If you weren’t tipped off by the thirty minutes windshield defrosting has added to your commute, we’re here to tell you that the holiday season is finally upon us. Here at the press, we’re celebrating with party planning and the launch of our Seth-illustrated Christmas Ghost Stories series. And while mall traffic and the ubiquity of holiday radio may give the impression that all normal life has paused for the season, it isn’t so—here’s a look at what we’ve been up to this week at Biblioasis:

THE GRINCH’S SMALL HEART GREW THREE SIZES THAT DAY

In the world of indie lit, few voices are more well regarded than that of David Gutowski. For nearly 14 years, Gutowski has been the driving force behind largehearted boy, a website devoted to music, literature, and “that spot in the venn diagram where the two arts overlap.” While we were excited just to see that he published a list of his favourite novels of 2015, we were absolutely honoured to find out that Anakana made the cut! Gutowski called Martin John “a profound, innovative, and poignant meditation on identy.”

As the National Post rolls out its highly anticipated year-end list in segments (a behemoth at 99 books!), we’re proud to report that Russell Smith’s Confidence comes in at #46. The National Post staff called it “sexy and solid…[painting] a richly dark portrait of what it means to be down and out (metaphorically and, occasionally literally) in increasingly moneyed Toronto.”

We’re very pleased to see that Man Booker-finalist Mia Couto’s Pensativities, the debut collection of his essays in English translation, was listed among Weird Fiction Review‘s End-of-Year Book List for 2015. Leif Schenstead-Harris, who chose the book, wrote that Couto’s essays are “firmly located in Mozambican natural and social contexts, yet in them it is possible to see how flashes of weird lightning illuminate Couto’s observations on the world.” The entire list is full of great works you might have overlooked. Definitely worth a look.

NEW REVIEWS

Great reviews keep rolling in for Andrew Somerset’s Arms: The Culture and Credo of the Gun — even months after its publication. The latest two were published recently by the Winnipeg Free Press and the Waterloo Region Record. Somerset “provides a witty and informed survey of the terrain,” writes Alex Good for the Record, “albeit one that doesn’t hold out a lot of hope for change,” while Douglas Johnston praises Arms ability to “[entertain] – even as it educates.”

The holiday issue of Windsor Life just arrived at our shop, and it includes the first big feature on Bob Duff’s 50 Greatest Red Wings. “A terrific book,” raves writer Dick Hildebrand. “A must read for the Red Wing devotee — or any hockey fan for that matter!”

On the other side of the border, Asymptote, an exceptional journal that focuses exclusively on works in translation, paid Samuel Archibald’s Arvida a high compliment: reviewer Gnaomi Siemens writes in her rave review that Arvida’s small-town Canadian stories reveal “another America, a hidden America, maybe even more American than the America we think we know.” What a testament to the relevance and power of works in translation and literature from Quebec!

UPCOMING:

KEEP WARM AT THE BIBLIOASIS HOLIDAY BARNBURNER!

Nothing pairs better with a good book than a party and a (few) glass(es) of wine! We’re gearing up for our annual holiday party here at the shop, which is set for Friday December 11th. At 7PM, we’ll be officially launching Bob Duff’s excellent 50 Greatest Red Wings, alongside readings by Marty Gervais, Michael Januska, and Kate Hargreaves. As if that wasn’t enough, we’ll be featuring the soft launch of “The Poets Series,” a series of paintings by artist Melanie Janisse Barlow. There’ll be door prizes, refreshments, 15% off all books, and the ideal environment for some impromptu caroling. See you there!

A new season’s started at Biblioasis, which means we’re looking for a new crew of bright, enthusiastic volunteers.

Our press office handles nearly every step a manuscript takes on its path to becoming a widely-read book, including acquisition, editing, typesetting, cover design, stock management, publicity, and bookstore sales. Authors published by Biblioasis regularly make news across North America: several have either won or been shortlisted for major awards; more have been featured and reviewed in the New York Times Book Review, Wall Street Journal, Globe & Mail, Toronto Star, Washington Post, Maclean’s, and other outlets. Volunteering here offers an opportunity to gain experience at one of Canada’s most prestigious independent presses. Students interested in the publishing industry are strongly encouraged to apply.

Responsibilities:

• Assisting with author event coordination, including travel arrangements.
• Bibliodata and stock level monitoring.
• Logging reviews, press, and other media hits.
• Updating and maintaining the press website.
• Assisting with local, national, and international market research.
• Assisting with catalog and advanced review copy mailings.
• Assisting with miscellaneous administrative tasks.

Requirements:

• Excellent attention to detail.
• Ability to work independently on a range of short-, medium- and long-term tasks with minimal supervision.
• Good verbal and written communications skills.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Proficiency with social media.

