Michael Holtmann
@michaelholtmann.bsky.social
Gadabout. Book person. President of the Center for the Art of Translation and its imprint Two Lines Press. (Image: "Opticks 008" detail, Hiroshi Sugimoto.)
"'People in the arts are often the people who speak truth to power,' avows Holtmann."
On what's happening at the NEA—and to cultural life in the U.S. Big thanks to Adam Morgan (@thefrontlist.org) and the Los Angeles Review of Books (@lareviewofbooks.bsky.social).
lareviewofbooks.org/article/we-d...
On what's happening at the NEA—and to cultural life in the U.S. Big thanks to Adam Morgan (@thefrontlist.org) and the Los Angeles Review of Books (@lareviewofbooks.bsky.social).
lareviewofbooks.org/article/we-d...
We Don’t Have Any Reserves | Los Angeles Review of Books
Adam Morgan writes on the impact of Trump’s coup at the NEA for small publishers and literary magazines.
lareviewofbooks.org
May 17, 2025 at 8:39 PM
"'People in the arts are often the people who speak truth to power,' avows Holtmann."
On what's happening at the NEA—and to cultural life in the U.S. Big thanks to Adam Morgan (@thefrontlist.org) and the Los Angeles Review of Books (@lareviewofbooks.bsky.social).
lareviewofbooks.org/article/we-d...
On what's happening at the NEA—and to cultural life in the U.S. Big thanks to Adam Morgan (@thefrontlist.org) and the Los Angeles Review of Books (@lareviewofbooks.bsky.social).
lareviewofbooks.org/article/we-d...
Reposted by Michael Holtmann
I wrote about the NEA cuts and that overwhelming feeling when so many different orgs and people need our money. But there are some answers in here too, courtesy of @michaelholtmann.bsky.social and @markkrotov.bsky.social. lithub.com/on-the-lates...
On the Latest Threat to Literary Culture’s Fragile Ecosystem: Donald Trump
There’s an ongoing crisis in book publishing. I mean, there are many, but corporate consolidation is a threat to anyone who cares about books. When there are fewer publishers, both large and small,…
lithub.com
May 8, 2025 at 12:33 PM
I wrote about the NEA cuts and that overwhelming feeling when so many different orgs and people need our money. But there are some answers in here too, courtesy of @michaelholtmann.bsky.social and @markkrotov.bsky.social. lithub.com/on-the-lates...
Bananas.
Breaking News: President Trump said he planned to take control of the Kennedy Center and intended to fire several board members and install himself as chair.
Trump Says He Will Install Himself as Kennedy Center Chairman
The move by the president, whose authority to make the changes was not clear, is the latest attempt to bring a Washington institution under his control.
www.nytimes.com
February 7, 2025 at 11:49 PM
Bananas.
Elvira Navarro, translated by Christina MacSweeney, in Granta.
VOICES OF ADRIANNA is forthcoming from @twolinespress.bsky.social on February 18.
granta.com/images-of-wo...
VOICES OF ADRIANNA is forthcoming from @twolinespress.bsky.social on February 18.
granta.com/images-of-wo...
Images of Women | Elvira Navarro | Granta
‘In the years before his stroke, just how many times had her father told a woman he loved her after dating for two or three weeks?’ Fiction by Elvira Navarro, translated by Christina MacSweeney.
granta.com
February 7, 2025 at 10:17 PM
Elvira Navarro, translated by Christina MacSweeney, in Granta.
VOICES OF ADRIANNA is forthcoming from @twolinespress.bsky.social on February 18.
granta.com/images-of-wo...
VOICES OF ADRIANNA is forthcoming from @twolinespress.bsky.social on February 18.
granta.com/images-of-wo...
Reposted by Michael Holtmann
January 18, 2025 at 4:30 PM
THE YEAR’S BEST HORROR!
Love seeing THROUGH THE NIGHT LIKE A SNAKE and WOODWORM (both from Two Lines Press) in such distinguished company (and in print!) here.
