The Daily Rumpus
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From Stephen Elliott
Editors, publishers and critics have their own industry-specific lexicon.
People in the industry are used to hearing words like “acclaimed” or saying that a book “brilliantly defies categorization,” but apparently this is only the surface level of description. Beyond the commonly used adjectives and phrases, there lies the truth—what they actually mean, decoded.
...moreEver get sick of the stifling language that book reviewers use for their blurbs? There is indeed a “professional jargon” that is readily visible on the front and back of any novel, and there are more and more clichés to choose from these days.
...more“I feel that for writers, an obsession with what is elegant or what is a cliché or not a cliché can become very inhibiting.” Booker Prize winner Kazuo Ishiguro stands up for cliches. (via Bookninja)
“Laughs were out, torture porn was in.” Colin Bateman wonders what happened to humor in crime fiction.
...moreJonathan Lethem has been hired for David Foster Wallace’s old teaching post at Pomona. (via @maudnewton)
“Lots of people in Indiana Jones hats today. I approve.” From @WriterDaniel at this Twitter roundup from the LA Times Festival of Books.
...more