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May
31st May 2001 Nick Hornby's brilliant new novel, How to be Good, is published today, and we're celebrating in style with a live video interview and brand new Nick Hornby web site! For your chance to watch the exclusive video interview with Nick Hornby and hear him reading from How to be Good click here and we will send it to you by email. Plus, visit Nick Hornby's brilliant new web site - the only place on the web to read interviews with Nick, win signed goodies, view extracts and events listings, email Nick, try the saint or sinner quiz, and masses more ... A Day Late and a Dollar Short A Day Late and a Dollar Short , Terry McMillan's tour de force novel packed with a cast of sassy, resilient characters is released today. The Write Thing, in association with Penguin, are delighted to present a dramatisation of A Day Late and a Dollar Short. Following the performance, Terry will be signing copies of the book. Details: 5th June, London, Institute of Education, University of London, 20 Bedford Way, London, WC1H OAL. 7pm. Tickets £5 8th June, Birmingham Library Theatre, Paradise Place, Near Central Library. 7pm. Tickets £3 For tickets and info contact The Write Thing, 020 7924 0112 or email:thewritething@aol.com 29th May 2001 A club for the nicest kind of nutter The Penguin Collectors' Society exists as a celebration of all things Penguin, including book design, company history and of course writing. Now boasting around 450 members, the society also publishes a regular newsletter and holds an annual conference You can read more about the society at www.penguin.co.uk/collectors or from The Guardian online Pevsner Guides celebrates 50 years Pevsner Architectural Guides, the definitive portable guides to significant buildings in Britain, Scotland and Ireland, celebrates 50 years in existence. The series began in 1951 when Allen Lane, founder of Penguin Books, lent the young Nikolaus Pevsner a 1933 Wolseley Hornet and a permit for 30 gallons of petrol. Pevsner, an architectural historian, undertook it to write the 46 volume series during his university holidays. The success of The Buildings of England titles led to the extension of the series to Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Visit the official website: http://www.pevsner.co.uk/ 24th May 2001 Kerouac Manuscript smashes auction record The original manuscript for Jack Kerouac's seminal novel On The Road has set a new record at auction. Selling at Christie's Manhattan for a massive $2.2m, (£1.4m) the 50 year-old manuscript was written on a 120 foot long paper roll during a three week drugs and caffeine marathon. The book has gone on to become a bible of the Beat Generation. 23rd May 2001 Eddie Izzard celebrates forty years of Amnesty International Amnesty International, which has helped secure the release of thousands of prisoners of conscience worldwide, is now 40 years old. To celebrate, Eddie Izzard, surreal stand-up comedian par excellence, will be hosting a special, one-night event; We Know Where you Live. Live. Taking place at Wembley Arena on June 3rd, the show continues in the tradition of the legendary Secret Policemen's Balls. To find out more, visit the official website: Or buy your ticket online from: Like Water on Stone, Jonathan Power's incisive history of Amnesty International is now available. Weakest Link quiz book released today Now kids can play The Weakest Link, TV's nastiest quiz show, at home with their friends! Packed with hundreds of questions aimed specifically at schoolage children, this exciting interactive quiz book also gives detailed instruction on how to play. It aims to attract the 'schoolchildren fans who admit they can't answer any of the questions on the show' as described by Anne herself. 18th May 2001 A celebration of Penguin book jackets The history of Penguin's book jacket concepts and designs is celebrated in a new article on Bloomsburymagazine.com. The article recalls Allen Lane's quest to create top quality books at affordable prices, and traces the development of book design from the 1940s to the present day. 17th May 2001 Anne Fine honoured as new Children's Laureate Puffin author Anne Fine has just been named as the new Children's Laureate. Succeeding Quentin Blake, who has held the position for the last two years, she is the second ever person to have held this position and receives an annual bursery of £10,000. We don't like cricket ... we love it! This weekend sees the opening Test Match of the cricket season battled out between England and Pakistan at Lord's. Of the last four England/Pakistan Tests played here, the tourists have won three. After recent victories, however, the English squad is on its uppers; if victorious, it will be the first England team to have won five Test series in a row since 1971. Want more details? Try the Wisden Cricketers' Almanack 2001. More Reading: 15th May 2001 Penguin appoints John Makinson as Chairman Pearson plc are happy to announce the appointment of John Makinson as Chairman of The Penguin Group, effective from May 15th 2001. In addition to this new, non-executive role, John will continue in his existing role as Pearson's Group Finance Director and as a Pearson board member. David Wan, President of the Penguin Group, commented: "John is highly respected by Pearson colleagues, customers and shareholders and we look forward to working even more closely with him. His breadth of media and publishing industry experience - both creative and commercial - will be a tremendous asset for us as we continue to grow the company globally." Robert Kunzig and Paul Strathern on the