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Everything literary in London this week will undoubtedly be overshadowed by a new release from a man who hails from the far off land of Columbia: For the first time in over ten years, we have on our hands a new novel by Nobel Prize Winner Gabriel Garcia Marquez (pictured), arguably the most beloved and universally acclaimed novelist alive today. And Memories of My Melancholy Whores is one of the better titles we've ever heard, to boot. So rather than try (and then fail) to compete, let's just accept defeat and get on with the listings...
Events Around London:
Tonight, Beryl Bainbridge stops by the Waterstone's in Hampstead to discuss her new book, Front Row: Evenings in the Theatre, which is, appropriately enough, a collections of her musings on theatre. 68-69 Hampstead High Street. 7pm. £3
It's already time again for this month's Book Slam, taking place as usual this Thursday at Cherry Jam, with its eclectic collection of "no-brow" literature. Early birds used to get the free admission, but now even they have to pay — we're not sure why, but we'll just generously assume that it's only in order to cover costs like the DJ and prizes. 58 Porchester Road. 8:30pm. £2 before 8pm/£5 after 8pm.
New Releases:
If Frogs Had Wings, by Daniel Joseph Farside
Memories of My Melancholy Whores, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
One Little Sin, by Liz Carlyle
Little Acorns, by John Purdham
Three Gentlemen of Verona: The Lovelife of London Society, by Gianni Ventura
April Fool's Day, by Josip Novakovich
Espresso Tales, by Alxeander McCall Smith
Copy Cats (short stories), by David Crouse
Mr. Brecher's Fiasco, by Martin Kessel
Other News:
According to the Guardian, One in three Londoners admits to having bought a book "solely to look intelligent." Whatever, at least their forking their money over — someone has to keep the book industry afloat, right? The best part of the article is the fact that a picture of Rushdie's Midnight's Children accompanies it, with the caption/link "Buy Midnight's Children Now." Click on it and you'll be whisked to the Guardian's bookstore, where you can buy the Rushdie classic. So not only are they suggesting which book may best make you "look intelligent," they are providing you with a link to their bookshop, so they can profit from your insecurity. This is the most brilliantly subversive marketing ploy we've ever seen!
