Regardless of your beliefs, these videos explaining the major theories of religion are a good bet to tickle your fancy. They’re also apropos in light of Pope Benedict’s new book deal.
Opiate of the Masses
“The Book the Internet Was Invented For”
On the infinite recreation and reimagining of Finnegans Wake, a book that was "crying out for the invention of the web, which would enable the holding of multiple domains of knowledge in the mind at one time that a proper reading requires," from The Guardian.
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Accepting Rejection
Rejection is a part of growth. Kim Liao argues why writers should aim for one hundred rejections a year. To prepare for your one hundred rejections, let literary magazine editors tell you their thoughts on rejection letters.
Found in Translation
"The night of the typhoon, the sky was full, the world destroyed." Eleanor Goodman is one of 13 translators who won the PEN/Heim Translation Fund this year. Goodman won for her translation of Chinese poet Wang Xiaoni's collection, Something Crosses My Mind, which will be published by Zephyr Press.
One Award To Rule Them All
Over at Book Riot, Jeff O'Neal's asking readers to vote for their favorite literary award… based on the quality of each one's backlist.
Not Named Knausgaard
Think Knausgaard is the only Norwegian writer worth knowing? Think again. Lit Hub has a roundup of "Five Great Norwegian Writers Not Named Knausgaard."
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Boycotting Indies?
We are now over a week into Amazon's boycott of the indie press e-books distributed under the Independent Publishers Group. IPG is taking a stand against Amazon's hardline negotiations during the retail giant's annual contract review, and 5000 titles are no longer available through the Kindle store. Last week Jim Hanas, author of the digitally and independently published Why They Cried, spoke out against Amazon to champion other e-readers and e-book retailers. The renegotiations are taking place across the industry, though, as Melville House's Dennis Johnson puts it, "major industry figures at the big houses in New York — facing similar cutthroat demands from Amazon for their own annual contracts — remain silent... This isn't over yet."
Cervantes Found
Miguel de Cervantes died and was buried 399 years ago, and apparently no one thought to mark his grave. But the Guardian has reported that after two years of searching a team of archaeologists have found and positively identified the Don Quixote author's body, and there are plans to open his crypt to the public next year in honor of the 400th anniversary of his death.