Aventis Prize shortlist Mapping the Deep, Robert Kunzig's extraordinary exploration of the ocean, and Mendeleyev's Dream Paul Strathern's dramatic history of chemistry have both been shortlisted for the Aventis Prize. The books join a shortlist of six titles which were chosen from a total of ninety-eight entrants. The award, which aims to encourage the writing, reading and publishing of science books, was formerly known as the Rhone Poulenc Prize. William Trevor wins a Silver Pen Award William Trevor's The Hill Bachelors has won the Macmillan Silver Pen Award for Short Stories. The awards are presented in three categories by PEN, the only international writers' association. Other winners include James Stern Silver Pen Award for Non Fiction: JR Ackerley Prize for Autobiography: Prolific playwright, scriptwriter, director and poet Harold Pinter won PEN's most prestigious award, the ST Dupont Golden Pen Award for a Lifetime's Service to Literature. This is the first time that the full membership of English PEN (about 1,000 writers and literary professionals) were invited to nominate the recipient. 14th May Naked Chef cooks up a storm at the BAFTAs At a star-studded event at London's Grosvenor House Hotel, Jamie Oliver picked up the Best Feature award for his highly successful BBC cookery series The Naked Chef. Other winners included Ali G, who won both Best Comedy Performance and Best Comedy programme awards and Graham Norton who also claimed two awards, Best Entertainment Programme for So Graham Norton and Best Entertainment Performance for the second year running. Sad loss for literature as Douglas Adams and R K Narayan die The book-world mourns the sad passing of two of its brightest stars as RK Narayan, frequently referred to as India's greatest writer in English of the 20th Century, and Douglas Adams, one of science-fiction's most-loved authors, passed away this weekend. Read Richard Dawkins'tribute and lament for his old friend Adams at the Guardian Online. Richard Dawkins and Ian Stewart awarded fellowships of the Royal Society Leading Penguin science writers Richard Dawkins, the eminent biologist and author of The Selfish Gene and Ian Stewart author of Does God Play Dice have been awarded fellowships of the Royal Society, Britain's highest scientific honour. 'I'm grateful for what is still a genuine honour' said Dawkins. Mapping the Deep shortlisted for the Aventis Prize Mapping the Deep, Robert Kunzig's extraordinary exploration of the ocean and its inhabitants has been shortlisted the Aventis Prize (formerly known as the Rhone-Poulenc prizes for Science Books). There were a record 98 entries for 6 places. The winner, who will collect a £10,000 prize, will be announced on June 12th at the Science Museum. 11th May Win your height in Penguin Books Worrying what to take away for holiday reading this year? Well, help is at hand. You can now win your height in Penguin books. It's easy to enter our special draw, just click here. 10th May Ali Smith shortlisted for Orange Prize The Orange Prize shortlist, announced today, features Hotel World by by Penguin author Ali Smith. The book, a haunting peek at the intersecting lives of five people, is a meditation on chance, time, money and death. Also shortlisted are Margaret Atwood for The Blind Assassin , Jane Smiley for Horse Heaven, Kate Grenville for The Idea of Perfection , Jill Dawson for Fred and Edie and Rosina Lippi for Homestead. The winner will be announced on June 5th. Visit the official website for more details at www.orangeprize.com Check into Hotelworld where the guests are about to experience
a long dark night of the soul Remember you must live. Five people: four are living, three are strangers, two are sisters,
one is dead. HOTEL WORLD takes us through a night in the life of five people's
very different worlds. It's luxurious for some, but a long drop
for others. Cash or credit? Ali Smith's innovative and extraordinary new novel checks us in
to the smooth plush world of the Global. But is it really the kind
of place you want to spend the rest of your life in? Playful, defiant, richly inventive, HOTEL WORLD is a riotous elegy,
a deadpan celebration, an alchemy of opposite worlds colliding to
make a modern parable of connection and indifference, and, in the
end, a defence of love. Forget room service. This is a life-affirming book about death,
a death-affirming book about life. Check-out is at noon. Smith brings alive five characters, one of whom is dead, during one night in a hotel and traces their intersecting lives, examining the themes of time, chance, money and death. 4th May A taste of Extra Virgin Escape the grey skies and drizzle to tune into BBC Radio 4 and sample Annie Hawe's evocative account of life amongst the olive groves of Liguria. Extra Virgin, available now in paperback, is a heart-warming tale of how Annie and her sister fell in love with the Italian Riviera while on a short holiday to Liguria. So much in love, in fact, that they ended up staying for 15 years! Hear Annie's Italian tale from Monday 7th May 9.45am, until the end of the week. Jill Dando trial begins The trial of Barry George (41), accused of murdering television presenter Jill Dando, begins today at the Old Bailey. Jill Dando:Her Life and Death, an examination of the career and murder of one of the nation's most-loved personalities, will be published by Penguin on 28th June. Written by Brian Cathcart, also responsible for The Case of Stephen Lawrence, the book closely follows the police investigation and provides a fascinating account of one of the most sensational murders of our times. 