Thanks again, Gabino!
Love seeing THROUGH THE NIGHT LIKE A SNAKE and WOODWORM (both from Two Lines Press) in such distinguished company (and in print!) here.
Thanks again, Gabino!
I was in California on the 15th, but finally had a chance to sit with the physical paper today. Love the art they made for this. Anyway, my best horror of 2024 (some of it!) in NYT!
December 22, 2024 at 9:32 PM
THE YEAR’S BEST HORROR!
Love seeing THROUGH THE NIGHT LIKE A SNAKE and WOODWORM (both from Two Lines Press) in such distinguished company (and in print!) here.
Thanks again, Gabino!
Love seeing THROUGH THE NIGHT LIKE A SNAKE and WOODWORM (both from Two Lines Press) in such distinguished company (and in print!) here.
Thanks again, Gabino!
Reposted by Michael Holtmann
Odilon Redon - Peach, 1901
December 9, 2024 at 2:02 AM
Odilon Redon - Peach, 1901
Ha! Amazing.
Tickled that they went with some random ass photo of another store.
December 2, 2024 at 2:51 AM
Ha! Amazing.
Reposted by Michael Holtmann
Best Larkin is not cynical Larkin, imo
—
The first day after a death, the new absence
Is always the same; we should be careful
Of each other, we should be kind
While there is still time.
Philip Larkin, 'The Mower'
#everynightapoem
Also: found poetry at Harris Teeter, spotted by a friend
—
The first day after a death, the new absence
Is always the same; we should be careful
Of each other, we should be kind
While there is still time.
Philip Larkin, 'The Mower'
#everynightapoem
Also: found poetry at Harris Teeter, spotted by a friend
November 28, 2024 at 3:37 PM
Best Larkin is not cynical Larkin, imo
—
The first day after a death, the new absence
Is always the same; we should be careful
Of each other, we should be kind
While there is still time.
Philip Larkin, 'The Mower'
#everynightapoem
Also: found poetry at Harris Teeter, spotted by a friend
—
The first day after a death, the new absence
Is always the same; we should be careful
Of each other, we should be kind
While there is still time.
Philip Larkin, 'The Mower'
#everynightapoem
Also: found poetry at Harris Teeter, spotted by a friend
Reposted by Michael Holtmann
It has been 20 years since Bowker found only 3% of books were translations. Of the 100 “best books” by the ny times this year a whopping… 4 are translated. How far we’ve come.
November 27, 2024 at 1:58 AM
It has been 20 years since Bowker found only 3% of books were translations. Of the 100 “best books” by the ny times this year a whopping… 4 are translated. How far we’ve come.
Breyten Breytenbach. Farewell.
The first time I read it, THE TRUE CONFESSIONS OF AN ALBINO TERRORIST knocked me on my ass.
“They took seven years from him, and he has now struck back with a volume that seems to have been ripped from his entrails.” —J. Lelyveld www.nytimes.com/2024/11/26/w...
The first time I read it, THE TRUE CONFESSIONS OF AN ALBINO TERRORIST knocked me on my ass.
“They took seven years from him, and he has now struck back with a volume that seems to have been ripped from his entrails.” —J. Lelyveld www.nytimes.com/2024/11/26/w...
Breyten Breytenbach, Dissident South African-Born Writer, Dies at 85
He wrote poetry in Afrikaans and prose in English in his fight against apartheid, an effort that landed him in jail for seven years and in Paris as an expatriate.
www.nytimes.com
November 27, 2024 at 5:51 AM
Breyten Breytenbach. Farewell.
The first time I read it, THE TRUE CONFESSIONS OF AN ALBINO TERRORIST knocked me on my ass.
“They took seven years from him, and he has now struck back with a volume that seems to have been ripped from his entrails.” —J. Lelyveld www.nytimes.com/2024/11/26/w...
The first time I read it, THE TRUE CONFESSIONS OF AN ALBINO TERRORIST knocked me on my ass.
