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Home , Future Present Past, Is This It, Julian Casablancas, Nikolai Fraiture, The New Abnormal, The Strokes

ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JANUARY 8-9, 2021 NEWS/FEATURES 13

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2020 hit publishing world ‘Books are resilient in year of upheaval’ By Hillel Italie

ook publishing in 2020 was a story of how much Ban industry can change and how much it can, or wants to, remain the same. “A lot of what has happened this past year - if it were a novel, I would say that it had a little too much plot,” said Simon & Schuster CEO Jonathan Karp. Three narratives ran through the book world for much of the year: an industry pressed to acknowledge that the status quo was unacceptable, an industry of- fering comfort and enlightenment during traumatic times, and an industry ever more consolidated around the power of Penguin Random House and Amazon. com. To its benefi t and to its dismay, publishing was drawn into the events of the moment. The pandemic halted and threatened to wipe out a decade of growth for in- dependent bookstores, forced the postponement of countless new releases and led to count- less others being forgotten. The annual national conven- tion, BookExpo, was called off and may be gone permanently after show organizers Reed Ex- hibitions announced they were “retiring” it. Winfrey The industry had long re- garded itself as a facilitator of open expression and high ideals, but in 2020 debates over diversity and #MeToo highlighted blind spots about race and gender and challenged the reputations of everyone from poetry publishers to Oprah Win- frey, from book critics to the late editor of Ernest Hem- ingway. Employees themselves helped take the lead: They staged protests in support of Black Lives Matters of performs on day one of in Grant Park on Aug 1, 2019, in Chicago. The ’s ‘’ is nominated and walked off the job at Hachette Book Group after for a Grammy for best rock . The 2021 Grammys will take place March 14. (AP) the publisher announced it had acquired Woody Al- len’s memoir, which Hachette soon dropped. Through it all, books managed to sell, keeping a steady pace at a time when fi lm and theater, among other industries, faced dire questions about their fu- Music ture. “My main takeaways from 2020 are that books are resilient and that the industry has indicated a willing- ness to change (about diversity) and to make opening gestures towards suffi cient, industry-wide change,” Band turn to a ‘unicorn fi gure’ said Lisa Lucas, executive director of the National Book Foundation, who next year will take over at two prestigious Penguin Random House imprints, Panthe- on and Schocken Books. The Strokes fi nally get Grammy love Classic By Mark Kennedy ’s “Random Access Memo- ings — shine more clearly this time An alarm bell rang early in the new year. Jean- ries,” which won album of the year. around. ine Cummins’ novel about Mexican immigrants, t has taken The Strokes almost two But the Strokes have not been nomi- “It brought out some of The Strokes “American Dirt,” had been widely cited as a top Idecades to earn their first Grammy nated before. that we had never heard before in a seller and critical favorite for 2020 and was lik- nomination. But lead singer Julian “I’m not looking for Grammys as fresh way without ever losing the core ened by “The Cartel” author Don Winslow to is betting they’ll walk any kind of validation artistically,” of what they do,” Fleckenstein says. Steinbeck’s Depression-era classic “The Grapes of away empty-handed at the ceremony. he says. “Basically, it validates you “And it was a pretty ingenious way to Wrath.” In January, Oprah Winfrey announced she The band’s “The New Abnormal” to people that don’t really understand approach it. It really worked.” had chosen it for her book club and Cummins began will compete on March 14 in the best music. If you’re a ‘Grammy-nominat- The album leans — as many Strokes a nationwide tour. rock album category against “A Hero’s ed artist’ it’s like, ‘Whoa, you’re like a do — on the ’80s, with melo- But to the surprise of the publisher, Macmillan, and Death” by Fontaines DC, “Kiwanuka” serious musician.’” dies lifted from ’s “Dancing Winfrey, Latino authors and critics alleged that Cum- This cover image released by Simon by Michael Kiwanuka, “Daylight” by “The New Abnormal” arrived in With Myself” and the Psychedelic mins had reinforced stereotypes about Mexico and & Schuster shows ‘Rage’ by Bob Grace Potter and “Sound & Fury” by April just as the pandemic was dig- Furs’ “.” On one Mexican immigrants. Along with Cummins, Winfrey Woodward. Ahead of the November Sturgill Simpson. ging into everyday life, offering shards song, Casablancas asks: “The ’80s invited a panel of detractors who faulted an industry elections, readers turned to such best “My money’s on Grace Potter,” of glam, punk, straight-down-the-line bands, where did they go?” that is an estimated 75 percent white, and the talk sellers about President Trump as Bob Casablancas tells The Associated rock, ’80s new wave and dreamy pop. “It’s like in my subconscious,” he show host herself for choosing few works by Latino Woodward’s ‘Rage’ and Mary Trump’s Press. If “The New Abnormal” had The title seemed prescient. says of his ’80s infl uence. “When I writers. Cummins’ tour was called off after Macmillan ‘Too Much and Never Enough.’ (AP) been placed in the best alternative Formed in 1998, the New York- do Voidz stuff, I’m kind of trying to cited threats of violence, even as her book remained music album category, he has another based band — which includes guitar- push the limits as much as possible. on bestseller lists. favorite. “I’d probably be rooting for ists and Albert Ham- When I’m back in The Strokes’ saddle, I’m like letting loose more with guilty In the following months, leaders at the National Tame Impala,” he says. “Lose-lose.” mond Jr., and drummer — burst out pleasure harmonies.” Book Critics Circle, the Poetry Foundation and In- “The New Abnormal” peaked at ternational Thriller Writers resigned or were forced the gates with their full-length debut, The lyrics explore unease, inaction No. 8 on the all-genre “,” in 2001. and alienation. “I want new friends, out amid allegations they had failed to address issues chart but it reached No. 1 on both Bill- of diversity and racial justice. The Center for Fic- but they don’t want me/They’re mak- board’s Top rock albums and alterna- Experimental ing plans while I watch TV” is the tion removed the late Maxwell Perkins’ name from tive albums charts for the fi rst time its award for editorial excellence, noting that besides Though “The New Abnormal” is chorus to one song. On “,” since 2011. technically the band’s fi rst full-length Casablancas knows he is a lost soul, working with Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald he Reviews have generally cheered the published books by eugenicists supporting white su- album in seven years, they put out the but offers hope: “Use me like an oar/ band’s return to form — not that Casa- premacy. 2016 EP “” and Get yourself to shore.” Publishers, meanwhile, responded with such high- blancas spends a lot of time reading members have had various solo pro- “I think I’m getting better at ex- profi le hirings as Lucas and Dana Canedy, the fi rst Tsai Cantrell what music journalists write. “Care? jects, including Casablancas’ experi- pressing myself,” he explains. “I try to Black woman to head Simon & Schuster’s fl agship I don’t know, probably. Read them? mental band, . never stop learning. I think I’m hope- imprint. Macmillan met with some of its critics and No.” This time, they turned to producer fully a little smarter and can communi- agreed to an “action plan” on diversity. Penguin Ran- The band has been at , who has helped sharpen cate what I’m thinking more.” dom House, among other initiatives, asked all em- Variety RCA for their entire career and co- an A-list of artists, including Beastie It’s been a long wait for The Strokes ployees to read Ibram X. Kendi’s “How To Be an president John Fleckenstein is thrilled Boys, Adele, The Chicks, Red Hot to get Grammy recognition and Casa- Anti-Racist.” Kendi later presided over a company with the result, although frustrated the Chili Peppers and LL Cool J. blancas suspects the breakthrough of town hall. NEW ORLEANS: A subdued Carnival band can’t perform live right now. Casablancas calls Rubin “a legend” “The New Abnormal” is due both to “I think there were several people on a learning season begins Wednesday after the “We’re very, very pleased to see the and someone the band always wanted the band’s Rubin-helped grooves and curve, but serious about learning,” Kendi told The As- coronavirus pandemic put an end to the reaction to this album,” he says. “This to work with. “He’s like that kind of that nominators are embracing differ- sociated Press recently. “And there were other people crowd-heavy balls and street parades project for them has just been success- unicorn fi gure — someone who brings ent sounds. who had been on a learning curve longer and were that draw thousands of people to the city ful on so many levels. It’s a big relief you success without diminishing you “Sonically it defi nitely sounds I’d open to thinking about race and racism.” every year. to us it’s being recognized the way it artistically.” say more towards the Grammy’s vibe Lucas and others questioned if the underlying struc- The Mardi Gras season always starts is.” Fleckenstein says one of the more than our previous albums,” he says. on Jan 6 and ends on Fat Tuesday, which Casablancas has been in the Gram- subtle but meaningful changes Rubin “They defi nitely lately seem like ture of publishing would change. Saraciea J. Fennell, this year falls on Feb 16. The season is who leads the advocacy group of book professionals my spotlight before, having won at the made was to let Casablancas’ vocals they’ve been like choosing cooler usually marked by extravagant balls and 2014 show for his guest appearance on — often distorted in previous out- things.” (AP) Latinx in Publishing, worries that the wave of new parades where costumed riders throw hirings and imprints is simply cyclical and asked, trinkets to the mobs of people packed “How long are