Sunday, April 15, 2018

Publishers Lunch


 Today's Meal


Permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy Sara Danius stepped down on Thursday after a three hour emergency meeting of academy members, reportedly forced out. The Academy has been embroiled in scandal since Jean-Claude Arnault was accused of multiple incidents of sexual assault and harassment last December, as well as leaking the winners of the Nobel Prize in Literature in advance on multiple occasions. As we reported on Monday, three members of the Academy resigned recently after losing a vote to remove Katarina Frostenson, the Academy member married to Arnault.

Danius is said to have been pushed out by critics who blamed her for weak leadership during the crisis, including two former permanent secretaries, Sture Allen and Horace Engdahl. Danius told reporters Thursday that divisions on the committee have "already affected the Nobel Prize quite severely, and that is a big problem."

With two other members inactive on top of the recent departures, the 18-member committee is now down to only 11 active members. Committee members are appointed for life, with no structure in place to handle resignations. King Carl XVI Gustaf has indicated he might solve the problem by modifying the academy's rules so that members can resigned and be replaced.

Prime minister Stefan Lofven commented: "It's up to the academy to restore faith and respect. It's a very important issue for Sweden, and therefore it is important that this institution works."



Steven Tran has been promoted to sales associate at Soho Press.

Jessica Tribble has been promoted to senior editor at Thomas & Mercer.

Rachel Cass, head buyer for trade books at Harvard Book Store, will expand her role to also become buying & inventory manager, taking on responsibility for all merchandise buying for the company.

Awards
The Man Booker International Prize announced its shortlist, with the winner to be named on May 22:

Vernon Subutex 1, by Virginie Despentes, translated by Frank Wynne (MacLehose Press)
The White Book, by Han Kang, translated by Deborah Smith (Portobello Books)
The World Goes On, by Laszlo Krasznahorkai, translated by John Batki, Ottilie Mulzet, & George Szirtes (Tuskar Rock Press)
Like a Fading Shadow, by Antonio Munoz Molina, translated by Camilo A. Ramirez (Tuskar Rock Press)
Frankenstein in Baghdad, by Ahmed Saadawi, translated by Jonathan Wright (Oneworld)
Flights, by Olga Tokarczuk, translated by Jennifer Croft (Fitzcarraldo Editions)

The New York Public Library has announced the five finalists for the 2018 Young Lions Fiction Award:

What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky, by Lesley Nneka Arimah,
Black Jesus and Other Superheroes, by Venita Blackburn
Stephen Florida, by Gabe Habash
Idaho, by Emily Ruskovich
Sour Heart, by Jenny Zhang

No comments: