American author of fantasy fiction and belles-lettres James Branch Cabell died #OTD in 1958.
His career took a significant turn with the publication of "Jurgen, A Comedy of Justice" (1919), which is part of a larger series called "The Biography of the Life of Manuel". Although largely overlooked today, James Branch Cabell was highly regarded in his time, with admirers such as H.L. Mencken and Sinclair Lewis.
Today's #WaferThinBook: Faustine by Emma Tennant (1992, 140p.)
A retelling of the Faust legend, set in 1990s London with a female cast. Doormat Muriel becomes rich, sexy, envied Lisa through the machinations of a Satanic Gran. "An entertaining tract for the times," said the TLS.
I'm a big fan of Isabel Waidner and have read all of her #novels (which makes them the only contemporary writer I've read ALL the books ;). This is my take on their latest novel: Corey Fa Does Social Mobility.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #literature#queer#lgbtqia#reading@bookstodon
#OTD in 1927. Virginia Woolf's stream of consciousness novel To the Lighthouse is published by Hogarth Press in London. It is seen as a landmark of high modernism.
Virginia and her husband Leonard published it together at their Hogarth Press in London in 1927. The first impression of 3000 copies of 320 pages measuring 191 by 127 mm was bound in blue cloth.The book outsold all Woolf's previous novels, and the royalties enabled the Woolfs to buy a car.
"Here and there among men, there are those who pause in the hurried rush to listen to the call of a life that is more real…"
American writer Harold Bell Wright was born #OTD in 1872.
Wright's writing career began in earnest with the publication of "That Printer of Udell's" in 1902. His subsequent novel, "The Shepherd of the Hills" (1907), is perhaps his most famous work.
English novelist and poet Charlotte Smith was born #OTD in 1749.
Smith's first significant literary success came with the publication of "Elegiac Sonnets" in 1784. In addition to her poetry, Smith wrote several novels: her first novel, "Emmeline, or The Orphan of the Castle" (1788), was followed by others such as "Ethelinde" (1789), "The Old Manor House" (1793), and "Desmond" (1792).
"Ah! hills beloved!—your turf, your flowers, remain;
But can they peace to this sad breast restore,
For one poor moment soothe the sense of pain,
And teach a broken heart to throb no more?"
To the South Downs (Sonnet V). Elegiac Sonnets, 1784.
Ernest Hemingway wins the Pulitzer Prize for The Old Man and the Sea.
The story was initially published in its entirety in the September 1st, 1952 issue of Life magazine. It was later issued as a book by Charles Scribner's Sons.
English writer and poet Edith Nesbit died #OTD in 1924.
She published over 60 books for children, including novels, collections of stories, and picture books. Among her most famous works are "The Railway Children," "Five Children and It," and "The Phoenix and the Carpet." Her work is seen as a precursor to the modern children's fantasy literature genre, influencing later writers such as C.S. Lewis and J.K. Rowling.
"There is a curtain, thin as gossamer, clear as glass, strong as iron, that hangs forever between the world of magic and the world that seems to us to be real."
"The pile beside my bed never shrinks; at the bottom of the stack are books I've been planning to crack open for months. My shelves remain full of lingering aspirations," writes the Walrus's Michelle Cyca. She looks at the problem of unread books, and the difficulty in offloading our libraries. What do you do with your unwanted books?
American illustrator Jessie Willcox Smith died #OTD in 1935.
Smith’s career took off when she began working for the Ladies' Home Journal, for which she created many covers and interior illustrations. She illustrated over 60 books throughout her career, including classics such as Charles Kingsley's The Water-Babies, Robert Louis Stevenson’s A Child’s Garden of Verses, and Clement Moore’s The Night Before Christmas.
English poet, author and humorist Thomas Hood died #OTD in 1845.
His humorous works often included puns and wordplay, which became immensely popular. These works were frequently published in magazines, including Punch. Some of his well-known comic poems include "Miss Kilmansegg and Her Precious Leg" and "The Song of the Shirt", which highlights the dire conditions of the working class and is considered one of his best works.
Italian diplomat, author, philosopher and historian Niccolò Machiavelli was born #OTD in 1469.
The Prince is a 16th-century political treatise written in the form of a realistic instruction guide for new princes. "Discourses on Livy" is another important work by Machiavelli, which is a broader political analysis but centers on the concept of republican government, as opposed to the monarchical focus in "The Prince".
Perché la vita è brieve | e molte son le pene | che vivendo e stentando ognun sostiene; || dietro alle nostre voglie, | andiam passando e consumando gli anni, | ché chi il piacer si toglie | per viver con angosce e con affanni, | non conosce gli inganni | del mondo; o da quai mali | e da che strani casi | oppressi quasi sian tutti i mortali.
Canzone da dirsi innanzi alla commedia, cantata da ninfe e pastori insieme
Argentine writer César Aira follows neither the rules of literature nor of literary fame. His work has been translated into 37 languages, Patti Smith says he's one of her favorite authors and he's been named as a likely future Nobel Prize laureate. Yet he lives quietly in Buenos Aires and lets small presses publish his books for free. He rarely gives interviews, but made an exception for Alejandro Chacoff, who spoke to him for The Dial. [Translated by Jessica Sequeira].
American author E. E. Smith was born #OTD in 1890.
E. E. "Doc" Smith is considered a major figure in the history of science fiction literature, particularly for his development of the space opera genre. His first major work, "The Skylark of Space" (1928), is often considered one of the first space operas. Perhaps his most famous work, the Lensman series, began with "Triplanetary" in 1934.
"Absolute authority will be delegated. Full responsibility will be assumed. Those who succeed will receive advancement and satisfaction of desire. Those who fail will die."
All-Highest of Eddore, book 3, chapter 17. - Triplanetary
~Edward Elmer Smith (May 2, 1890 – August 31, 1965)
Irish novelist Edith Somerville was born #OTD in 1858.
She habitually signed herself as "E. Œ. Somerville". She wrote in collaboration with her cousin "Martin Ross" (Violet Martin) under the pseudonym "Somerville and Ross". Together they published a series of fourteen stories and novels, the most popular of which were The Real Charlotte, published in 1894, and Some Experiences of an Irish R. M., published in 1899.
English writer & humourist Jerome K. Jerome was born #OTD in 1859.
He is best known for his comic masterpiece, Three Men in a Boat, which continues to be celebrated for its vivid depiction of pre-World War I Britain and its light-hearted & humorous examination of the British temperament. Other works include the essay collections Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow, Second Thoughts of an Idle Fellow, Three Men on the Bummel.
"It is a most extraordinary thing, but I never read a patent medicine advertisement without being impelled to the conclusion that I am suffering from the particular disease therein dealt with in its most virulent form."