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Bookfest on the Mall
More than 200,000 eager readers are expected to attend this year’s National Book Festival on the Mall, Sept. 21-22.
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Joyce Carol Oates on the writer’s elusive self
Henry James said it best: “A writer’s life is in his work, and that is the place to find him.”
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Who’s the baddest of the bad?
National Book Festival authors sound off on the most terrible villains ever to haunt a writer’s imagination.
Recent Reviews
White Women of the Black Renaissance
Carla Kaplan looks at six white women who decided to make the Harlem Renaissance their own.
Don DeLillo receives American fiction prize at National Book Festival gala
Party for 110 authors kicks off National Book Festival on the Mall this weekend
Muslims fighting fundamentalism
‘Your Fatwa Does Not Apply Here’ shows that thousands of Muslims fight extremist violence every day.
The fathers of Super Man
In “Superboys,” Brad Ricca looks at the two obscure men who created Superman and sold the idea for $130.
Last National Book Festival on the Mall?
Hay-Adams’s general manager, Hans Bruland, said the festival will be moved to the D.C. Convention Center in 2014.
‘Ebony and Ivy:’ The legacy of colleges and race
The history of American higher education is riddled with racism, argues Craig Steven Wilder.
A biography of Gerald Ford
James Cannon, who served in the Ford administration, looks at the legacy of the 38th president
‘Drama High,’ by Michael Sokolove
Michael Sokolove writes about an inspiring drama teacher in a struggling Pennsylvania town
Why are their students outscoring ours?
“The Smartest Kids in the World” explores education in Finland, South Korea and Poland.
Fiction: ‘Doctor Sleep,’ by Stephen King
‘The Shining’ gets a sequel in which Danny is now battling some familar demons.
Mary Kay Zuravleff to replace Jamaica Kincaid at National Book Festival
Washington writer has received rave reviews for her new novel this month.
National Book Award longlist in fiction
Alice McDermott, Jhumpa Lahiri and Thomas Pynchon are among 10 finalists for $10,000 prize.
Book World: ‘Faces of Love,’ reviewed by Michael Dirda
The translations of Hafez and other Persian bards bring their poetry to life in modern English.
National Book Award longlist for nonfiction
New Yorker writers and works about America dominate this year’s finalists for the $10,000 prize.
Fiction: ‘Traveling Sprinkler,’ by Nicholson Baker
Delightful tale of a hapless, aspiring songwriter is a fun journey, but is it really a cohesive novel?
Review: Midwife courts controversy in ‘My Notorious Life’
BOOK WORLD | Kate Manning’s rousing historical novel is about an abortion provider New York City.
We ask Terry McMillan about ‘Who Asked You?’
Her new novel features a woman forced to take on the care of her two grandchildren.
National Book Award finalists in young adult literature
For the first time, 10 finalists make the foundation’s new “long list.“
Book World: ‘After Her’ by Joyce Maynard
The strength of this suspense novel is in its depiction of the relationship between teen sisters and their father.
Living life in 30 second intervals
In “Permanent Present Tense,” Suzanne Corkin reveals the corners of memory through one patient.
A pair of biographies of the glamourous Gloria Swanson
Books by Tricia Welsch and Stephen Michael Shearer chronicle the woman who practically invented the film star.
Fiction: ‘The Violet Hour,’ by Katherine Hill
“The Violet Hour” may not be an ode to suburban Washington, but it is a rewarding family saga.
National Book Festival: Special programs
Young writers read their work, Galileo’s ‘Starry Messenger’ is analyzed and more.
National Book Festival: Graphic Novels and Sci-Fi listings
Lynda Barry, the Hernandez brothers and Elizabeth Moon are attending the festival Sept. 22.
How America goes to war
Marvin Kalb’s “The Road to War” explores the history of presidents’ foreign policy commitments.
Who’s the baddest of the bad?
National Book Festival authors sound off on the most terrible villains ever to haunt a writer’s imagination.
National Book Festival: Poetry and Prose listings
Joyce Carol Oates, Jamaica Kincaid and Natasha Trethewey are attending the festival Sept. 21 and 22.
National Book Festival: Teens and Children listings
Katherine Paterson, Susan Cooper and Kathryn Erskine are attending the festival Sept. 21 and 22.
National Book Festival: History and Biography listings
A. Scott Berg, Kay Bailey Hutchison and Rick Atkinson are attending the festival Sept. 21 and 22.
National Book Festival: Fiction and Mystery listings
Don DeLillo, Margaret Atwood and Adam Johnson are attending the festival Sept. 21 and 22.
National Book Festival: Contemporary Life listings
Linda Ronstadt, Andrew Solomon and George Weigel are attending the festival Sept. 21 and 22.
National Book Festival: Children’s listings
Suzy Lee, Jon Scieszka and Katherine Applegate are attending the festival Sept. 21 and 22.
Suzy Lee on her design for National Book Festival poster
The celebrated children’s book illustrator values art “with no language or cultural barrier.”
Washington Post Bestsellers Sept. 22
The books Washington has been reading.
Washington: From cover to cover
From novels to history to cooking and ghost stories, Post editors and critics offer introduction to capital.
Review: Midwife courts controversy in ‘My Notorious Life’
BOOK WORLD | Kate Manning’s rousing historical novel is about an abortion provider New York City.
Fiction: ‘Dissident Gardens,’ by Jonathan Lethem
A family of communists in Queens struggles on against obsolescence.
Fiction: ‘The Woman Who Lost Her Soul,’ by Bob Shacochis
National Book Award winner offers a soaring literary epic about the forces that have driven us to the 9/11 age.
Book World: ‘Faces of Love,’ reviewed by Michael Dirda
The translations of Hafez and other Persian bards bring their poetry to life in modern English.
Book World: Thomas Pynchon’s ‘Bleeding Edge’
Thomas Pynchon’s “Bleeding Edge” is set in New York City, and the shadow of 9/11 touches every page.
Fiction: ‘MaddAddam,’ by Margaret Atwood
The spectacular final volume of Margaret Atwood’s dystopian trilogy.
‘Ebony and Ivy:’ The legacy of colleges and race
The history of American higher education is riddled with racism, argues Craig Steven Wilder.
The spy who came in from the cold 50 years later
Penguin is releasing John le Carre’s espionage masterpiece, 50 years after it made the writer’s career
Literary Calendar
Going Out Guide: Upcoming events
Get the latest on readings, signings and author appearances in the D.C. area.
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