“They took seven years from him, and he has now struck back with a volume that seems to have been ripped from his entrails.” —J. Lelyveld www.nytimes.com/2024/11/26/w...
Reposted by Michael Holtmann
Breyten Breytenbach, who will be much missed:
‘History is a succession of things that ought never to have happened, and the writing act is a kind of revenge against it.’
‘History is a succession of things that ought never to have happened, and the writing act is a kind of revenge against it.’
November 27, 2024 at 5:18 AM
Breyten Breytenbach, who will be much missed:
‘History is a succession of things that ought never to have happened, and the writing act is a kind of revenge against it.’
‘History is a succession of things that ought never to have happened, and the writing act is a kind of revenge against it.’
Reposted by Michael Holtmann
Adrienne made the books section at Esquire the best one in the business. Heartbreaking to see her and it become a casualty of bad management.
After nearly nine years at Esquire, I’ve been laid off from my role as Books and Fiction Editor. I’m looking for a new full-time role where I can use my storytelling skills, in the book world or beyond it. If you know of anything, I’m at [email protected]. (🧵1/10)
November 25, 2024 at 2:30 PM
Adrienne made the books section at Esquire the best one in the business. Heartbreaking to see her and it become a casualty of bad management.
Reposted by Michael Holtmann
What does it mean that a life can not only be animated by books but destroyed by them? That a self can be not only made by reading, but unmade by it? Dionne Brand returns to BTC to discuss Salvage: Readings from the Wreck
Audio📻🔥: tinhouse.com/podcast/dion...
@fsgbooks.bsky.social
Audio📻🔥: tinhouse.com/podcast/dion...
@fsgbooks.bsky.social
Dionne Brand : Salvage : Readings from the Wreck - Tin House
What does it mean that a life can not only be animated by books but destroyed by them? That a self can be not only made by reading, but unmade by it? Dionne Brand’s latest book of nonfiction Salvage: ...
tinhouse.com
November 25, 2024 at 7:42 PM
What does it mean that a life can not only be animated by books but destroyed by them? That a self can be not only made by reading, but unmade by it? Dionne Brand returns to BTC to discuss Salvage: Readings from the Wreck
Audio📻🔥: tinhouse.com/podcast/dion...
@fsgbooks.bsky.social
Audio📻🔥: tinhouse.com/podcast/dion...
@fsgbooks.bsky.social
Reposted by Michael Holtmann
it was radicals who first opened my eyes to how individual acts of repair were not gonna be the ticket. the corporations must be compelled to change. this should be a function of government for the sake of all and we must insist on it. I know this is rather earnest but the need is pressing, urgent.
My interview w/ the Associated Press on #PlasticTreaty: We're way past time for addressing this problem. We are not at a sustainable level of production of plastics. Production is mounting, in the last 19 years we've doubled the amount of plastic we've produced. apnews.com/video/pollut...
Nations meet in final round to address global plastic crisis in South Korea
Negotiators gather in Busan, South Korea on Monday in what's billed as a final push to address the global crisis of plastic pollution.
apnews.com
November 26, 2024 at 1:34 AM
it was radicals who first opened my eyes to how individual acts of repair were not gonna be the ticket. the corporations must be compelled to change. this should be a function of government for the sake of all and we must insist on it. I know this is rather earnest but the need is pressing, urgent.
Reposted by Michael Holtmann
Optimist: the glass is half full
Pessimist: the glass is half empty
Translator: when you say glass,
are we talking flute, coupe, shot glass, balloon, tumbler, highball, schooner, snifter, tankard?
Pessimist: the glass is half empty
Translator: when you say glass,
are we talking flute, coupe, shot glass, balloon, tumbler, highball, schooner, snifter, tankard?
Optimist: the cup is half full
Pessimist: the cup is half empty
Guillaumian linguist: the cup’s potential meaning is a dual movement from full to empty and back. Its effective meaning consists in an interception by the speaker of either movement, yielding a combination of movement and position.
