Gary Shteyngart in Montreal!

One of America's best-loved writers will be here in Montreal very soon!

Gary Shteyngart, author of Super Sad True Love Story and the memoir Little Failure, will be on stage at the Jewish Public Library on Wednesday, November 5 at 7:30pm. Shteyngart will appear with Eleanor Wachtel from CBC's Writer's and Company. This is really exciting because he doesn't get to Montreal very often so see him while you can!

Shteyngart wrote a really funny piece last week in the New Yorker about his current book tour for promotion of Little Failure. 

Tickets are $15 ($10 for members of the library or students) can be purchased by calling 514-345-6416.

Daniel Mendelsohn in Montreal: November 3

As part of their ongoing 100th anniversary celebrations, the Jewish Public Library has invited American writer, Daniel Mendelsohn, as one of their key note speakers in early November. I'm looking forward to this.

Mendelsohn is one of the most engaging and fascinating non-fiction writers working today, and his oeuvre is as varied as it is intellectually rigorous.

New Yorker writer, Daniel Mendelsohn

He is perhaps most recently known for his skewering of Mad Men a few years ago, an essay that is funny and incredibly insightful. (Though I was a fan of the show, I also found it frequently irritating and clumsy and so I appreciated hearing his opinion and judgement since no one seemed to be willing to say anything negative about it. Many people mentioned this article to me when it came out.).

But the book of Mendelsohn's which I really love is his translations of C. P. Cavafy. The Greek poet's words have rarely felt so immediate, so vivid and so moving. This is one of my most treasured books of poetry.

Mendelsohn has also written memoirs and treatises on popular culture. Most recently, he wrote a very interesting piece in the New Yorker about his pen-pal relationship with the writer Mary Renault and how she "mentored" him in a certain way and inspired him to become a writer.

I have no doubt that Mendelsohn will have a lot to say at the Jewish Public Library on November 3 at 8pm. (Tickets here).

Etgar Keret at Blue Met 2013

We're getting closer! Our first 2013 Festival events start on Sunday, April 21 (when I see that this is three days, my heart starts racing: so much to do still!) with two events for Israeli writer, Etgar Keret.

Mr. Keret is one of the most widely praised short story writers working today and one of the most unique facets of his work is his tone and sense of humour. It's almost impossible to explain here but his stories are uniquely funny and very entertaining.

He will be here on Sunday at 3pm at Chapters/Indigo (the one on the corner of McGill College and Ste-Catherine): an interview, reading and book signing. Come on down, it's free!

Then later that evening, he will appear at the Jewish Public Library (5151 Chemin Cote-Ste-Catherine) in an author talk: a lecture, a longer reading followed by a book signing. This event is selling really well so I would highly suggest getting your tickets asap and/or arriving very early to get tickets at the door. Books will be available on site as well. TIckets are $15 and available here.

His events are sure to be a great kick-off to our 2013 Festival and are in partnership with the Israeli Consulate of Montreal, the Jewish Public Library and Chapters/Indigo downtown.

Incidentally, check out Ernest Hoffman's really fascinating piece about Etgar Keret in this month's Almemar.

Almemar Issue Three

Three stories of interest in the latest edition of Almemar.

First, Dinah Zeldin talks to GG-winning poet Julie Bruck about how she connects to the world through her writing. It's a highly readable piece about an innovative and thoughtful poet, a self-confessed "bad member of the tribe" who originally hails from Montreal.

Ernest Hoffman interviews international writer (though he hails from Holland) Arnon Grunberg about writing for different audiences. He also discusses a recent translation into English of his excellent 2006 novel, Tirza, and the controversy surrounding his novel The Jewish Messiah.

Finally, we have a piece on the upcoming 100th anniversary of the Jewish Public Library of Montreal, at a critical time in this history of libraries generally as they are being asked to change what they do in many key ways. The Executive Director considers the library's past and its future.