3rd May Nick Cave plays London Nick Cave, post-punk's favourite, most enduring son will be appearing at the Royal Festival Hall, South Bank as part of the Total Meltdown festival. Nick, whose Complete Lyrics: 1978 - 2001 has just been published by Penguin, will also be playing a series of gigs at the Brixton Academy on the 5th, 6th and 7th of May. For details, see http://www.nickcave.net/ 2nd May 2001 Artemis Fowl takes Amazon by storm Barely five days after publication on 26 April, Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl occupies second place in Amazon's Hot 100 Books list - and that's overall sales on the site, not just children's. Customer comments have been extremely positive: "Artemis is the BEST!" and "The new Harry Potter", "A terrific read for older children, and adults too!". In the week of publication, Artemis Fowl also went straight into the Booktrack children's bestseller chart at ninth place. A great start for a great book. Plus, take a break this lunchtime and catch the man himself, Eoin Colfer, interviewed on the BBC1 news at 1pm today. Fowl Fever hits the UK The most talked about book of 2001 is finally here. Described as 'the latest hot tip in children's literature' by Nicolette Jones of The Sunday Times, Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer can't be missed. Enter the mind of 12 year-old criminal mastermind Artemis Fowl at www.puffin.co.uk. Check out creator Eoin Colfer's exclusive interview and try your luck in the criminally good 'Crack the Code' competition to win an iMac. 1st May 2001 MARK ROSEMAN WINS JEWISH QUARTERLY-WINGATE LITERARY PRIZE Mark Roseman's The Past in Hiding was awarded the the 2000 Jewish Quarterly-Wingate Non-Fiction Prize at the London Arts Club last night. Other contenders on the non-fiction shortlist were Hugo Gryn's Chasing Shadows, Michael Billing's Rock 'n' Roll Jews and Louise London's Whitehall and the Jews 1933-1948. Simon Winder, Roseman's editor at The Penguin Press, was delighted: "As Mark has already won the Fraenkel Prize this means that The Past in Hiding has now won both of Britain's major Jewish literary prizes. This is an extraordinary achievement and provides an ideal backdrop both to our June paperback of The Past in Hiding and to our January publication of Mark's extremely disturbing new book on the Wannsee Conference, Meetings about Murder." The Literary Fiction Prize was won by Mona Yahia for her debut novel When the Gray Beetles Took Over Bagdhad. Live chat with Matthew Kneale Matthew Kneale author of this year's Whitbread Book of the Year Award winner, English Passengers, is available to answer your questions. Historical fiction at it's best, English Passengers took six years to write, has 21 narrators and Kneale rewrote each page 9 times!. You have until the end of today, Tuesday 1 May, to post your questions to Matthew on the writing of English Passengers at Guardian Unlimited. Weakest Link comes up roses Quizmistress Anne Robinson gave her trademark wink as she collected a Silver Rose Award for her show, The Weakest Link, at the Montreux Festival in Switzerland last night. British shows dominated the awards ceremony, with The Weakest Link, Popstars and Coupling taking three of the five top prizes. Celebrate by re-creating the tension and drama of the TV quiz-show phenomenon in your own front room with The Weakest Link Quiz Book. Good luck and goodbye. April 30th April 2001 Beverley Naidoo on Carnegie shortlist The shortlist for prestigious children's book award the Carnegie medal has been announced, with Beverley Naidoo's tale of a Nigerian brother and sister fleeing their country, The Other Side of Truth, among the eight finalists. Beverley Naidoo is joined by David Almond with Heaven Eyes and Melvin Burgess, with The Ghost Behind the Wall. Burgess won the award in 1996 for his controversial drug-addiction story, Junk. Philip Pullman, winner in 1995 with Northern Lights, returns with The Amber Spyglass. Also on the shortlist is Coram Boy by Jamila Gavin, Sharon Creech's The Wanderer; Alan Gibbons's Shadow of the Minotaur and Adele Geras's reworking of a Greek myth, Troy. The Carnegie medal is awarded annually by the Library Association for "outstanding writing in a children's book". It was won last year by Aiden Chambers for his second world war thriller Postcards from No Man's Land. The winners of both medals will be announced on July 13. Zadie Smith wins The Commonwealth Writers' Prize Following from her recent success at the WH Smith Literary Awards, Zadie Smith has won yet another prize. White Teeth has just picked up the overall Commonwealth Writers' Prize, in addition to the prize for a first book. Earlier this year, Zadie picked up a Commonwealth award in the Eurasia category. Jamie Oliver to set up charity restaurant chain Jamie Oliver is setting up a charitable chain of restaurants employing troubled young people, he revealed after scooping the WH Smith Literary Award in the Home and Leisure category for The Return of the Naked Chef. Jamie, who beat domestic goddess Nigella Lawson, and Rick Stein, picked up a cheque for £5,000 and said his prize would be lodged in a special savings account. He will then establish a charitable chain of restaurants employing troubled young people. "It's not just going to be a sandwich chain or anything like that, it's going to be pure genius. When the fund gets big enough we'll start training the kids from troubled backgrounds and get the business up and running. I've already approached people like Richard Branson and the Prince's Trust for their help and they're going to get back to me," Jamie said. 27th April 2001 Jamie Oliver and Zadie Smith win WH Smith Literary Awards