The nominations are in, and “Hugo” tops the list with 11 Academy Award nominations. The film, directed by Martin Scorsese, earned nominations for best film and best director. It is one more example of books’ inspiring movies we love!
Already an Award-Winning Story
“Hugo” is based on the 2007 book The Invention of Hugo Cabret, which won the Caldecott Medal in 2008. Written and illustrated by Brian Selznick, it was the first novel to earn the honor. The book has 533 page, which include 284 illustrations. Selznick says The Invention of Hugo Cabret is “not exactly a novel, not quite a picture book, not really a graphic novel, or a flip book or a movie, but a combination of all these things.”
Selznick drew inspiration from the life of French filmmaker Georges Méliès. Méliès had an extensive collection of automata, or wind-up figures, though these have long since been lost or sold. The filmmaker died without having made his fortune, even though his films were exceptionally popular in the United States. Selznick also chose to set the book in a Paris railway station because Méliès actually had a booth there—his door is one of the illustrations in the novel.
In the book, Méliès is godfather to Isabelle, who accompanies the orphaned Hugo on most of his adventures. The 12-year-old Hugo works in a busy Paris rail station as a clock keeper. The beauty of the illustrations and the ingenuity of the story made the novel an easy choice for a movie adaptation, and there’s even talk of a French television series based on the novel.
As the movie has garnered so much attention, the book has once again found a well deserved place in the spotlight. Signed first editions will make exceptional additions for collectors who focus on movie tie-ins, Caldecott winners, or children’s books. What’s your favorite book that has found its way to the big screen? And what are your predictions for the Academy Awards?
Saturday started Banned Books Week, a time to celebrate the First Amendment and our freedom to read. Throughout history, people have recognized the transformative power of literature; governments, religious institutions, and even school districts have sought to contain that power by banning controversial books—in some cases even ordering the destruction of books.
Yet banning a book often has the opposite effect: making a book all the more sought after. This happens for two reasons. First, many banned books are truly exceptional works of literature and have become part of the literary canon. They are perennial favorites in consistent demand from collectors. Meanwhile, some modern books—such as James Joyce’sUlysses (burned in the US, England, Canada, and Ireland)—were actually destroyed, limiting the number of first editions and printings.
Here’s a look at some of the most frequently challenged books in the United States, and sometimes even around the world:
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby was challenged for language and sexual references. It remains a staple of high-school and college classrooms around the country.
The Catcher in the Rye, by J. D. Salinger, has long been a favorite target for censorship. In 1960, a teacher was even fired for assigning the book. The novel was most recently challenged in 2009 in Missouri.
The publication of John Steinbeck’sThe Grapes of Wrath drew international attention. The book was burned by a library in Illinois and banned in Canada. Eleven Turkish booksellers faced a military tribunal for publishing, possessing, and selling the book. Of Mice and Men was equally controversial.
To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, was denounced as a “filthy, trashy novel.” Despite the novel’s having won a Pulitzer Prize, To Kill a Mockingbird continues to be challenged almost yearly.
George Orwell also earned attention for both 1984 and Animal Farm. The latter was even suppressed from appearing at the 1977 Russian International Book Fair.
Burned in Nazi bonfires in Germany, The Sun also Rises by Ernest Hemingway was also banned in Ireland and multiple US cities. A Farewell to Arms received similar response, and For Whom the Bell Tolls was deemed “unmailable” by the US Post Office.
Julian Sands’ one-man show recently closed in Edinburgh, and in September it will head on national tour. Directed by none other than John Malkovich, the play’s subject may surprise you: poet and playwright Harold Pinter.
Pinter asserted himself not only as an author, but also as an actor and political activist. The recipient of 18 honorary degrees, Pinter won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2005. Horace Engdahl, Chairman of the Swedish Academy, described Pinter as an artist “who in his plays uncovers the precipice under everyday prattle and forces entry into oppression’s closed rooms.”
Long before his literary career began in 1957 with The Room, Pinter had stood out as an exemplary student of English and literature—and as an actor. He played both Romeo and Macbeth in the late 1940’s. In 1950, his first poem was published outside of school magazines.
Despite favorable reviews Pinter’s second play, The Birthday Party, was performed only eight times. However he later adapted the play for the screen, as he later did with The Homecoming and Betrayal. It was not until 1960, with The Caretaker, that Pinter found commercial success.
