The decades-old controversy over Salman Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses has been in the news again recently following the author’s cancelled appearance at the Jaipur Literature Festival in the wake of reported death threats. This intended violence is not the first that Rushdie’s novel has inspired, and his is definitely not the first real-life danger to come from literature. In fact, several books are reputed to have inspired or informed violence over the years, to varying degrees. The debate over whether the impulse to violence can originate from media — whether film, video games, or books — is a complex one, and we’re not seeking to answer it here, though we tend to think that no piece of media can incite a healthy mind to violent deeds (and the violence in Rushdie’s case is definitely directly caused by dissent over the book). However, several real-life crimes have been linked to works of literature, and therefore we must consider them at least a little more dangerous than say, Pride and Prejudice. Nota bene: this is a list of dangerous novels, so any potentially harmful propaganda, religious texts and nonfiction are all ineligible. Click through to check out our list, and get ready to scan your friends’ bookshelves for signs of insanity.
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1. We had no idea President Obama had such a lovely singing voice. Here’s a clip of him serenading the crowd with some Al Green at a fundraiser held last night at the Apollo Theater.
2. In the wake of yesterday’s Megaupload shutdown, Anonymous attacked several government and entertainment industry websites, including the homepages for the FBI and the Department of Justice, as well as the Recording Industry Association of America, the Motion Picture Association of America, BMI.com, and Universal Music. [via EW]
3. Need more proof that Bridesmaids 2 isn’t happening anytime soon? Kristen Wiig is in talks to star opposite of Ben Stiller in his forthcoming remake of the 1947 comedy classic, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. And that’s just one of the many projects that she’s currently tied to; there’s also a Sean Penn movie and an Errol Morris drama. [via Slashfilm]
4. “I have now been informed by intelligence sources in Maharashtra and Rajasthan that paid assassins from the Mumbai underworld may be on their way to Jaipur to eliminate me. While I have some doubts as to the accuracy of this intelligence, it would be irresponsible of me to come to the festival in such circumstances.” — Salman Rushdie has decided to cancel his upcoming appearance at Asia’s largest literature festival.
5. Apparently Game of Thrones author George RR Martin has a livejournal where he writes some interesting things about the show and his dealings with Hollywood. [via Gawker]
Bonus Buzz: The Many D’ohs Of Homer Simpson
Last week saw the publication in English of France’s resident literary bad boy Michel Houellebecq’s newest novel, The Map and the Territory, heralded by some as his magnum opus. The resurgence of the literary great got us to thinking about other literary bad boys who rocked the boat and won notoriety for it — most of them buoyed by endless talent, or just star power. After all, everyone loves to hate (or in some cases, loves to love) the literary rebels and the scandalous men of letters. Click through to check out our list of legendary literary bad boys — and if we’ve forgotten your favorite enfant terrible, be sure to let us know in the comments.
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Today at Flavorpill, we tried to imagine a world where Ringo Starr didn’t end up as one of the Beatles. We thought that Jillian Tamaki’s “Have a Sexy Halloween” illustrations for The Hairpin were laugh out loud funny. We watched Rihanna puke out a bunch of ribbons in her new music video. We were excited by the news that a six-minute prologue to Dark Knight Rises will play before Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol in IMAX — but we’re not excited to pay for that ticket. We found it a little funny that Salman Rushdie likes Entourage, but thinks that Game of Thrones is “very addictive garbage.” We wondered if Chris Martin is a secretly a furry. We wished the legendary Divine a very happy birthday. We watched Devo hawk Honda scooters in this fantastic 1984 commercial. We were happy to see Peggy Olson looking so happy in this photo from the upcoming season of Mad Men. We wanted to buy a copy of this teeny tiny newspaper. We couldn’t wait to see French Stewart play “the best French Stewart celebrity impersonator of all time” on Community. And finally, we were intrigued to hear that according to a new study, people with more Facebook friends have denser grey matter in the regions of the brain linked to social skills than those who don’t. Crazy, right?
