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The IWJ Blog: Commentary on books, entertainment and writing
Holocaust survivor Aharon Appelfeld, 80, has won the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize for his novel, Blooms of Darkness. The novel was inspired by his own escape from a concentration camp. It tells the story of an 11-year-old boy who is kept hidden from the Nazis in a brothel. The story is told from the boy's perspective. The book was translated into English by Jeffrey M Green.
Here the book's description from the publisher, Schocken:
The ghetto in which the Jews have been confined is being liquidated by the Nazis, and eleven-year-old Hugo is brought by his mother to the local brothel, where one of the prostitutes has agreed to hide him. Mariana is a bitterly unhappy woman who hates what she has done with her life, and night after night Hugo sits in her closet and listens uncomprehendingly as she rages at the Nazi soldiers who come and go. But when she’s not mired in self-loathing, Mariana is fiercely protective of the bewildered, painfully polite young boy. And Hugo, in turn, becomes protective of Mariana, trying to make her laugh when she is depressed, and soothing her physical and mental agony with cold compresses. As memories of his family and friends grow dim, Hugo falls in love with Mariana. And as her life spirals downward, Mariana reaches out for consolation to the adoring boy. The arrival of the Russian army sends the prostitutes fleeing, but Mariana is tracked down and arrested as a Nazi collaborator for having slept with the Germans. As the novel moves toward its heartrending conclusion, Aharon Appelfeld once again crafts out of the depths of unfathomable tragedy a renewal of life and a deeper understanding of what it means to be human.
Harvard and MIT Launch EdX, Which Will Offer Free Online Classes
EdX is a joint partnership between The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University to offer online learning to millions of people around the world. EdX will offer Harvard and MIT classes online for free. MIT's Director of the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory Anant Agarwal serves as the first president of edX, and Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean Michael D. Smith leads faculty in developing courses. The initiative will be overseen by a not-for-profit organization based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to be owned and governed equally by the two universities. MIT and Harvard have committed to a combined $60 million ($30 million each) in institutional support, grants and philanthropy to launch the collaboration. You can find out more about EdX on its website at edxonline.org. Take a look:
Tea Obreht has been announced as the winner of the 2011 New Voices award for her novel, The Tiger's Wife (Random House). The New Voices award and cash prize is presented yearly by Quality Paperback Book Club to a writer of an outstanding work of debut fiction. Past award winners include Miranda July for No One Belongs Here More Than You, Yann Martel for Life of Pi, David Foster Wallace for Girl with Curious Hair and Richard Russo for The Risk Pool.
Tea Obreht said, "'m so honored to be chosen for the QPB New Voices award, especially given the incredible roster of books by all the other finalists. Thank you so much to QPB for this recognition, and for the spotlight they shine every year on emerging writers."
HarperAudio to Publish 15 Titles by Bestselling Novelist Milan Kunderan
HarperAudio announced today that it will publish fifteen titles by internationally bestselling Franco-Czech novelist Milan Kunderan. The titles have never been released in audio format.
The new audio books will include Kundera's best-known novels such as, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, The Book of Laughter and Forgetting, and The Joke. All fifteen audiobooks will be published unabridged in the downloadable audio format and will be released throughout 2012.
The first books to be published will be The Unbearable Lightness of Being and The Book of Laughter and Forgetting. They will be published on
May 15, 2012. The fiction audio titles are narrated by Richmond Hoxie and the
nonfiction titles will be narrated by Graeme Malcolm.
Terry Karten, Senior Vice President and Executive Editor, said in a statement, "The publication in audio format of the complete works of Milan Kundera, one of the most distinguished and innovative authors of our era, is a major literary event. Harper Perennial has recently reissued Kundera's backlist with new covers featuring original artwork from the author. These developments are sure to bring renewed attention to this renowned author."
Australian High Court Rules Against Studios in Major Piracy Case
Australia's highest court just dealt a severe blow to the motion picture and television industry. The BBC reports that the court upheld a lower court ruling that the country's third largest internet service provider iiNet was not liable for copyright violations by its users who had illegally uploaded copies of popular films and television shows.
The High Court ruling was unanimous in its ruling that the ISP did not authorize the illegal downloads, nor was it able to stop piracy by its users.
The case originated over thousands of illegal downloads by customers of popular tv shows and films by using a file sharing program. iiNet did not authorize or participate in the downloads, but said it was unable to police all illegal activity by its users. The Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft group was the plaintiff in the case. It consists of 34 film, TV and music companies who are extremely unhappy with the ruling.
