A dog may be man’s best friend, but some men make better friends than others. To us, it’s always seemed as though pets attach themselves to artists (and vice versa, of course) in greater numbers than to regular folks — or at least that almost every artist we know needs a furry friend to talk to. Maybe it’s the pull of a constant, silent listener to bounce ideas against, maybe it’s because of the boundless soul of the writer, maybe it’s a coincidence. Either way, we think pictures of famous authors and their pets are pretty adorable, so we’ve collected a few of them here. See some of our favorite writers with their dogs and cats (and peacocks, guess who) after the jump, and if we missed your favorite literary pair of man and beast, add them in the comments. … Read More
Kurt Vonnegut
Awesome Infographic: The Best-Selling Sci-Fi Books of All Time
Science-fiction is no longer a niche genre. Sure, there are those who never touch the stuff, but sci-fi and fantasy are forever creeping closer to the mainstream, whether in full-fledged novels or by sneaking into contemporary literary fiction. That said, sci-fi has always been wildly popular among those who love it — the genre has a stable of incredibly loyal fans who have shot their favorite books up the best-seller list for years. To that point, Book Patrol has created this inforgaphic the best-selling science fiction books of all time, and though their standards for what constituted sci-fi are a little wide (The Lord of the Rings?), we still think it’s pretty interesting — and we’re adding to our reading lists as we speak. … Read More
The Greatest Life Advice from Kurt Vonnegut
Today would have been the great Kurt Vonnegut’s 90th birthday. The author, much beloved for his black humor, satirical bent, and frank take on the universe, has continued to influence and inspire writers and other humans since his death in 2007, and we figure will keep doing so for quite a while yet. To that end, we’ve compiled a list of the man’s greatest life advice — from the pithy to the complex, from the goofy to the plainly serious. In addition, we’d like to take this opportunity to point out two excellent new books that have been released recently: Kurt Vonnegut: Letters, a fat and elucidating volume of the author’s correspondence, and We Are What We Pretend To Be, which pairs Vonnegut’s first and last writings with commentary by his daughter, a definite must for any fan. After the jump, bask in some essential life advice from one of our most celebrated authors — and if we missed your favorite missive, be sure to add it to our list in the comments. Happy birthday, Mr. Vonnegut. So it goes. … Read More
15 Postcards from Famous Authors
Summer may seem like the ideal postcard-writing season, what with cruises and camp, but we’ve always been most inspired to write them in the fall, when the leaves are changing and we’re feeling wistful. So to amp up that wistful feeling a bit — and since as you’ve probably noticed, we just can’t get enough of ogling literary ephemera — we went on the hunt for interesting postcards written by famous authors, from Jack Kerouac to Franz Kafka to Rainer Maria Rilke. Click through and admire the penmanship, doodles, and forceful words of a few of your favorite… Read More
Awesome Photos of Writers Hanging Out Together
There’s something strangely inspiring about photographs of visionaries in the same room — we don’t know quite what it is, but the idea of (what we imagine to be) a profound meeting of minds captured on film always manages to get us excited. To that end, we put together a collection of some very excellent photographs of awesome musicians hanging out together a couple of months ago, but it’s not just musical types who like to gather in inspiring combinations. Writers, it seems, also enjoy each other’s company (whatever they might say to the contrary). Click through to see our photo roundup of writers hanging out with other writers, with a hat tip to the wonderful Tumblr Awesome People Hanging Out Together for inspiration and a few of the shots. … Read More
Banned Book Trading Cards: Collect ‘Em All
Libraries across the country are celebrating Banned Books Week, which lasts through this Saturday, but Lawrence Public Library in Kansas has taken a rather (forgive us) novel approach to the festivities. The library put out a call for submissions for local artists to create “trading cards” inspired by banned books, the best of which they’re handing out at the library all week. Since we’re pretty covetous of all things collectable (and all things book-related), this seems like a genius idea to us — not to mention the fact that a lot of the resultant artwork is pretty wonderful. Click through to see some of our favorites from the submitted artworks, and then be sure to head here to check out the full collection. … Read More
Famous Authors’ Funniest Responses to Their Books Being Banned
As you might have already heard, it’s Banned Books Week, and booksellers, librarians, and literary critics of all kinds are taking the opportunity to celebrate their favorite once-banned (or oft-banned) literature. But what do the authors themselves have to say about all this? After the jump, we’ve collected a few of our favorite hilarious responses from authors when their books were banned or challenged — because when there’s a challenge, why not challenge right back? Click through to hear what visionaries like Mark Twain, Harper Lee, and Maurice Sendak have to say to those who would deprive the world of their… Read More
10 Literary Authors Who Illustrated Their Own Work
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the publication of The Hobbit, and as a result, we’ve been blessed with all manner of new Hobbit-related media coming to fruition. Inspired by the recently published compendium of Tolkien’s artwork, The Art of The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, we decided to track down a few other literary authors who created illustrations for their works, whether published or unpublished.… Read More
Graphic Artworks Inspired by 20th Century American Authors
As any regular Flavorpill reader knows, we love books over here, and we’re also suckers for graphic art. So it shouldn’t surprise you that we got pretty excited this morning when Largehearted Boy pointed us to a great gallery of artwork inspired by 20th century American authors over at Super Precious. The highly graphic, colorful artworks look like some of the coolest posters or t-shirt designs you’ve ever seen, celebrating authors like J.D. Salinger, Charles Bukowski, and Kurt Vonnegut, among other favorites. Click through to see a few of our favorites from the gallery, and then be sure to head over to Super Precious to see the entire set, and to buy prints of any that strike your fancy. … Read More
A Literary Insult For Every Occasion
Famous authors have been known to go around insulting each other, but their characters aren’t saints either (or maybe they are, if you ask a certain Ellsworth Toohey). Of course, Shakespeare is famous for the insults in his plays, but he’s not the only one putting some very rude remarks into his characters’ mouths — our favorite literature is full of witty jibes, bold attacks, and sly rejoinders. Click through to see some of the best put-downs in the wide realm of literature — and how we suggest you utilize… Read More
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