Bricks-and-mortar bookshops
Mark Haddon (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time) is the latest author after John Le Carre (Tinker Tailor Solider Spy) and Ian Rankin (creator of Inspector Rebus) to crusade against online retail giant Amazon in favour of bricks-and-mortar bookshops. Haddon’s collection of short stories The Pier Falls is available only in actual shops. Le Carre made a similar attempt when a special hardback edition of his novel The Night Manager was released exclusively for bookshops. Other writers who have included special chapters and characters in shop-only versions of their books include Helen Macdonald (H is for Hawk) and Joanne Harris (Peaches for Monsieur le Curé).
Actor’s debut graphic novel
Oscar-winning English actor Jim Broadbent, known for Bridget Jones’ Diary and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, makes his fiction debut with Dull Margaret, a graphic novel inspired by the painting ‘Dulle Griet’ [Mad Meg], created in 1562 by Flemish artist Pieter Bruegel the Elder. Broadbent initially wanted to make a film about the “ … strong, intense woman striding determinedly across the landscape”, but was unable to secure adequate funding. He restyled his script — touted as a “darkly humorous tale” — into a graphic novel in collaboration with Welsh illustrator DIX whose work can be seen on the website www.grimreality.org.
Published in Dawn, Books & Authors, October 23rd, 2016
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