Why Collectors Love Harold Pinter
Harold Pinter’s wide variety of literary interests affords collectors the same wide variety of collecting opportunities.
Pinter’s beautiful poetry lends itself well to fine press editions. The 2002 Enitharmon edition of The Disappeared and Other Poems features particularly lovely illustrations by Tony Bevan.
Pinter frequently teamed up with other directors and screenwriters. For example, he famously worked with both film director Joseph Losey and Proust scholar Barbara Bray to write The Proust Screenplay: À La Recherche Du Temps Perdu. These collaborations make Pinter’s work relevant to a diverse group of enthusiasts.
Pinter’s relationship with his second wife, Lady Antonia Fraser, inspired sweet, gentle poetry. The books he gave her also make for lovely association copies.
Karnac issued wonderful limited first editions of many of Pinter’s works. The red and black cloth editions feature gold embossed lettering
Today the winners of the 2011 Pulitzer Prizes were announced at Columbia University. These prizes recognize excellence in newspaper journalism, literature, and musical composition. They are awarded to American writers and artists.
The 2011 Winners
This year the following works earned Pulitzer Prizes in Letters, Drama, and Music:
Novel: A Visit from the Goon Squad (Jennifer Egan)
Drama: Clybourne Park (Bruce Norris)
History: The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery (Eric Foner)
Biography: Washington: A Life (Ron Chernow)
Poetry: The Best of It: New and Selected Poems (Kay Ryan)
General Non-Fiction: The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer (Siddhartha Mukherjee)
Named for Hungarian-American publisher Joseph Pulitzer, the awards were first awarded in 1917. Since then, categories have been added or changed to reflect the evolution of journalism, literature, and music. For example the “Novel” category was changed to “Fiction” in 1948 and now includes short stories.
Not every eligible literary work is automatically considered for the Pulitzer. The work must be submitted along with an application in order to be judged by the independent panel that chooses winners.
What’s your favorite Pulitzer winning work of literature? And what works of literature have been overlooked for the award?
Today marks the beginning of the Masters Tournament, a golf tournament with over 75 years of history. Played each year at the Augusta National Golf Club, the tournament embodies the rigor, athleticism, and beauty of golf.
The Masters began in 1934. Legendary amateur golfer Buddy Jones and investment golfer Clifford Roberts launched the tournament only a year after the Augusta National course opened. Golfers were drawn to the tournament thanks to Jones’ outstanding reputation.
Designed by Alister Mackenzie, Augusta itself gained an exceptional reputation. Indeed panoramas of the course, such as Amen Corner, have become legendary images.
A Literary Legacy
The Masters Tournament quickly grew into an annual—and beloved—tradition in golf. The event has also given way to a fine literary tradition. The Augusta National Golf Course itself has garnered attention, while books like The World of Golf Collectibles illustrate the immense popularity of the sport.
The titans of golf have left their mark off the course, as well. From Byron Nelson to Nick Faldo, Masters Tournament winners offer insights and inspiration to amateur golfers around the world. These biographical and autobiographical books grant us an insider’s look into the tournament and the game of golf.
Even the “armchair golfer” can appreciate fine editions of collectible golf books. Collectors and golfers will find a wide variety of scarce first editions, , signed and limited editions to add to their personal libraries.
Here at Books Tell You Why, we love a good limerick and think sonnets are splendid. That’s why we’re happy to celebrate National Poetry Month. If you’d like to join in the festivities, here are a few ways to join in:
Follow the Academy of American Poets on Twitter via @POETSorg. Each day in April, a different poet will compose the organization’s tweets. Today’s poet is Joshua Clover.
Peter Jackson set to direct J.R.R Tolkien’s ‘The Hobbit’ in a two-part 3D-production of extraordinary scope.
The two films based on “The Hobbit” are now greenlit and will begin principal photography in February 2011, under the direction of Peter Jackson, it was jointly announced by Toby Emmerich, President and Chief Operating Officer, New Line Cinema, Alan Horn, President and Chief Operating Officer, Warner Bros. and Steve Cooper, co-Chief Executive Officer of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.