they going to last? Is all this going to along the parade routes. be around in 10-15 years?” The coronavirus has put an end to TAIPEI, Taiwan: Pipi already dines years. But Pipi and his fellow street cats houses painted by Taiwanese artists and Macmillan CEO Don Weisberg, who cited a wide those large events. But that has not well. got an upgrade of their dining situation scattered across Taipei. The idea is to range of diversity programs at the publishing house stopped notoriously creative New The plump, black-and-white street cat recently with the “Midnight Cafeteria” give the cats a place to rest while making that began before “American Dirt,” said he “under- Orleanians from coming up with lives near a night market in a neighbor- project. feeding them less messy. Taiwan Presi- stands the skepticism.” socially distant ways to celebrate. hood of Taiwan’s capital where volun- Launched in September, the “caf- dent is Tsai Ing-wen. LaToya Cantrell is the Mayor of New teers have fed and taken care of strays for eteria” is actually 45 small wooden It began in math teacher Hung Pei- Activity Orleans. ling’s neighborhood, where about 20 “It’s not going to happen overnight,” Weisberg neighbors are helping stray cats in addi- The Krewe de Jeanne d’Arc is a club tion to their full-time jobs. said. ”You’ve got to build an entire infrastructure that that annually pays homage to the fallen “We want to push forward this phi- makes it part of the norm.” French hero with a parade through the losophy that you don’t have to be part of The CEO of Penguin Random House US, Made- French Quarter on the offi cial start of the a very top-level association or some- line McIntosh, noted how well book publishing could Carnival season. This year, the krewe is thing that takes up all of your time,” meet the public’s needs during the pandemic and other hosting a “Tableaux de Jeanne d’Arc,” she said. “You can just be one person events of 2020. The early days in March led to a surge where onlookers will drive by various doing something a little bit at a time, a of sales for children’s activity books as schools shut “tableaux” — a French term for “living little bit, and taken all together, you can down and parents looked for ways their kids could fi ll pictures” — that will include stations of achieve a lot.” time and continue to learn. Summer bestseller lists costumed revelers sparring as knights, Hung began volunteering after a good were fi lled with fi lled with books on race, from “How sharpening their swords. friend rescued and raised a stray cat. For To Be an Anti-Racist” to Robin DiAngelo’s “White “Life as usual is gone, so we had to fi ve years, she has worked with other Fragility,” as many responded to the killing of George look for different ways of doing things cat lovers in the neighborhood who buy Floyd and the Black Lives Matter protests. Ahead of this year,” said Antoinette de Alteriis, the cats food, help clean the houses and the November elections, readers turned to such best one of the club’s captains. coordinate with residents who may have sellers about President Trump as Bob Woodward’s The Phunny Phorty Phellows, a group complaints. “Rage” and Mary Trump’s “Too Much and Never that usually gathers Jan 6 to mark the Hung also helps capture injured cats beginning of the season with a costumed and cats that need spaying, takes them to Enough.” party on a street car, is also altering its get veterinary attention and then returns But relief over the bottom line ran parallel with con- plans. Usually throngs of people gather them to their haunts. cerns over who benefi tted most. As Barnes & Noble at the facility where the street car starts The wooden houses in Hung’s CEO James Daunt acknowledged to the AP: “This its journey to see the group off, but this neighborhood were hand-painted by a was Amazon’s year,” when the online retailer was year people are asked to disperse along local artist Stefano Misesti and feature ideally positioned for a public turn toward the inter- the street car route and watch from there smiling felines as well as street food that net not just for convenience but for safety. Daunt said instead. In this Oct 31, 2002 file photo, Albert, (left) and Michel Roux display their hon- is loved in Taiwan such as stinky tofu. Barnes & Noble managed better than he had expected, But people can still eat cake — king ourary OBE medals presented to them by the British Foreign Secretary Jack In addition to food bowls, one houses but still results were “spotty.” The superstore chain cake that is. The sweet cakes, which Straw, on behalf of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, at a ceremony at the Foriegn and basic medicine for the cats. Neighbors ended 2020 with fewer employees than when the year are decorated with the offi cial Carnival Commonwealth offices in central . Albert Roux, the French-born chef have brought small cushions as well as began, he said. colors of purple, green and gold. (AP) and restaurateur who along with his late brother Michel had a profound influence decorated cardboard boxes to add to the ❑ ❑ ❑ on British dining habits, has died. (AP) — Details on Page 12 houses. (AP)