What We Can Offer:

• Travel and lunch stipend.
• Employee discount on all books in the bookstore.

What We’d Ask of You:

• A commitment of at least four hours each week.

Access to a car is preferred but not required.

To apply for the position, please email your cover letter and resume to gmunroe@biblioasis.com. Deadline: December 11, 2015.

Editor’s Note: This is the first in a series of posts from Biblioasis Press volunteers. Norman Nehmetallah, the present author, was raised here in Windsor, Ontario. He recently graduated with honours in English Literature from Mount Allison University, one of Canada’s most prestigious liberal arts universities, and studied at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee as a 2014 Fulbright Canada Killam Fellow. He assists with social media, marketing, and publicity.

WINDSOR INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL DOES IT RIGHT, LITERALLY
by Norman Nehmetallah

From Gone with the Wind to Harry Potter, books and movies have long had an inconsistent relationship. While some of the most notable, highest-grossing, and/or critically acclaimed films of the last century have been adapted from novels, plays, and short stories, every time a feature film adaptation of a book is announced, a familiar chorus sounds: “They’re going to ruin the book!” While those who shun page-to-screen adaptations sometimes have a point (we’re still wishing we spent the $10 for that Gatsby ticket on a sandwich), this week we won’t pander to the naysayers of literary film. As the 11th Windsor International Film Festival draws nearer, Biblioasis is going to the movies. Here’s a look at the literary-minded and/or adapted films we’re most excited to catch at WIFF:

45 Years (2015)—directed by Andrew Haigh, based on David Constantine’s short story “In Another Country”

So what if one of the most highly regarded films appearing at this year’s festival is based on a quietly stunning story by our own David Constantine? Director Andrew Haigh worked Constantine’s “In Another Country,” the crown jewel of his eponymous short story collection, which The Independent called “rich and allusive and unashamedly moving,” into a feature that cleaned up at the Berlin International Film Festival. The film revolves around the marital tension that emerges between Kate and Geoff Mercer when Geoff learns that the body of his old girlfriend has been discovered, perfectly preserved in the Swiss Alps where she fell on their hiking trip fifty years earlier. You can catch this film Friday, November 6th at 5:45pm, or at a 9am matinee the next morning, November 7th. The Friday night screening features a post-film discussion between Biblioasis publisher Dan Wells and WIFF executive director Vincent Georgie. Tickets are selling briskly, so buy yours now. You can also RSVP here. Signed, first edition copies of the book will be available for purchase.

The 50 Year Argument (2014)—directed by Martin Scorsese & David Tedeschi

Film giant Martin Scorsese and his former editor David Tedeschi (Shine a Light) offer this documentary about the history and influence of The New York Review of Books, created during the fortnightly publication’s fiftieth anniversary. This hyper-literary documentary is only being screened on Thursday, November 5th, at 9:10am, so like a recently delivered copy of The New York Review of Books, it’s probably best enjoyed with a coffee.

The Lady in the Van (2015)—directed by Nicholas Hytner, adapted from Alan Bennett’s based-on-fact play

The Lady in the Van tells the “mostly true” story of a friendship between British playwright, screenwriter, actor, and author Alan Bennett and Mary Shepherd, the homeless woman who parked her van/home in his driveway for fifteen years—fourteen years and nine months longer than Bennett had anticipated. The inexhaustibly excellent Maggie Smith plays Mary Shepherd. As if the authorial subject doesn’t render this film literary enough, Nicholas Hytner, Bennett’s frequent collaborator and a director of opera, film, and theatre, directs the picture. The film plays thrice over the course of the festival (November 3rd at 3:35pm, November 5th at 5:50pm, and November 8th at 1:30pm), so there’s no excuse to miss it.

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (2015)—directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, based on the novel by Jesse Andrews

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, based on Andrews’ debut young adult novel of the same name, is about “growing up, facing death, making and losing friends and other rites of passage, but it’s also, and more immediately, about drifting, hanging out, wasting time and succumbing to confusion.” Although the story of a relationship between a teen and his cancer-stricken peer sounds very similar to John Green’s wildly popular The Fault in Our Stars, published in the same year, this film isn’t a knock-off: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl took home both the Audience Award and the Grand Jury Prize at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, where it premiered. You can catch Gomez-Rejon’s film on Wednesday, November 4th at 11:25am. It might be worth skipping class to see.