Jamie Oliver has been awarded the WH Smith Literary Award in the Home and Leisure category, beating Nigella Lawson, Rick Stein and none other than The Prince of Wales in the process. Fellow Penguin author Zadie Smith, author of multi-cultural London epic White Teeth also picked up an award for best new talent. The overall Award was given to Philip Roth for The Human Stain. Other category winners included Irish writer Maeve Binchy, who took the fiction award ahead of Booker Prize winner Margaret Atwood and the favourite Joanna Trollope. JK Rowling won the Children's Book of the Year award with Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire. The winners were presented with a £5,000 cheque at the Hemple Hotel in London. Susan Greenfield appointed a People's Peer Susan Greenfield, author of The Private Life of the Brain, has been made a people's peer. The Director of the Royal Institution, and Professor of Pharmacolgy at Oxford, she is one of fifteen to be selected in the first such list that was announced on 26th April. Penguin will also publish Susan's next book, provisionally titled The Brain of the Future. 26th April 2001 Jonathan Coe weighs in with the longest sentence in the English language Who needs full stops? Certainly not Jonathan Coe The record for the longest written sentence in the English language, previously standing at 12,000 (an arguable figure) was held by James Joyce and features in Ulysses, his ground-breaking stream-of-consciousness epic. But move aside Mister Joyce, Jonathan's latest book The Rotters' Club contains a sentence which comes in at a staggering 13,995 words. Jonathan insists, however, that he wasn't competing with Joyce for the honour but was actually influenced by a Czech writer, Bohumil Hrabal. Hrabal's book Dancing Lessons for the Advanced in Age, is over 100 pages long and is entirely bereft of full stops. 25th April 2001 Paul Theroux at The Gielgud Theatre Paul Theroux, acclaimed travel-writer and author of Hotel Honolulu will be in conversation at The Gielgud Theatre, Shaftsbury Avenue, London W1 this evening at 6.00pm Tickets cost £5.00 and can be booked by calling 01497 821299 23rd April 2001 The evils of fast food What does the American fast-food diet contain and what does that burger and fries really do to your body? Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation, has some unsavoury answers. Join Eric live on Tuesday 24th April at 9.30a.m. on BBC online for the chance to find out more and post your questions in the fast food debate. William Shakespeare's Birthday On Monday, 23rd May, we celebrate the birth, life and work of arguably the finest ever writer in the English language, William Shakespeare. To mark the day, we asked Frank Kermode, author of Shakespeare's Language to write an exclusive essay on the Bard's enduring appeal. Frank is also to hand at www.booksunlimited.co.uk where he has been answering all your Shakespeare-related questions. Why not take the opportunity to get to grips with the great man's work? 17th April 2001 Frank Kermode celebrates the Bard's birthday In preparation for Shakespeare's birthday (23rd April) Frank Kermode, author of Shakespeare's Language is on hand at booksunlimited to fill you in on everything you ever wanted to know about the great man but were afraid to ask. You have up until the end of today to get your questions in, with the results being published on the 23rd. 9th April 2001 Matthew Kneale nominated for The Miles Franklin Award Matthew Kneale's Whitbread Prize-winning novel, English Passengers, has been short-listed for The Miles Franklin - Australia's most prestigious literary prize. Other shortlisted authors include Alex Miller, Rodney Hall, Frank Moorhouse, Arabella Edge, Peter Carey and Hannie Rayson. The Miles Franklin Award was established in 1957 in accordance with the terms of the will of the late Stella Maria Sarah Miles Franklin, the famed Australian author who died in 1954. Gervase Phinn on the road Gervase Phinn author of the much-loved Hill and Dale series ( Over Hill and Dale and The Other Side of the Dale) is currently on the road making a number of guest appearances. Gervase, a natural raconteur, is sure to delight with his colourful tales of life as a Yorkshire schools inspector. Various venues, Dublin, Tuesday 10th April. For details, contact Michael McLoughlin on 00 3531 269 5135 Waterstones, York, Thurday 12th April. For details, contact Harriet Badger on 01904 628740 Waterstones, Manchester, Friday 13th April. For details, contact James Hurp on 0161 8320242 6th April 2001 Roald Dahl gets a gloriumptious new cover-look Puffin are thrilled to announce that Saturday 7th that April will see the first airing of a TV ad for Roald Dahl. Produced in conjunction with a brand new cover-look for Roald Dahl, who was voted the UK's Favourite Author in the World Book Day poll 2000, this will be the first time ever that a children's book has been advertised on TV! The ad will be shown throughout the Easter holidays, 7-20 April, on GMTV, Nickleodeon and Cartoon Network. Starring Imogen Bain as the Miss Trunchball-esque character, the idea for the ad was conceived by advertising agency MMHL and the ad itself directed by Mark Denton, whose work also includes the Royal Mail 'I saw this and thought of you' ads as well as the Nike commercial featuring Eric Cantona, and the recent ads for British Gas. View the new-look Dahl covers and enter the competition to Outwit The Twits (there's a state-of-the-art Sony PlayStation2 up for grabs!) here. 5th April 2001 Son of God 'a disappointment': Geza Vermes criticises new BBC series Renowned biblical scholar, Geza Vermes, (author of The Changing Faces of Jesus, published this week in Penguin paperback) has described the BBC 'Son of God' series as 'very disappointing', a sad use of gimmicks, and speculations treated as hard facts, rather than a genuine investigation of the real story. Professor Vermes was interviewed for an earlier television series that had a similar theme - 'Jesus: the Evidence' and 'Jesus before Christ' - and sees 'Son of God' as a wasted opportunity to explore the real historical Jesus. 