| It was bound to happen. If Harry Potter wasn’t going to get a pre-established award, one would be created for it. That seems to be the case with the invention of the Quill Awards, a consumer-driven prize created by Reed Business Information. Given that books by the likes of J.K. Rowling and Stephen King aren’t likely to win a Pulitzer or Booker, the idea is to honour authors whose work is read widely. In other words, popular books, which, not surprisingly, are seldom literature in the honorific sense.
Jay Ireland, head of NBC Universal Television, which will be broadcasting the Quills ceremony in October, says that the award recognizes the "power and importance of the written word and celebrates literacy." Among the bestselling authors whose work has made the short list are Rowling, King and Bob Dylan (for his recent memoir). Some of the nominees straddle the "popular" and "literary" divide, such as Philip Roth, for his novel The Plot Against America, and Chilean writer Isabel Allende, for her latest bestseller, Zorro (a choice that gives this U.S. award some international flair). There isn’t any money attached to the award, but these nominees are hardly in need of cash prizes. After years of being ignored, perhaps some wealthy author will finally get a trophy to put on his/her shelf. If you’d like to see the other nominees and cast your vote, go to www.quillsvote.com.
The above news takes on an interesting twist with the recent release of a study by the U.S. National Endowment of the Arts, which shows a sharp decline in reading in America. The youngest age groups – 18 to 24 – dropped 28 points, ending up 55 points lower than the adult average, which isn’t great, either. If the report is to be believed, only 45 per cent of adults in the U.S. read at least one book a year. And depending on what type of literature you’re discussing, the rate drops even lower (poetry: 12 per cent; drama: four per cent). But I suppose it doesn’t come as any surprise that literacy is declining. Seen in this context, the Quill Awards may be helping to promote literacy, but they may also be helping to turn literature further into a commodity that is wholly defined within a populist set of parameters. They suggest, sadly, that the group that does read only chooses from a small list of bestselling books.
It isn’t a literary event, but it’s at a bookstore, so here you go: singer-songwriter Mike Ford (a member of early-’90s Canadian band Moxy Früvous – remember?) is here to perform songs from his new album Canada Needs You. Song titles include "Louis & Gabriel" and "Sir John A. – You’re OK." If you find early Canadian history both interesting and funny (you know who you are), hear Ford’s wacky songs at McNally Robinson on Monday, August 15 at 7 p.m.
Also, note that the next installment of filling Station’s Flywheel Reading Series, on Thursday, August 11, is still happening, but the venue has moved to The New Gallery (516 - 9 Ave. S.W.). The reading is part of the three-day Blow-Out! event, which runs through Saturday, August 13.
Bookends
Bestsellers for July 31 to August 6 at Pages on Kensington
Fiction and Poetry
1. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
by J. K. Rowling
2. Until I Find You
by John Irving
3. Girls in Pants
by Ann Brashares
4. People of Paper
by Salvador Plascencia
5. Oh Pure and Radiant Heart
by Lydia Millet
6. The Plague: Crow Chronicles, Book 2
by Clem Martini
7. The Big Over Easy
by Jasper Fforde
8. A Year in the Merde
by Stephen Clarke
9. Grizzly Lies
by Eileen Coughlan
10. No Country for Old Men
by Cormac McCarthy
Non-fiction
1. Historical Walks of Calgary
by Harry M. Sanders
2. A Short History of Progress
by Ronald Wright
3. Freakonomics
by Steven Levitt
4. Food Lover's Trail Guide to Alberta (Vol. 2)
by Mary Bailey and Judy Schultz
5. In the Dog Kitchen
by Julie Van Rosendaal
6. On Bullshit
by Harry S. Frankfurt
7. Killing Yourself to Live
by Chuck Klosterman
8. Wild Alberta
by Wayne Lynch
9. The End of Faith
by Sam Harris
10. Climate of Fear
by Wole Soyinka |
Copyright ©2005 FFWD. All rights reserved.