Elephant Song (2014)—directed by Charles Binamé, adapted from the stage play by Nicolas Billon

With a setting reminiscent of another well-known book/film, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Elephant Song takes place in a 1960s psychiatric institution. The film centres on a tense interview between psychiatrist and patient concerning the whereabouts of Dr. Lawrence, a missing psychiatrist. Elephant Song won playwright Nicolas Billon, winner of the 2013 Governor General’s Award for Drama for Fault Lines, the Canadian Screen Award for “Best Adapted Screenplay.” Catch Elephant Song at 9:10am on Wednesday, November 4th, and at 5:40pm on Saturday, November 7th.

A Gay Girl in Damascus: The Amina Profile (2015)—directed by Sophie Derapse

Another standout of this year’s documentary heavy schedule, A Gay Girl in Damascus draws from the smaller screen, instead of the page, for its controversial subject matter. Deraspe examines the relationship between Montrealer Sandra Bagaria and the Syrian-American blogger behind A Gay Girl in Damascus, Amina Abdallah Arraf al Omari, whose existence was revealed to be a fiction perpetrated by a man named Tom MacMaster. Ken Jaworowski, writing for The New York Times, said “even knowing the secret of A Gay Girl in Damascus doesn’t make this documentary any less tense. That’s a testament to Sophie Deraspe, a director who understands how to let a plot unfold.” A Gay Girl in Damascus is being screened on Wednesday, November 4th, at 3:35pm and Thursday, November 5th, at 8pm.

Al Purdy Was Here (2015)—directed by Brian D. Johnson

Johnson’s documentary tells the story of Al Purdy, one of Canadian poetry’s most gruff and enduring voices, and the effort of artists and patrons to restore the Robin Lake cabin he shared with his wife and fashion it into a writer’s retreat. Al Purdy Was Here is playing at 1:15pm on Sunday, November 8th.

Dark Places (2015)—directed by Gilles Paquet-Brenner, adapted from Gillian Flynn’s Dark Places

While critics were generally unimpressed with Paquet-Brenner’s Dark Places, we’ll see this film on the strength of last year’s Oscar-nominated Gone Girl, which David Fincher adapted from Flynn’s novel of the same name. Dark Places, like Gone Girl, is a murder mystery set in the navel of the United States, where Midwest, Southern, and Western identities converge and muddy. Dark Places is being screened on Tuesday, November 3rd, at 10:25pm and again on Friday, November 6th, at 9:55pm.

If these selections aren’t enough for you, Miss Julie, Suite Française, and Testament of Youth are also based on literary works. Further descriptions, ticket information, and a full schedule of films can be found here. See you at the movies.

There has been a fair bit of coverage for Biblioasis translation series author Mia Couto this week. First, over at the wonderful online magazine Ozy, Tobias Carroll profiles the Mozambican novelist.

Couto is an inventive writer with a habit of rebelliously creating his own syntaxes, blending Portuguese with a “rural African, animist outlook” (as his publisher says) and conjuring up magical realist frameworks — often to explain the political upheaval his country has lived through. And of course Couto himself lived through those times: A journalist during the wartime era, he paused med school to agitate for independence — as a propagandist for the rebels and a journalist editing the party newspaper. It was 1985, in the heat of the 15-year civil war, when Couto’s first book of poems was published. As the revolution advanced, he recalls, it “became something else,” and he lost his belief, he recounts matter-of-factly.

For the complete profile, please go here.

Two reviews of Biblioasis’s latest Couto title, Pensativities: Selected Essays, have also hit this week. Over at Numero Cinq, Benjamin Woodward has, in part, this to say:

Expertly translated from the Portuguese by David Brookshaw, these writings span roughly a decade of Couto’s nonfiction work, and are plucked from three previously published books: Pensatempos: Textos de opinião, E se Obama fosse africano? e outras interinvenções, and Pensagerio frequente. If there is an overarching drive that threads the collection together, it’s Couto’s commitment to recognize history’s numerous flaws, and to use this history to embrace a diverse future, full of “hybridities” of both self and cultural environs.

Over at Words Without Borders, Kristine Rabberman concurs:

Couto’s life and his oeuvre speak to the power of a widened understanding of the world, one that revels in connections between modes of thought and states of being, one that illustrates the power of a life lived across boundaries. He’s a biologist and conservationist who publishes widely across genres, including journalism and lectures, children’s literature and short stories, award-winning novels and scientific reports. Since winning the 2014 Neustadt Prize and being named a finalist for the 2015 Man Booker International Prize, Couto’s international exposure has aided his goal to build bridges between communities through literature. For English-speaking readers new to Couto’s work, 2015 provides new opportunities to explore his vision of a multicultural world, most recently in Biblioasis’ recent publication of Pensativities: Essays and Provocations, translated from the Portuguese by David Brookshaw, Couto’s longtime translator.

Read more: http://wordswithoutborders.org/book-review/mia-coutos-pensativities-essays-and-provocations#ixzz3m6ggAlbs