2nd April 2001 Dorling Kindersley distribution moves to Penguin at Harmondsworth Following the successful integration of the Penguin & DK Sales and Customer Services teams, the physical distribution of DK product is to be moved from Pearson Education at Magna Park to Penguin at Harmondsworth. This change, effective from 1 July 2001 will mean that all invoicing, picking & shipping will be managed by Penguin at Harmondsworth. Click here for press release Gervase Phinn on the road Gervase Phinn author of the much-loved Hill and Dale series (Over Hill and Dale and The Other Side of the Dale) is currently making a number of guest appearances around the country. Gervase, a natural raconteur, is sure to delight with his colourful tales of life as a Yorkshire schools inspector. You can catch him at the following events:- Wednesday 4th April - Ottakar's Milton Keynes, evening - contact
Chris Glasgow on 01908 395384 March 30th March 2001 Penguin authors on Radio 4 Penguin author Martin Bell, the famed Accidental MP will be appearing on Radio 4's A Good Read discussing his father's book, Corduroy. The show, broadcasting on Sunday the 1st of April, 23.02, also features Anthony Julius who will be speaking about The Struggle for Global Justice by Geoffrey Robertson QC. 27th March 2001 Ali Smith and Esther Freud appear on Orange Prize longlist Ali Smith and Esther Freud are among 18 female novelists to appear on the Orange Prize longlist. Smith is listed for Hotel World while Freud appears for The Wild. Also on the list is Margaret Atwood for The Blind Assassin, Amy Tan for The Bonesetter's Daughter and Jeanette Winterson for The Powerbook. The shortlist is due to be announced on 10 May, while the Awards ceremony will take place on 5 June. The Orange Prize is, according to its sponsor, "the UK's largest annual literary award for a single novel. Since its launch in 1996 it has become one of the most prestigious and influential awards in the literary calendar." The prize was the brainchild of a group of senior women in the publishing industry. It celebrates novels of excellence by women writers, and is open to women only. The prize also helps promote women writers to as wide a range of readers as possible. Alain de Botton visits Nottingham Alain de Botton, author of The Consolations of Philosophy will be present at Waterstones at Bridlesmith Gate, Nottingham to discuss all things philosophical. Tickets are priced at £2. For details, please contact marketing@nottingham.waterstones.co.uk 21st March 2001 Penguin receives Royal visit As part of a series of Royal events in recognition of the British book industry, Prince Phillip is today visiting Penguin's distribution center at Harmondsworth. Both the Queen and the Duke will be spending the entire day looking at different aspects of the publishing world and are visiting a school, a retailer and a library. Penguin's Harmondsworth site was chosen as an excellent example of the distribution aspect of the publishing process. The event is closed to the general public and no visitors are allowed. 19th March 2001 Jim Crace wins the National Book Critics Circle Fiction Award Jim Crace has won the prestigious National Book Critics Circle Fiction Award in New York for Being Dead; the title is one of the few non-US titles to have won the award. Zadie Smith was also shortlisted for White Teeth The Non-Fiction Award went to Ted Conover for Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing, and Herbert P. Bix was presented the biography award for Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan. Cynthia Ozick's collection of essays Quarrel & Quandary won the criticism award, while the poetry prize went to Judy Jordan for Carolina Ghost Woods. Hugo Gryn and Mark Roseman shortlisted for the Jewish Quarterly-Wingate Literary Prize Hugo Gryn's Chasing Shadows Mark Roseman's The Past in Hiding have both made it down to the final four for the 2000 Jewish Quarterly-Wingate Non-Fiction Prize, alongside Michael Billing's Rock 'n' Roll Jews (Five Leaves) and Louise London's Whitehall and the Jews 1933-1948. The winners will be announced at a reception taking place at the London Arts Club on Monday 30 April. 16th March Red Nose Day is here! Yes, it's that silly time of year again... the streets are awash with red noses, celebrities are behaving badly and plenty of money is being raised for the UK and Africa's poor. Make sure you get your share of the comic relief action on Red Nose Day, Friday 16 March. Penguin has always been an enthusiastic supporter of Comic Relief, and donating the proceeds of sales from its Blackadder and Vicar Of Dibley books to the charity. Also, for fans of obscure facts - according to a recent article in the Guardian, the New Penguin English Dictionary - is the only dictionary that includes a definition of the word 'pants', as it appears in the context of the Comic Relief slogan for 2001, 'Say Pants to Poverty'. Now there's one to amaze people with at parties! Whatever your taste, Comic Relief has something for everyone at its official website, including details of how celebrities such as Robbie Williams and Ali G are saying 'Pants To Poverty'.
