Japan Fetes Genji, World's First Novel, at 1,000

Online group may help you finish Wallace's intimidating tome

(NEWSER) - As the first anniversary of David Foster Wallace’s death approaches, many would-be readers still see his Infinite Jest collecting dust on their bookshelves. Wallace’s 1,079-page tome “has become known equally for its sprawling attention to detail, its near impenetrability, and its effectiveness as a doorstop,” writes Joe Coscarelli for Salon. Enter InfiniteSummer.org, envisioned to help its creator deal with Wallace’s death—and finally finish Jest. More»

Giant of Latin American literature's oeuvre is complete

(NEWSER) - The world has probably already seen the complete work of Gabriel García Márquez, the Guardian reports. Friend and fellow author Plinion Apuleyo Mendoza said last year that the creator of magical realism was working on a new novel, but his agent recently quashed that rumor. "I don't think that García Márquez will write anything else," Carmen Balcells said. More»

(NEWSER) - Anderson Cooper’s mother, Gloria Vanderbilt, is a published author with a romantic novel to her credit, sure, but her new book could give the CNN anchor pause, the New York Daily News reports. Obsession, an erotic tale, hits stores in June. “Master, I whisper as you surrender to our ecstasy,” is a choice quote. Oh, and “I still crave the power you have to turn my body into an instrument of joy.” More»

(NEWSER) - Bill O’Reilly’s 1998 crime novel Those Who Trespass has already caused him some embarrassment, given that one character is a ticked-off TV journalist who murders his rivals. But the Fox News host also recorded an audiobook version, which Village Voice blogger Alan Scherstuhl has mined for gems—namely the tome's many sex scenes. The most lurid excerpts are inspiring viral-video mashups. Click the links below for the, um, high points. More»

Publishers roll dice on shocking French work by Yank Jonathan Littell

(NEWSER) - A novel about a Nazi officer with a taste for sodomy and incest might not scream “bestseller”—especially at nearly 1,000 pages long and translated from French. Yet Jonathan Littell’s The Kindly Ones topped charts in France and precipitated a bidding war among US publishers. HarperCollins paid a reported $1 million, but early reviews have been deeply polarized, the New York Times notes. More»