We are nearing the end of Banned Books Week and realized that there have been so many titles in the past few years that have ruffled the feathers of elected officials, holy men, and her highness, Oprah. Some have been great, some have been horrible, and some just downright racist. We’re always curious about books that are deemed so dangerous that the public shouldn’t be able to read them. Although we would be taken aback if we saw a friend openly displaying Mein Kampf on her bookshelf, we think that with enough critical distance people can learn a lot from books that uncover the wicked underbelly of society. So read on, dear readers, and tell us what “dangerous books” you’ve read and enjoyed.
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We get it. If you’re a literary snob, choosing beach reading is hard. You want something that’s going to keep you entertained and happy while you work on your tan or soak up some much-needed vitamin D, but you can’t bear to waste your time (or risk your reputation) with something trashy. We understand, and so we’ve come to the rescue with a list of books, both new and not so new, that are beach-appropriate but still highbrow enough that you can talk about them later. After all, there are only so many hours in a day, and we prefer to spend them reading fantastic prose, even if we’re in our bathing suits. Click through to see our list, and let us know your favorite highbrow beach reads in the comments!
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There are divas and there are their lesser-known male counterparts, divos; the thing that unites them is their willingness to make demands and to do whatever it takes to stay in the spotlight. You cannot wrestle their trophies away from them; they will never give you the opportunity. A diva is a prima donna; the ego is there for all to see. There’s a vulnerability to that which can be touching, but most of the time you’ll never see it because the show they put on often obscures any real sense of themselves; they create and become spectacles — especially in the book world.
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Can authors write for both kids and adults? The Guardian doesn’t seem to think so, but with this list we beg to differ. Sure, there’s some crossover in genre — as we all know, a lot of adults love Harry Potter with all the strength in their muggle bodies — but the books we’ve picked were written expressly for children, regardless of whether or not grown ups like them too, and written by authors who are primarily famous for their adult literature. You may be surprised by who has made the foray into kiddie lit — it turns out that some of the most serious authors we can think of have a warm, nougat center full of laughter and sunshine. Or something like that. Click through to see our list of children’s book written by famous “adult” authors and let us know which of your favorites we’ve missed in the comments!
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1. An earthquake measuring 8.9 on the Richter scale hit off the coast of Japan this morning (the strongest ever recorded in the country), followed by a massive, 33-foot-high tsunami. Google has responded to the crisis by launching a tool that “helps you find a person or provide information on missing persons.” The site also “aggregates important resources, maps and other related information.” [via Mashable]
2. Salman Rushdie is writing the script for a new TV show! Next People, which will air on Showtime, is said to examine different aspects of American life. [via Vulture]
3. Microsoft has patented an online dating service that will help people with “fringe interests and eccentricities” find mates. And by “fringe interests and eccentricities” they mean “comic books.” [via Gawker]
4. Quentin Tarantino is suing his next door neighbor Alan Ball over some exotic birds on the True Blood creator’s property that emit “blood-curdling screams.” According to Tarantino, the noise has “seriously disrupted [his] ability to work as a writer in his home.” Check out a copy of the actual lawsuit here.
5. Forbes has released its annual list of hip-hop’s wealthiest artists: Diddy, Jay-Z, Dr. Dre, Birdman, and 50 Cent. Sean Combs is worth about $475 million; Jay-Z a close second at $450 million. [via Jezebel]
Bonus link: Jon Cryer Admits He’s a Troll
They say you can’t judge a book by its cover, but can you judge a country by the kind of covers it puts on its books? We’ve always found the cover changes between US and UK editions of the same books pretty interesting – they must be reflective of our different cultures in some way incomprehensible to us. After all, book jacket designers are trying to capture the attention and imagination of their target populace, so it’s fascinating to see what the experts think will attract a Brit versus what they think might attract an American. Inspired by the annual US vs UK book cover comparison of Rooster contenders over at The Millions, we decided to make a list of our own, comparing the covers of our favorite books from last year — and, just for fun, a few of our favorite books from years past. Click through to see the comparisons and our picks for the winners, and let us know what you think in the comments!
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