Saint Patrick's Day Saturday 17th is Saint Patrick's Day. Drink modest amounts of stout and be merry. And if you're in a fit state for reading the following morning, take your pick from this selection of Irish books, put your feet up, and recover. What better way to spend a Sunday afternoon? 14th March 2001 Penguin author slams controversial childcare report Dr Frank Furedi, whose book Paranoid Parenting is published on 19 March, has attacked a new report which suggests that children of full-time working mothers are more likely to perform badly at school. The long-term report, conducted for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, has studied 12,000 young people, and is based on the academic progress of children born in the 1970s. Furedi, who is joined by MPs and equal rights organisations in his scepticism of the report, claims that, 'This is simply another example of how so-called research is fuelling potential paranoia. There is simply no direct causal connection between maternal employment and any negative impact on children's well-being', and concludes, 'It's time to get real.' 13th March 2001 Jim Crace Wins Prestigious US Award British author Jim Crace has made a bit of history in New York last night when he went home with the National Book Critics Circle Fiction Award for his book Being Dead. This prestigious award is one of three big prizes in the US, beside the Pulitzer and the National Book Awards, and is rarely won by a non-US book. Zadie Smith's White Teeth (published in the US by Random House) was also shortlisted for the Fiction prize. The Non-Fiction Award went to Ted Conover for Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing, and Herbert P. Bix was presented the biography award for Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan. Cynthia Ozick's collection of essays Quarrel & Quandary won the criticism award, while the poetry prize went to Judy Jordan for Carolina Ghost Woods. Read more about the Award on the New York Times Website John Mcneill Is Co-Winner Of World History Association Award Something New Under The Sun: An Environmental History of the 20th Century World by John McNeill has been crowned the co-winner of the World History Association Award. Alongside Ken Pomeranz (The Great Divergence), McNeill was awarded the prize for his outstanding contribution to "history from a global perspective" in terms of the environment. The UK edition of Something New Under The Sun was published in August 2000 by Allen Lane. New Hamish Hamilton Author Wins Arts Foundation Award Ali Smith, author of Hotel World was recently awarded The Arts Foundation Award for Short Story Writing, along with Michel Faber. The Awards were presented by Glenda Jackson at the Imagination Gallery in London. Smith, born in Inverness, has published three previous books, but Hotel World is her first with Hamish Hamilton and Penguin. Besides Short Story writing, the Arts Foundation presented awards in four other categories: Landscape Design, Film Directing, Jewellery Design and Theatre Design. The winners were selected from shortlisted entries chosen by a panel of advisors from applicants nominated by established practising artists and professionals across the UK. 9 March 2001 Puffin wins bidding war for brilliant young adults' novel Puffin has won the publishing rights for You Don't Know Me by David Klass, an outstanding young adult novel from the US, in a fierce bidding war involving nine other UK publishers. The book, described as a Catcher in the Rye for the new generation, will be published in November this year. You Don't Know Me is an exciting acquisition for Puffin: The original publisher, Farrar Straus & Giroux, has so far sold the book at auction in Germany, Holland and France, and in the US HarperCollins have paid a significant sum for the mass market paperback rights. Penny Morris, Puffin Publishing Director, says: "You Don't Know Me is a really outstanding book, very very funny and also very poignant. It made me laugh out loud and it made me cry, sometimes both at the same time. As soon as I read it I wanted to publish it." It is described as a captivating, piercingly funny and moving account of teenage angst as told by 14- year-old John. He tells of his life with his mother and her boyfriend (who is physically abusing him), life at school, and life with girls. The humour and pathos of John's story comes from boredom, fear, and a profound sense of being completely cut off from the rest of humanity. The result is unforgettable. As well as writing novels for young adults, and adults, David Klass is also a screen-writer, currently working on a project for Twentieth Century Fox. This is the first time he has been published in the UK. Jack Kerouac born on this day Jack Kerouac was born on 12 March in 1922 in Lowell Massachusetts and decided he wanted to be a writer at the age of seventeen. He spent brief spells at Columbia University (to which he won a football scholarship) and in the Navy before concentrating on his writing and travelling with his friends the poet Allen Ginsberg and the novelist William Burroughs. His many semi-autobiographical books are regarded as having defined the 'Beat Generation' of the 1950s, a phrase which he himself coined. They include On the Road, The Subterraneans, The Lonesome Traveller and Maggie Cassidy. Kerouac died in 1969 aged 47 after a decline into depression and alcoholism. 