Tony Hillerman, 1925-2008

Beloved mystery author Tony Hillerman passed away yesterday in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The 83-year-old writer had been in declining health for the last few years but said in 2002, “I’m getting old, but I still like to write.” After two heart attacks and surgeries for prostate and bladder cancer, he kept tapping at his keyboard even as his eyes began to dim, as his hearing faded, as rheumatoid arthritis turned his hands into claws, the Associated Press reported.

Hillerman left a rich literary legacy in the form of his two most famous characters, Lt. Joe Leaphorn and Officer Jim Chee. Both Leaphorn and Chee were Navajo police officers involved in labyrinthine criminal investigations, all the while trying to marry the ideals and traditions of their Indian customs with contemporary American culture. Hillerman’s first book, The Blessing Way, was a Leaphorn mystery published in 1970.

As a young man, Hillerman fought in World War II and was wounded and decorated. He eventually ended up in New Mexico, where he taught journalism from 1966-1987 at the University of New Mexico.

His books have won a number of awards. Dance Hall of the Dead (1973) received an an Edgar Award for Best Novel from the Mystery Writers of America, and 1990’s Coyote Waits won a Nero Award. Hillerman also received the MWA’s Grand Master Award in 1991and the Navajo Tribe’s Special Friends of the Diné Award.

Tony Hillerman is survived by his wife, Marie, and six children.

Though a wildly successful and bestselling author, with five of his books made into films, Hillerman remained “a country boy…that’s always who he was,” said daughter Anne. ”I think that’s one reason why he really enjoyed and found so much inspiration in writing about the Navajo people.”

 

Story Source  AP, AFP, Wikipedia  |  Image Source  Laurie Roberts

October 27, 2008 | Filed Under Authors, Newsies | Leave a Comment 

Trailer Park Friday: Mary Shelley, the Military, and Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!

In today’s installment of the Trailer Park, we check out three interesting — and vastly different — titles.

First up, the classic horror novel by Mary Shelley, written when she was just 21 years old and often regarded as the first sci-fi book ever penned.

Our next trailer is for a book that looks pretty damn fascinating. I will definitely put this in my To Be Read pile, but I’m thinking a Prozac cocktail will be a nice accompaniment.

 

And finally…

Sure she had some problems and thankfully survived intact…but Jan will always be my favorite.

October 24, 2008 | Filed Under Trailer Park | Leave a Comment 

Despite Economy, Frankfurt Book Fair Thrives


Yesterday’s post about readers selling their old books for gas money depressed me a little, but I was encouraged by this bit of news from Publishers Weekly. According to statistics, attendees at this year’s Frankfurt Book Fair were up 5.6% from last year. 

The Frankfurt Book Fair is the world’s largest trade fair for books and is held each October in Frankfurt, Germany. Publishers and multimedia companies descend annually upon the fifth-largest city in Germany to negotiate international publishing rights and licensing fees. Fair director Juergen Boos credits this year’s boost in numbers to the topic of digitization in the publishing industry, which we all know is becoming more and more prevalent. “One of the main reasons for the increase in trade visitors is the need for guidance with regards to the new business models and fields of business which digitisation creates,” Boos explained.

The 2008 fair also included a speech by Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk and visits from the presidents of Germany and Turkey. Turkey was this year’s Guest of Honour, with 250 publishers and 100 authors in attendance to present their country’s literary prowess on an international stage. Next year’s Guest of Honour is China.

I am inspired by this. The economy might be in the crapper, but let’s keep focus on the vital importance books play in any society. If we need to sell things for gas money, why not get rid of those Adam Sandler movies cluttering our shelves? I’m reminded of that terrific quote by Erasmus: “When I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left I buy food and clothes.”

 

Story Source  Publishers Weekly, Frankfurt Book Fair, Wikipedia  |  Image Source  Frankfurt Book Fair

October 23, 2008 | Filed Under Authors, Newsies | 3 Comments 

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      WHAT IS A SNARK?




      The Snark is a creature created by Lewis Carroll in his poem "The Hunting of the Snark". To give a proper description of Snarks, one must look no further than Carroll himself, who summed them up in one word: Unimaginable.

      But this much we do know: some have feathers, some have whiskers. Snarks sleep a lot, yet they are an ambitious lot -- with very little sense of humor. They love bathing-machines and tend to bring them wherever they go; they are also handy for striking a light. Snarks live on a far-off island, a place filled with chasms and crags, and are constantly on the lookout for Snark-hunters. Their mortal enemies are hope, care, thimbles and forks.

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