Shortlist for Independent Foreign Fiction Prize Announced
The shortlist for the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize has been announced. The annual award was founded by The Independent, a British newspaper. The award is given to a novel translated into English in the U.K. The winning novelist and translator each get 5,000 pounds and a magnum of champagne from Taittinger. Here is the shortlist:
Internet Writing Journal Joins Pinterest Social Network
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Five authors and five illustrators have been selected for the 2012 Hans Christian Andersen Award. The award is given biennially by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) to a living author and illustrator whose complete works have made lasting contributions to children's literature. The winners will be announced on Monday, March 19th at the Bologna Children's Book Fair. Here are the author and illustrator finalists with descriptions from the judges:
Five Short-listed Authors
María Teresa Andruetto from Argentina is a master of creating sensitive books, which are deep and poetic and relate to a great variety of topics.
Paul Fleischman from the USA makes an innovative and unique contribution to the literature for children. The jury especially appreciated his ability to create characters and to integrate music in his work.
Bart Moeyaert from Belgium presents subtle depictions of strong characters by evoking poetical atmospheres using a language that combines both humor and seriousness.
Jean-Claude Mourlevat from France writes for children and teenagers on many different levels, from poetic prose to fantasy or to realism; music is a constant source of inspiration for him.
Bianca Pitzorno from Italy uses imaginative and diverse texts to share complicity with her readers, using humor and a skillful construction of characters.
Five Short-listed Illustrators
Mohammad Ali Beniasadi from Iran uses different techniques, colour and a subtle sense of humour in his work.
John Burningham from the UK uses delicate irony mixed with innocence and high seriousness that with his use of line and color, creates an intimacy with the reader.
Roger Mello from Brazil tells the reader about popular culture, old legends and the traditions of Brazil by his skillful use of expressing emotions by using brilliant colors and images that are full of meaning.
Peter Sís from the Czech Republic has an extraordinary originality and uses his powerful imagination to create complex and well-documented stories using different design and artistic techniques.
Javier Zabala from Spain has the great ability to transform graphical language into narrative signs through complex, intuitive and detailed representations.
Finalists for 2012 Children's Choice Book Awards Announced
The finalists for 2012 Children's Choice Book Awards have been announced. The winners will be announced at the Children's Choice Book Awards Gala on May 7th. Children can vote online here. Here are the finalists in the Author of the Year and Illustrator of the Year categories.
Author of the Year
Jeff Kinney for Diary of a Wimpy Kid 6: Cabin Fever (Amulet Books/Abrams)
Christopher Paolini for Inheritance (Alfred A. Knopf/Random House)
James Patterson for Middle School, The Worst Years of My Life (Little, Brown)
Rick Riordan for The Son of Neptune (Disney Hyperion)
Rachel Renee Russell for Dork Diaries 3: Tales from a Not-So-Talented Pop Star (Aladdin/Simon & Schuster)
Illustrator of the Year
Felicia Bond for If You Give a Dog a Donut (Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins)
Eric Carle for The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse (Philomel/Penguin)
Anna Dewdney for Llama Llama Home With Mama (Viking/Penguin)
Kyung-sook Shin is First Woman to Win Man Asian Literary Prize
Kyung-sook Shin has been named the first woman to win the Man Asian Literary Prize. She is the 2011 prize winner. The South Korean novelist wins the $30,000 for her novel, Please Look After Mom. The translator of the novel, Chi-Young Kim, received $5,000.
Chair of Judges, Razia Iqbal said in a statement, "Please Look After Mom is an incredibly moving portrait of what it means to be a mother, but also of the tradition and modernity of the family in South Korea. The novel is a sensitive exploration of the inner life of the family with a very dynamic narrative structure. The story is surprising in its complexity yet has a beating heart at the centre of it."
The Man Asian Literary Prize was founded in 2007. The annual literary award is given to
the best novel by an Asian writer, either written in English or translated into English, and
published in the previous calendar year. The judges choose a longlist of 10 to 15 titles
announced in October, followed by a shortlist of 5 to 6 titles announced in January. The
winner is awarded $30,000 in March and the translator (if any) gets $5,000.
Andrew Westoll Wins 2012 Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction
The winner of The 2012 Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction is Andrew Westoll for his book, The Chimps of Fauna Sanctuary: A Canadian Story of Resilience and Recovery. The book was also nominated for the BC National Award for Canadian Non-Fiction. The annual Charles Taylor Prize recognizes excellence in Canadian literary non-fiction. You can find out more about the annual prize here.
Here is what the jury said about The Chimps of Fauna Sanctuary:
"Brilliantly blending science and storytelling, primatologist and author Andrew Westoll takes us deep into the world of the haunted and haunting rescued research chimps of Fauna Sanctuary. Pulled from decades of horrific lab conditions, rescued chimps live out the balance of their long lives in sanctuaries such as Fauna, cared for and loved by an extraordinary group of people. Westoll deftly draws the reader into the wild day-to-day ride of life with the Fauna chimps and soon their Otherness falls away. Through his lens, the chimps are revealed as the individuals they are, with all their foibles, damage, and possibility — and the reader's world view shifts on its axis. Heart-rending and heart-warming, this is a stunning and important work of art and documentary and science."
