Hey dudes, what’s happenin’? If you aren’t used to that tenor of slang employed here at the roundup, it’s because we haven’t included that level of vernacular in our lexicon just yet—here’s an enlightening piece on the phenomena of language-to-slang. The ethics of our slang—YOLO, DGAF, et al—have infiltrated our young writers, as evidenced in this short story featured in n+1: “YOLO Ethics.” And while some slang never catches on at all (“fetch,” anyone?), the same can’t be said for languages. How do you revive a language that is effectively dead? (It’s always a good idea to learn a new language, since we are at our most genius when we are in the process of language acquisition).
This week witnessed the passing of American Pulitzer winner Galway Kinnell, poet of nature and politics. While some legends pass, others are born: Ireland has just established the award of poet laureate, allowing that incredibly literary country to compensate its talent. What inspires this genius—besides books—behind literature (the New York Times wanted to know).
Remember to trust your copyeditor, or else you might marry an author to her dog—as was the case with Ann Patchett, who found herself in happily wedded bliss with little Sparky quicker than you can say “comma” (side note: Patty would likely have married a thousand dogs had it not been for the efforts of expert copyeditor Emma).
This week in new reading: Words Without Borders‘ November Issue features Czech fiction and writing on education. Poetry Magazine this month is totally dedicated to translation, and includes old favorites alongside newer gems: who knew that German writer, theorist, and dramatist Bertholt Brecht had a sensitive side? If you’ve got difficulties with poetry, here are twenty helpful tips to help you read a poem.
Another “who-knew” moment: a French bestseller is suggesting that maybe the oft-reviled Vichy regime (you know, the one in collusion with the Nazis) wasn’t all that bad. I’m wary, but maybe I shouldn’t judge a book by its blurb. No investment required on these books, though, so forge right ahead: over 100 Russian books are slated to be made available online. And in similar new releases this week, one of the best-loved English-language children’s books is slated for bilingual publication, side-by-side Spanish: Goodnight, Moon/Buenas Noches, Luna.