Since my last post back in July I had planned to follow up with more book news BUT, after ten days seeking out art installations at the Venice Biennale, I was able to bring home a virulent strain of Covid. The result has been a long, slow recovery. The next person who tells me it’s like a ‘mild dose of flu’ may find themselves seriously indisposed!
So now it’s back to why we’re here. To start with here’s a couple of recent announcements that I must post:
First the appointment of award winning author Frank Cottrell-Boyce as the Waterstones Children’s Laureate 2024-2026. He was presented at a special ceremony with the silver Laureate medal by Joseph Coelho, the outgoing Children’s Laureate.
Cottrell-Boyce is a multi-award winning children’s author and screenwriter. His books include Cosmic, The Astounding Broccoli Boy and Runaway Robot. He also co-wrote the famous Platinum Jubilee Paddington Bear sketch. He has declared his ambition to ensure the benefits of reading are taken seriously as part of his campaign Reading Rights: Books Build a Brighter Future.
The second missed announcement was the sad death, on 27 July at 93, of controversial Irish novelist, Edna O’Brien. As the author of more than 20 books O’Brien was one of the outstanding writers of our times. She was one of the first writers to give a voice to women in Ireland and transform the status of women across society.
Her first and perhaps best known novel was The Country Girls (1960) – a story of two convent girls Cait and Baba who look for life and love in the big city. It was credited with breaking a number of taboos – banned and denounced by religious voices. I remember, back in my bookshop days – some years after its publication – it was certainly a go-to title for a whole cross section of buyers and was eagerly sought out by first year university students. I’m not sure the male management was that impressed.
I’d like to have covered these in more depth, but too much time has elapsed. Maybe later I’ll look in detail at O’Brien’s legacy and hope to cover more of Cottrell-Boyce’s Reading Rights.
deilibri 