'On the road' with the new Penguin lorries Penguin has recently unveiled its brand new (and bright orange) fleet of lorries. Emblazoned with slogans, such as 'Words Expressed' and 'Moving Words', the public face of the Penguin distribution system is rolling out across the country this week. Keep your eyes peeled for these eye-catching trucks, especially in and around the capital. To encourage all you budding lorry-spotters, the first person to email us at penguin@penguin.co.uk, telling us which two words are written on the back of the lorries will win a box of Penguin books. Be sure to write 'Lorry Competition' in the subject of your email, and ... keep on trucking! White Teeth takes Commonwealth Writers Award Zadie Smith's White Teeth continues to attract praise, this time from abroad. Zadie has been awarded the Commonwealth Writers Award for best first book in its Eurasian category. White Teeth will now be considered against three other books for the overall award for best first book. The results are announced at an award ceremony in Ghana on 26 April. The same day sees the announcement of the Authors' Club First Novel Award. With Zadie and fellow Penguin author Patrick Neate (for his, Musungu Jim and the Great Chief Tuloko) among the five shortlisted books, hopes are high for a clutch of gongs this month. Penguin Authors Lecture on the Internet Today sees the launch of www.boxmind.com : the website which is being heralded as the web's coming of age as an educational tool. For one month only (before it is licensed to universities) the public have the unique chance to hear some of the world's most exciting minds explain their theories, many of whom are regularly published by Penguin. The series of twelve lectures available from today cover a diverse range: from David Womersley's lecture on Othello to Richard Dawkin's on evolution. Boxmind lecturerers published by Penguin include Richard Dawkins author of The Blind Watchmaker and Unweaving the Rainbow, Niall Ferguson whose latest book The Cash Nexus was published this month by Allen Lane, Stephen Pinker whose works includeThe Language Instinct and How the Mind Works, Ian Stewart author of Life's Other Secret, and Daniel Dennett author of Darwin's Dangerous Idea and Consciousness Explained . The lectures are broadcasts of filmed material so users are able to stop and start the lectures where they like. Each lecture screen is divided into four parts, in the top left part the lecturerer is seen giving the lecture, while slides run at the same time in the top right screen. In the bottom left screen synchronised transcripts of the lecture are provided complete with footnotes, relevant links to more in-depth background information are found to the right. Exclusive! Brian Jacques hosts live webcast, March 20 2001 Master children's storyteller Brian Jacques, author of the best-selling Redwall series, takes us to a new world in his first non-Redwall novel Castaways of the Flying Dutchman. To celebrate the launch of Castaways of the Flying Dutchman on 2 March, Brian Jacques will be answering fan's questions in a live half-hour webcast on Tuesday 20 March at 6.30pm. To register and put a question to Brian Jacques visit: www.onthescene.com/redwall. To find out even more about Brian Jacques and Castaways of the Flying Dutchman visit the all-new Puffin website: www.puffin.co.uk. Gabriel Garcia Marquez born on this day Gabriel Garcia Marquez was born on this day in 1928 in Aracataca in Northern Columbia. He started a law degree at university but dropped out after a year to concentrate on writing. Considered one of the great of Latin American fiction he is strongly associated with the magical realist school. His many novels include the internationally acclaimed One Hundred Years of Solitude, Love in the Time of Cholera , Leaf Storm and Autumn of the Patriarch. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1982. He currently divides his time between Mexico City and Bogota and is also a journalist and political activist. Penguin Group: record sales and operating profits Penguin Group reports record sales and operating profits in 2000 for second consecutive year: profits up 22 per cent; revenue up 34 per cent. Read the press release World Book Day World Book Day is about helping people, especialy children to explore the pleasures of books and reading by providing them with the opportunity to have a book of their own. Visit our special site http://www.dk.com/uk/wbd_caught.html to find out about the events and offers planned this year. www.puffin.co.uk has a hot new look puffin.co.uk relaunched on 23 February 2001 with a newly designed site, packed with fun and educational resources for children,parents and teachers. Aimed primarily at 7-12 year olds, site highlights include: Parents, teachers and librarians will find fun and educational resources and advice in the Education Zone and Parent's Zone. Plus, there's a comprehensive book search facility and easy ordering. The site currently receives 18,000 - 20,000 visitors per month, so why not join the fun at www.puffin.co.uk. Sir Donald Bradman dies Sir Donald Bradman, one of the leading lights of international
cricket has died in his home town of Bowral, 60 miles south of Sydney.
