Good things do often come in small packages. Miniature books are quite literally books that are very small. Miniature books are typically like any other book inside, but printed on a smaller scale- usually with all of the same text and illustrations that a traditional book would contain, just much smaller. Although the current definition of a miniature book is anything measuring less than three inches in width or length, their history is anything but small.
Yesterday Doris Lessing, author of more than 55 works of poetry, fiction, opera, and non-fiction, passed away. The Nobel laureate was known for free thinking political activism and innovative literary form. Lessing was born in Iran to British parents, and she spent much of her childhood in Zimbabwe. She made her novel debut in 1950 with The Grass Is Singing, but did not gain attention from the literary world until 1962, with The Golden Notebook.
Can any writer, in literature's past or present, be compared to William Shakespeare? While most scholars would refuse to make such a bold statement, Kwame Anthony Appiah took this daring plunge when he wrote of Chinua Achebe's first novel, "It would be impossible to say how Things Fall Apart influenced African writing. It would be like asking how Shakespeare influenced English writers or Pushkin influenced Russians."
Astrid Lindgren (November 14, 1907 - January 28, 2002) was a friendly housewife who wrote children’s tales such as Pippi Longstocking, while also speaking out about animal welfare, children’s rights, racism, and taxation. From her humble beginnings in the Alps of Sweden, she is now the eighteent most-translated author in history, has sold 145 million copies of her work, and is the namesake of the most lucrative award offered in children’s literature worldwide.
Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson was born on November 13 1850. The Scottish writer published novels, poems, essays, and travel books. He is among the most translated writers in the world, best known for Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.
Jean Grolier de Servières, vicomte d’Aguisy was a one of the first noted private collectors of ornately bound books. He is said to have had over 3,000 volumes, most made specifically made for him. He was a patron to binders and the literary arts, and many books were dedicated to him.
"Many people need desperately to receive this message: 'I feel and think much as you do, care about many of the things you care about, although most people do not care about them. You are not alone.'"
Today we celebrate the 91st birthday of devout humanist and black humorist Kurt Vonnegut. Vonnegut was born on November 11, 1922 in Indianapolis, Indiana to Kurt Vonnegut Sr., the partner in an architectural firm, and Edith Lieber, the heiress to a brewing company. Although Vonnegut was born into a successful family, the fortune quickly took a nosedive with the start of the Prohibition era and the Great Depression. The firm went out of business, leaving his father unemployed. His mother turned to prescription medication and alcohol to cope with this turn of events.
Today we celebrate the inimitable Kay Thompson, born November 9, 1909 with the unpromising name Catherine Fink. A brilliant composer, dancer, singer, and author, Thompson was above all a tremendous personality. In the words of film critic, Rex Reed, “If you don’t know who Kay Thompson is, please turn the page. You just flunked pizazz. Legend has it that she even invented the word.”
Today we celebrate the birth of noted author of Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell. Born in Atlanta Georgia in 1900, Ms. Mitchell drew her influences from her experiences in the south. The Pulitzer Prize winner continues to influence us today.
Today we celebrate the troubled life and complex literary contributions of French journalist, playwright, and philosopher Albert Camus (7 November 1913 - 4 January 1960). He died during a car crash when he was just 46, but managed in his short career to define a major philosophical movement, become a household name, and earn the Nobel Prize.
