Books

The author Edna O'Brien's latest book is Girl, which follows a young woman kidnapped by Boko Haram in Nigeria.

Books
Arts

Edna O'Brien On 6 Decades Of Writing 'Very Difficult Stories' About Women

8:24pm October 11, 2019

by Mary Louise Kelly

In Girl, a young woman in Nigeria is abducted by Boko Haram — and that's just the beginning. For nearly 60 years, its Irish author has written about women "both as victims and as fighters, combined."

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Books

NBC News Staff Upset With Leadership After Allegations In Ronan Farrow Book

6:02pm October 11, 2019

by Lulu Garcia-Navarro

In a new book, Ronan Farrow alleges that NBC executives tried to halt his reporting on Harvey Weinstein and reveals the identity of the woman whose complaint got Matt Lauer fired.

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Books

Do You Have Some Magic Hiding In Your Bookshelf?

6:25am October 11, 2019

When the Lancashire family learned a hardback copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone sold for more than $35,000, they decided to auction their copy. Their book sold for more than $57,000.

Books

Author Shea Serrano On His Love For The Big Screen, Family And Mexican American Roots

6:08pm October 10, 2019

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Shea Serrano, author of Movies (And Other Things) about his love for the big screen, family and Mexican American roots.

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Books

Swedish Academy Announces Winners Of The 2018 And 2019 Nobel Prizes In Literature

6:08pm October 10, 2019

by Neda Ulaby

The Swedish Academy announced the winners of the 2018 and 2019 Nobel Prizes in Literature. Because scandal postponed last year's winner announcement, two prizes are being announced this year.

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Andrew Ridgeley and George Michael of Wham performing on stage in 1985.

In Book, Andrew Ridgeley Pays Tribute To George Michael And A More Innocent Pop Era

4:46pm October 10, 2019

by Maura Johnson

In WHAM!, the singer-songwriter reminds readers of Michael's songwriting genius, often overlooked by pop-averse critics and taken for granted by listeners who gorged on the hooky riches of the '80s.

In 2010, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Westboro Baptist Church's right to protest at funerals, arguing that even hateful speech, when addressing matters of pubic import on public property, should be protected.

How Twitter Helped Change The Mind Of A Westboro Baptist Church Member

4:31pm October 10, 2019

by Terry Gross

Growing up, Megan Phelps-Roper was told that God killed soldiers as punishment for tolerance of homosexuality. She started to question her beliefs after she began running the church's Twitter account.

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Books

Peter Handke, Olga Tokarczuk Win Nobel Prizes In Literature

11:04am October 10, 2019

The Swedish Academy made the unusual move of awarding the honor to two writers this year, after scandal prevented the committee from handing a prize out last year.

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Books

Nobel Committee To Release 2018 And 2019 Literature Prizes On Thursday

11:04am October 10, 2019

by Lynn Neary

Because scandals such as harassment and the leaking of names engulfed the Swedish academy in 2018, it did not name a Nobel laureate in literature. (This piece initially aired Oct. 9, 2019 on ATC.)

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Polish author Olga Tokarczuk (left) won the postponed 2018 Nobel Prize for literature and Austrian novelist and playwright Peter Handke won the 2019 award. The Swedish Academy did not hand out a prize last year due to scandal.

Books
Arts

Nobel Prizes In Literature Go To Olga Tokarczuk And Peter Handke

9:28am October 10, 2019

by Colin Dwyer

The Swedish Academy made the unusual move Thursday of recognizing both Handke, an Austrian writer, and Tokarczuk, who is Polish, after scandal prevented the committee from awarding a prize last year.