In a fittingly modest tribute the scoreboard of The Adelaide Oval,
where Bradman ended his career, simply read, "Farewell Sir Donald
Bradman 27 August 1908 to 25 February 2001 Rest in Peace". Zadie Smith wins Nibbie award In what's shaping up to be a phenomenal year, Zadie Smith, last night won the British Book Awards (affectionately known as the Nibbies) prize for newcomer of the year. White Teeth, described as 'astonishingly self-assured...funny and serious' by Salman Rushdie also recently won the Guardian First Book Award and the Whitbread First Novel Award. Quentin Blake at the National Gallery Quentin Blake, the Childrens' Laureate, has selected a number of pictures for a new exhibition at the National Gallery, called ‘Tell Me A Picture'. The Puffin author, most famous for his distinctive illustration of Roald Dahl's books, has assembled twenty-six pictures in alphabetical order, with the intention of encouraging young visitors to engage in the joy of art appreciation. The pictures are all exhibited without titles, which encourages children to make up their own stories and bring their own interpretations to the works. ‘Tell Me A Picture' is on at the National Gallery from 14 February to 17 June and admission in free. More details can be found at the National Gallery website. Penguin Putnam relaunch website Penguin Putnam Inc, the US publishing arm of Penguin books, has relauched their website. Why not pay a visit? Penguin to Publish Recording-Breaking
Yachtswoman Penguin imprint Michael Jospeh is to publish the autobiography
of the record-breaking yachtswoman Ellen MacArthur. The book, which
will be published in October, will cover Ellen's incredible three
month voyage in the Vendee Globe solo round-the-world race as well
as her journey from landlocked Derbyshire to the top of her profession
in only five years. The British yachtswoman's bravery and determination have captured
the hearts of the British and French public, The Observer heralded
her as 'the century's first true heroine' and in France she is nicknamed
'La Petite Anglaise'. Ellen sailed into the record books as her yacht 'Kingfisher' crossed the finishing line in France to take second place in the toughest boat race of them all. 24 year old Ellen is the youngest to complete the race and also the fastest Britain to circumnavigate the globe non-stop single-handedly. J.M. Coetzee born on this day J.M Coetzee was born in Cape Town, South Africa on February 9th 1940. He studied Literature at the University of Texas in Austin and now lives South Africa where he writes and teaches. Described by James Wood in The Guardian as 'one of the most distinguished novelists writing in English', Coetzee is the only author to win the Booker Prize twice in its 31 year history. He won it initially in 1983 for The Life and Times of Michael K. and in 1999 for Disgrace. His other books include Age of Iron ,Waiting for the Barbarians and Foe. Servants of the People wins Channel 4 Political Award Last night, Andrew Rawnsley's Servants of the People (link to 0241140293) swept to victory at the Channel 4 Political Awards, winning the category of 'Politico's Political Book of the Year'. For more details visit the Politico's website: http://www.politicos.co.uk/ The awards ceremony is being broadcast this Saturday, 10th February, at 20.05 on Channel 4. Something New Under the Sun nominated for The BP Natural World Book Prize Something New Under the Sun by John McNeill has been shortlisted for The BP Natural World Book Prize. This prize aims to encourage and reward writing which promotes the understanding and conservation of wildlife and the natural environment. The winner will be announced on Tuesday 13 March. February The Catholics of Ulster shortlisted for the Ewart-Biggs Prize Marianne Elliot's The Catholics of Ulster has been shortlisted for the prestigious Ewart-Biggs Memorial Prize. The award, which is dedicated to the British Ambassador assassinated in Dublin in 1976, is given to a book, play or piece of journalism, which is considered to have promoted a greater understanding between the people of Britain and Ireland, or co-operation within the European Community. Described by Ray Ryan in The Guardian as 'an honest, important book, one that deserves a wide and careful readership', Elliott's book is an absorbing history of the Ulster Catholics from their early medieval origins to their dissolution in 1999. The winner of the award will be announced on 23 February. James Joyce born on this day James Joyce was born on this day, 2 February 1882, in Dublin. Joyce's most famous work, Ulysses is based on one day in the life of the character Stephen Dedalus in Dublin on 16 June 1904. It was first published in Paris in 1922, but was banned in the UK and USA until the 1930s. Joyce's other works include Dubliners (a collection of short stories) A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and The Dead. Joyce's final novel Finnegan's Wake, was published in 1939. Penguin authors nominated for Channel 4 political awards The shortlist for the Channel 4 Political Awards have been announced; four of the seven titles are published by Penguin. The Ashdown Diaries Vol 1 by Paddy Ashdown. The Prime Minister by Peter Hennessy Servants of the People by Andrew Rawnsley. The Unconventional Minister by Geoffrey Robinson. The awards ceremony will be broadcast on Channel 4 on Sunday 11th February at 8pm. |
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