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London Book Fair
cancelled over virus
’
The London Book Fair has
been cancelled after major
publishers pulled out due to
the Covid-19 coronavirus.
Amazon, Hachette, Canongate,
Pan Macmillan and Penguin
Random House had all sent their
apologies. Some 25,000 people
from all over the world were due
to gather for the fair at Olympia
from 10 to 12 March.
Organiser Reed had caused
anger by pressing ahead when
Leipzig Book Fair in Germany had
been cancelled and the Salon du
Livre in Paris was ditched, after
France banned gatherings of more
than 2000 people. Commentators
suggested Reed had been
unwilling to do the right thing
and take the inancial hit, but the
company inally pulled the plug
with less than a week to go.
Literary agent Johnny Geller
from Curtis Brown, which
had already pulled out, said at
least he had more time to read
submissions from new authors.
Award for lash writers’
The QuietManDave Prize
is a new award for short form
writers that has been launched in
memory of popular Manchester
writer Dave Murray. Funding
for the prize was raised by
Murray’s family and friends, and
will be run by the ManchesterWriting School at Manchester
Metropolitan University, in
conjunction with the Manchester
School of Theatre.
Prizes of £1000 for lash iction
and lash non-iction under 500
words will be offered, along
with runner-up prizes. Both
sectors will be open to writers
internationally, aged 16 or over.
Judges are keen to encourage
and celebrate new writers,
particularly those who have come
to writing later in life.
Judges for the inaugural award
include writers Tania Hershman
and Kate Feld, and senior lecturer
in drama and contemporary
performance at Manchester
Metropolitan, Shane Kinghorn.
Tricia LowtherShock as magazines rate
rejected stories’
At the end of February a
storm blew up, and it was nothing
to do with Jorge or Ciara.
This one began when writers
discovered that two magazines,Unit and Unreal, had started
publishing an online list of the
stories they rejected, alongside
the authors’ names and, most
galling of all, a star rating from
two to four. The editors did
withhold naming stories they had
awarded just one star, but writers
didn’t see any of it as fair.
They argued that the public
naming could jeopardise their
chances of publishing the story in
the future, that they had not given
permission for information to
be shared, and that it was simply
unprofessional. Author Jason
Sanford described it as ‘a horrible
thing to do that would keep me
from ever submitting here’.
The editors have now changed
tack and are publishing a simple
list of ‘honorable mentions’, with
no details of which story was
submitted or any star rating.
Kat DayLampeter Book Festival’
The second Lampeter Book
Festival will be held on SaturdayReading the classics is good for us’
Classic works of literature by authors such as Emily
Dickinson and Leo Tolstoy are better for us than self-help
books, according to Prof Philip Davis, author of new book
Reading for Life. His indings show how the classics can help
with depression, chronic pain, mental health and dementia.
The unfamiliar phraseology in these volumes needs
concentration and challenges the brain. Self-help books
don’t have the same effect because they are read quickly,
and purely to extract information. They don’t put any
demand on the parts of the brain that govern memory and emotion. Similarly, modern novels only
present similar challenges to the classics if the storyline is unpredictable.
Davis’s book is based on research carried out at Liverpool University which monitored the brains of
volunteers as they read classic texts. ‘You could see the brain coming to life,’ Davis says. He explains
that when the brain works on great literature it gets excited and emotional.
Davis observed that reading could re-engage those with mild or moderate dementia and is now
calling for the promotion of reading in care homes. Reading for Life is published by OUP. Sally JenkinsDickens’ letters ‘treasure trove’’
The Charles Dickens Museum in London
has acquired 25 previously unpublished letters
written by the author, which shed new light on
his creative process. The museum announced
the news on 7 February, the 208th anniversary of Dickens’ birth.
The letters are the highlight of a collection purchased by the
museum, which also includes manuscripts, books, artwork and
personal items. Museum director Cindy Sughrue describes them
as a ‘treasure trove, a once-in-a-lifetime moment for the museum’.
In one letter, Dickens says: ‘I have been writing my head off
since 10 o’clock’, despite being on holiday at the time. In the
collection he makes several comments about inding time for
exercise. He also gives advice to a young fan about the importance
of action and usefulness in keeping a positive state of mind.
The letters will go on display later this year at the museum in
London. Once the Dickens family home, it is where he wrote
Oliver Twist among others. Alan GarnsworthyHEADLINES
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