The Malaysian Insider :: Books
The Malaysian Insider :: Books |
| Rushdie, Amis targeted in critical maulings of 2012 Posted: 08 Jan 2013 07:40 AM PST  Salman Rushdie's reputation as a literary heavyweight did not save him from the savage sarcasm of the critics. Rushdie and some of his fellow novelists were all up for critical mauling of the year in a shortlist published on Tuesday. – Reuters pic Novelists Martin Amis and Salman Rushdie and former poet laureate Andrew Motion were all up for critical mauling of the year in a shortlist published today. "Hatchet Job of the Year", run by British literary criticism website The Omnivore, was set up to celebrate serious book reviewing which organisers said was a dying art in the age of Amazon, blogs and Twitter. Now in its second year, it is awarded to the "angriest, funniest, most trenchant book review" of the past 12 months, and this year's winner will be chosen from eight nominees. Among those with the harshest verdicts over the last year were Ron Charles of the Washington Post for his review of Amis's "Lionel Asbo", and Zoe Heller for her critique of Rushdie's memoir "Joseph Anton" in the New York Review of Books. "Critics' quills were noticeably sharper in 2012," said Anna Baddeley, The Omnivore editor. "But there is still a long way to go. Book reviews are, in the main, too fawning and dull." While the reviews do not reflect overall reaction to the works in question, Charles said Lionel Asbo served up "blanched stereotypes on the silver platter of his (Amis's) prose as though it contained enough spice to entertain or even shock. "Does any other truly great writer make us wonder whether his brilliant parts are worth the wearisome whole?" wrote Charles, the first US critic to be included. Heller took Rushdie to task for what she called his "magisterial amour propre. "Some readers may find, by the end of Joseph Anton, that the world feels rather smaller and grimmer than before. But they should not be unduly alarmed. The world is as large and as wide as it ever was; it's just Rushdie who got small." Motion, poet laureate until 2009, fell foul of the London Evening Standard's Claire Harman for his "Silver: A Return to Treasure Island", in which she described the characters "as wooden as absent Silver's leg." In the Mail on Sunday, Craig Brown accused Richard Bradford of plagiarising himself in "The Odd Couple", while Allan Massie damned Craig Raine with faint praise in the Scotsman, writing of "The Divine Comedy" that "Raine can spell. That much must be admitted." Following is a list of nominees for the Hatchet Job of the Year Award, which will be announced on Feb. 12, and the winner will receive a year's supply of potted shrimp. - Craig Brown on The Odd Couple by Richard Bradford, Mail on Sunday - Ron Charles on Lionel Asbo by Martin Amis, Washington Post - Richard Evans on Hitler: A Short Biography by A.N. Wilson, New Statesman - Claire Harman on Silver: A Return to Treasure Island by Andrew Motion, London Evening Standard - Zoe Heller on Joseph Anton by Salman Rushdie, New York Review of Books - Camilla Long on Aftermath by Rachel Cusk, Sunday Times - Allan Massie on The Divine Comedy by Craig Raine, Scotsman - Suzanne Moore on Vagina by Naomi Wolf, Guardian. – Reuters |
| A special book on Malaysian timber Posted: 08 Jan 2013 03:41 AM PST  File photo shows a mother and child walking across a pile of timber. A new book on Malaysian timber has been jointly published by the Malaysian Timber Council and MPH Publishing Group. – Reuters pic The book showcases on applications of Malaysian timber projects in Malaysia, Singapore and in some of the most heavenly resort islands such as Mauritius, the Maldives and Seychelles. The book invites readers to feast their eyes on stunning photographs of structures and interiors featuring Malaysian timber in properties such as private homes, luxury resorts, hotels and commercial spaces. Council Chief Executive Officer Cheah Kam Huan said architecture was an endless journey to create and re-create man's relationship with the elements around him. He said the book is about man's constant dialogue with an age-old material, timber. "Apart from building a strong case for using timber in construction, the book promotes timber as the most eco-friendly building material," he said in a statement. The book will be available at MPH and leading bookstores in Malaysia and Singapore. MPH will also be promoting the book through the Malaysian National Book Council at book fairs in Frankfurt, London and the United States. – Bernama |
| You are subscribed to email updates from The Malaysian Insider :: Books To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
0 ulasan:
Catat Ulasan