David Byrne’s ‘American Utopia’ to come out in book form
David Byrne is adapting his stage play “American Utopia” for the printed page.
The former Talking Heads frontman is collaborating with the author and illustrator Maira Kalman, who worked on the Broadway show. The book, also called “American Utopia,” will be published Sept. 8 by Bloomsbury.
“Here is the hope and joy that I believe emanates from this show turned into something you can hold in your hand,” Byrne said in a statement. Kalman said in a statement that the book was “a reminder to sing, dance and waste not a moment.”
Byrne’s show also is scheduled to return to Broadway in September. Spike Lee is working on a documentary.
Woody Allen has new publisher, memoir published
Woody Allen’s memoir, dropped by its original publisher after widespread criticism, has found a new home.
The 400-page book, still called “Apropos of Nothing,” was released last week by Arcade Publishing.
“The book is a candid and comprehensive personal account by Woody Allen of his life,” Arcade announced, “ranging from his childhood in Brooklyn through his acclaimed career in film, theater, television, print and stand-up comedy, as well as exploring his relationships with family and friends.”
The initial announcement of “Apropos of Nothing” came earlier this month, when Grand Central Publishing confirmed that it would release his book April 7. But the news was met with quick and growing outrage, centered on allegations that Allen abused his adoptive daughter, Dylan Farrow.
His son, Ronan Farrow, who shared the Pulitzer Prize with the New York Times for his New Yorker investigation into Harvey Weinstein, was enraged to learn that Allen’s book was being published by the same parent company, Hachette Book Group, that released his “Catch and Kill.”
The acclaimed book further delved into the Me Too movement. Dozens of Hachette employees staged a walkout over the Allen book and Farrow, who gad ben working on “Catch and Kill” at the time Machete acquired Allen’s memoir, said he would stop working with the publisher. Hachette canceled the release less than a week later.
Arcade editor Jeannette Seaver said in a statement: “In this strange time, when truth is too often dismissed as ‘fake news,’ we as publishers prefer to give voice to a respected artist, rather than bow to those determined to silence him.”
Ruchika Tomar wins PEN/Hemingway Award for debut novel
Ruchika Tomar’s “A Prayer for Travelers” has won the PEN/Hemingway Award for best debut novel, an honor previously given to Marilynne Robinson, Tommy Orange and Yiyun Li, among others.
Currently teaching at Stanford University, Tomar will receive $25,000 and a month-long residency at the Ucross Foundation writers retreat in Wyoming.
PEN/Hemingway judges called Tomar’s narrative of the friendship between two women in a small Nevada town “a remarkable piece of writing, astute in style and structure and also in the story that it tells.”
— Herald news services
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