The Department of Defense recently purchased and destroyed thousands of copies of an Army Reserve officer’s memoir in an effort to safeguard state secrets, a spokeswoman said Saturday.
“DoD decided to purchase copies of the first printing because they contained information which could cause damage to national security,” Pentagon spokeswoman Lt. Col. April Cunningham said. In a statement to CNN, Cunningham said defense officials observed the September 20 destruction of about 9,500 copies of Army Reserve Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer’s new memoir “Operation Dark Heart.”
Shaffer says he was notified Friday about the Pentagon’s purchase. “The whole premise smacks of retaliation,” Shaffer told CNN on Saturday. “Someone buying 10,000 books to suppress a story in this digital age is ludicrous.” Shaffer’s publisher, St. Martin’s Press, released a second printing of the book that it said had incorporated some changes the government had sought “while redacting other text he (Shaffer) was told was classified.”
From single words and names to entire paragraphs, blacked out lines appear throughout the book’s 299 pages.
CNN obtained a memo from the Defense Intelligence Agency dated August 6 in which Lt. Gen. Ronald Burgess claims the DIA tried for nearly two months to get a copy of the manuscript. Burgess said the DIA’s investigation “identified significant classified information, the release of which I have determined could reasonably be expected to cause serious damage to national security.”
Burgess said the manuscript contained secret activities of the U.S. Special Operations Command, CIA and National Security Agency.
Shaffer’s lawyer, Mark Zaid, said earlier this month that the book was reviewed by Shaffer’s military superiors prior to publication.
“There was a green light from the Army Reserve Command,” Zaid told CNN.
But intelligence agencies apparently raised objections when they received copies of the book.
The Pentagon contacted St. Martin’s Press in early August to convey its concerns over the release of the book. According to the publisher, at that time the first printings were just about to be shipped from its warehouse. Shaffer said he and the publisher worked hard “to make sure nothing in the book would be detrimental to national security.”
“When you look at what they took out (in the 2nd edition), it’s lunacy,” Shaffer said. The Pentagon says Shaffer should have sought wider clearance for the memoir.
“He did clear it with Army Reserve but not with the larger Army and with Department of Defense,” Department of Defense spokesman Col. David Lapan said earlier this month. “So he did not meet the requirements under Department of Defense regulations for security review.”
One of the book’s first lines reads, “Here I was in Afghanistan (redaction) My job: to run the Defense Intelligence Agency’s operations out of (redaction) the hub for U.S. operations in country.”
In chapter 15, titled “Tipping Point,” 21 lines within the first two pages are blacked out.
In the memoir, Shaffer recalls his time in Afghanistan leading a black-ops team during the Bush administration. The Bronze Star medal recipient told CNN he believes the Bush administraton’s biggest mistake during that time was misunderstanding the culture there.
Defense officials said they are in the process of reimbursing the publisher for the cost of the first printing and have not purchased copies of the redacted version.
At least one seller on the online auction site eBay claiming to have a first-edition printing is selling it for an asking price of nearly $2,000. The listed retail price for the second printing is $25.99.
Police made a “small number” of arrests in Dublin where former British Prime Minister Tony Blair was due to sign copies of his autobiography Saturday, a spokesman for Ireland’s national police service said.
Despite reports that shoes and eggs were thrown at Blair, police could not confirm whether anything was thrown at him, and video from inside the store showed him unscathed, without any stains on his jacket.
A crowd of people, some of them anti-war protesters, gathered outside the shop to protest Blair’s role in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
A line of police wearing fluorescent yellow jackets kept them back from the street in front of the Eason bookshop in central Dublin.
Blair: Bush world view had ‘immense simplicity’
Dozens of police were on duty in the street outside the bookshop since early Saturday and sections of the main thoroughfare were cordoned off to traffic.
Blair’s book, “A Journey,” describes his time in office, including his decision to go to war in Iraq. All proceeds from the book are going to the Royal British Legion, Blair has said.
WASHINGTON – Over the past two years, economic hard times have loomed as large at Washington National Cathedral as the Gothic spires that grace the city’s skyline. The Rev. John Runkle, conservator of Washington National Cathedral, leafs through a rare Dutch Bible. Runkle is being let go at the end of June, a casualty of the cathedral’s third round of staff cuts to help balance the budget.
