of a different type of marathon, one I could probably stand. The marathon I’m speaking of is the one where Jack Kerouac’s On The Road (aff link) was read today at a university in Boulder, Colorado:

Fans and some close friends of the late author took turns reading his most famous novel aloud at Naropa University in Boulder on Saturday. About 150 people listened to the cover-to-cover reading, which took 12 hours and kicked off the university’s inaugural Kerouac Festival.

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I don’t think it should be a surprise that I think it is very important, for the sake of literature, to get children hooked on reading at an early age. After all, they will eventually grow up, and if they still read for pleasure, will be the future consumers of the wide selection of literary works out there today.

Thus I was pleased when I read this short news blurb on the Guardian Unlimited website about a new program that will give all 11-year olds a free book. It appears, that around that age is when many kids give up reading for pleasure.

The scheme is designed to help children with the difficult transition from primary to secondary school, when many stop reading for pleasure. By Christmas, every child at year seven will be offered a choice of titles from a list that features novels, short stories, a poetry collection, and non-fiction in the form of Evil Inventions – Horrible Science.

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JK Rowling, Stephen King – these names usually bring up images of bestselling authors who seem to have the publishing world wrapped around their fingers. Yet many, also consider the two the "crack" of the literary world, or at the very least, comparable to a gateway drug.

While many criticize Potter and King because they appear to be able to sell an unnatural amount of books, there is no doubt that because of the two, countless people have taken up reading and never looked back.

Melissa Fryer, who is the art editor for the Nanaimo News Bulletin, became hooked on reading after picking up a Stephen King book:

I became a serious reader of more adult-oriented books at about Grade 6, giving up Jessica, Elizabeth and their world at Sweet Valley High. I love the feel of new books; the smooth cover and tightly packed pages, so when I saw Four Past Midnight in the supermarket, I bought it.

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I really need to keep up with the news better. Richard Rorty, philosopher and literary theorist, died on Friday and I just read about it today on the New York Times website. This little snippet from the article does a good job summing Rorty up:

Mr. Rorty’s enormous body of work, which ranged from academic tomes to magazine and newspaper articles, provoked fervent praise, hostility and confusion. But no matter what even his severest critics thought of it, they could not ignore it. When his 1979 book "Philosophy and the Mirror of Nature" came out, it upended conventional views about the very purpose and goals of philosophy. The widespread notion that the philosopher’s primary duty was to figure out what we can and cannot know was poppycock, Mr. Rorty argued. Human beings should focus on what they do to cope with daily life and not on what they discover by theorizing.

Of course there’s much more to Rorty than this article can contain. Many of the philosophy and literature classes I took in high school touched on his theories, but I never did and "in-depth" study of his works, so I’m afraid I can’t go into much detail there.

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