Non-Fiction Books
Important living writers of fiction, drama and poetry who write in languages other than English (and have been subsequently translated) are included in the first update since 1984 of this important volume. A 20-member advisory board of academic literary specialists helped to select the 358 entries in Contemporary World Writers, which includes both well-established writers and international newcomers. Each entry in Contemporary World Writers begins with a who's who-style biography; then contains a complete bibliography, citing any English language translations of the works; a list of critical studies; and a signed, critical essay (800-1,000 words) on the writer's work. Of the writers covered, 102 are Western European, while other world regions are proportionately represented. Look for profiles on: Gabriel Garcia Marquez Marguerite Duras Shusako Endo Vaclav Havel Irina Ratushinskaia Claribel Alegria Umberto Eco And many others
This groundbreaking new source of international scope defines the essay as nonfictional prose texts of between one and 50 pages in length. The more than 500 entries by 275 contributors include entries on nationalities, various categories of essays such as generic (such as sermons, aphorisms), individual major works, notable writers, and periodicals that created a market for essays, and particularly famous or significant essays. The preface details the historical development of the essay, and the alphabetically arranged entries usually include biographical sketch, nationality, era, selected writings list, additional readings, and anthologies
The Sleep Quilt is unlike any other quilt you will have seen. Commissioned by Tracy Chevalier, it is entirely stitched and quilted by prisoners in some of Britain’s toughest jails. Each of the 63 squares explores what sleep means in prison. A moment of escape for some, for others a dark return to all they most regret in life, sleep has a great significance in jail that is only strengthened by the difficulty of finding it in the relentlessly noisy, hot and cramped environment. By turns poignant, witty, lighthearted and tragic, The Sleep Quilt shines a light on lives that few outside can guess at. An essay by Tracy Chevalier and an introduction by Katy Emck of Fine Cell Work, the charity that made the quilt possible, as well as many quotations from prisoners, frame this remarkable work.