26th Annual Ezra Jack Keats Book Award Winners Announced
The winners of the 26th Annual Ezra Jack Keats New Writer and New Illustrator Book Awards have been announced. The EJK Book Award is given annually to an outstanding new writer and new illustrator of picture books for children (age 9 and under) by the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation. The 2012 awards ceremony will be held on April 12th in conjunction with The University of Southern Mississippi's Fay B. Kaigler Children's Book Festival.
Here is a list of the winners and honorable mentions:
2012 New Writer Award: Tia Isa Wants a Car by Meg Medina (Candlewick Press)
2012 New Illustrator Award: Same, Same but Different by Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw (Christy Ottaviano Books)
2012 New Writer Honor: Cinnamon Baby by Nicola Winstanley (Kids Can Press)
2012 New Writer and New Illustrator Honor: Lola's Fandango by Anna Witte (writer), Micha Archer (illustrator) (Barefoot Books)
2012 New Illustrator Honor: Not Inside this House! by David Ercolini (Orchard Books)
Tim Kring Reveals Why He Hired Short Story Writers for His New TV Drama, Touch
In this video, writer and producer Tim Kring (Heroes), talks about what he looks for when he hires screenwriters for his new show Touch, which stars Kiefer Sutherland as the father of a autistic boy who sees the world in a unique way. Kring said that he hired short story writers, because of the way the show is structured, saying:
"One of the things I set out to do in terms of finding writers for this show -- I was very interested in writers who wanted to write short stories. In essence, short stories. So I was interested in writers that were really good at creating characters. Who really wanted to tell stories that were contained, and had a beginning, a middle and an end."
The writers talk about why they like the structure of the show, and how they approach writing each week. Touch premieres on Fox on Thursday, March 22, 2012 at 9:00 p.m. Eastern/8:00 p.m. central time. Take a look:
2012 NAACP Image Award Screenwriting and Writing Award Winners
The 43rd annual NAACP Image Awards wre presented last Friday at The Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. The Helpwon three awards, including Best Film. Viola Davis won Best Actress and Octavia Spencer won Best Supporting Actress. Salim Akil and Mara Brock Akil - winners in the comedy screenwriting category for The Game - are pictured above.
Here are the winners in the screenwriting and literature categories:
Screenwriting
Comedy Series: The Game, Salim Akil, Mara Brock Akil
Dramatic Series: Treme, Lolis Eric Elie
Motion Picture: The First Grader, Ann Peacock
Literature
Fiction: Say Amen, Again by Reshonda Tate Billingsley
Nonfiction: The Wealth Cure: Putting Money in Its Place by Hill Harper
Debut Author: The Strawberry Letter by Lyah Le Flore
Biography/Autobiography: My Song by Harry Belafonte
Instructional: The T.D. Jakes Relationship Bible: Life Lessons on Relationships from the Inspired Word of God by T.D. Jakes
Poetry: Afro Clouds & Nappy Rain: The Curtis Brown Poems by James Golden
Children: You Can Be a Friend by Tony Dungy, illustrations by Ron Mazellan
Youth/Teens: Jesse Owens: I Always Loved Running by Jeff Burlingame
The Jewish Book Council has announced that Gal Beckerman is the winner of the 2012 Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature. The prize includes a $100,000 cash prize. The Rohr prize has been awarded annually since 2007. It alternates between considering works of fiction and nonfiction each year.
Abigail Green was the runner-up for her biography, Moses Montefiore: Jewish Liberator, Imperial Hero (Belknap Press of Harvard University). She will receive a $25,000 prize.
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EdX is a joint partnership between The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University to offer online learning to millions of people around the world. EdX will offer Harvard and MIT classes online for free. MIT's Director of the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory Anant Agarwal serves as the first president of edX, and Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean Michael D. Smith leads faculty in developing courses. The initiative will be overseen by a not-for-profit organization based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to be owned and governed equally by the two universities. MIT and Harvard have committed to a combined $60 million ($30 million each) in institutional support, grants and philanthropy to launch the collaboration. You can find out more about EdX on its website at 
HarperAudio announced today that it will publish fifteen titles by internationally bestselling Franco-Czech novelist Milan Kunderan. The titles have never been released in audio format.
Five authors and five illustrators have been selected for the 2012 Hans Christian Andersen Award. The award is given biennially by the International Board on Books for Young People (
The finalists for 2012 Children's Choice Book Awards have been announced. The winners will be announced at the Children's Choice Book Awards Gala on May 7th. Children can vote online 
Kyung-sook Shin has been named the first woman to win the 
The winner of The 2012 Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction is Andrew Westoll for his book, 
The Jewish Book Council has announced that Gal Beckerman is the winner of the 2012 Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature. The prize includes a $100,000 cash prize. The Rohr prize has been awarded annually since 2007. It alternates between considering works of fiction and nonfiction each year.