Pessimist: the cup is half empty
Guillaumian linguist: the cup’s potential meaning is a dual movement from full to empty and back. Its effective meaning consists in an interception by the speaker of either movement, yielding a combination of movement and position.
Optimist: the cup is half full
Pessimist: the cup is half empty
Linguist: quantities are described with regard to a reference state; thus we can efficiently convey whether the cup was more recently full or empty
Pessimist: the cup is half empty
Linguist: quantities are described with regard to a reference state; thus we can efficiently convey whether the cup was more recently full or empty
November 24, 2024 at 7:24 AM
Optimist: the glass is half full
Pessimist: the glass is half empty
Translator: when you say glass,
are we talking flute, coupe, shot glass, balloon, tumbler, highball, schooner, snifter, tankard?
Pessimist: the glass is half empty
Translator: when you say glass,
are we talking flute, coupe, shot glass, balloon, tumbler, highball, schooner, snifter, tankard?
August Wilson forever.
Netflix is so wild to me. There’s a first rate production of August Wilson’s “The Piano Lesson” starring Samuel L. Jackson, Danielle Deadwyler and John David Washington and I only know about it because of a post on BlueSky.
Like, I’m watching it now while reading along and it’s BRILLIANT.
Like, I’m watching it now while reading along and it’s BRILLIANT.
November 24, 2024 at 3:59 PM
August Wilson forever.
Reposted by Michael Holtmann
Oakland! Come toast the return of East Baaaayyy Boookseeellleerrrs
www.eventbrite.com/e/a-toast-to... www.eventbrite.com/e/a-toast-to...
www.eventbrite.com/e/a-toast-to... www.eventbrite.com/e/a-toast-to...
A Toast .... to occasion East Bay Booksellers' new temporary location!
We're toasting all that goes into making a good bookstore great.
www.eventbrite.com
November 22, 2024 at 4:19 AM
Oakland! Come toast the return of East Baaaayyy Boookseeellleerrrs
www.eventbrite.com/e/a-toast-to... www.eventbrite.com/e/a-toast-to...
www.eventbrite.com/e/a-toast-to... www.eventbrite.com/e/a-toast-to...
Reposted by Michael Holtmann
As you may have heard, from me or whomever else, East Bay Booksellers is reopening. A smaller version of itself, perhaps. But no less for the wear, I suppose. We're toasting to mark the occasion on Saturday, Nov. 30 at 2pm. Swing by, if you're so inclined or available.
A Toast .... to occasion East Bay Booksellers' new temporary location!
We're toasting all that goes into making a good bookstore great.
www.eventbrite.com
November 21, 2024 at 5:54 AM
As you may have heard, from me or whomever else, East Bay Booksellers is reopening. A smaller version of itself, perhaps. But no less for the wear, I suppose. We're toasting to mark the occasion on Saturday, Nov. 30 at 2pm. Swing by, if you're so inclined or available.
Reposted by Michael Holtmann
Support local booksellers. Support local booksellers. Support local booksellers. Support local booksellers. Support local booksellers. Support local booksellers. Support local booksellers. Support local booksellers. Support local booksellers. Support local booksellers. Support local booksellers.
November 21, 2024 at 11:07 PM
Support local booksellers. Support local booksellers. Support local booksellers. Support local booksellers. Support local booksellers. Support local booksellers. Support local booksellers. Support local booksellers. Support local booksellers. Support local booksellers. Support local booksellers.
Reposted by Michael Holtmann
"Taiwan Travelogue follows a fictional 🇯🇵 writer and her relationship with the charming yet closed-off 🇹🇼 woman who serves as her interpreter [...] this novel explores language, politics, and popular culture in 1930s Taiwan, and the shape a cross-cultural friendship takes under the weight of history."
November 21, 2024 at 11:45 AM
"Taiwan Travelogue follows a fictional 🇯🇵 writer and her relationship with the charming yet closed-off 🇹🇼 woman who serves as her interpreter [...] this novel explores language, politics, and popular culture in 1930s Taiwan, and the shape a cross-cultural friendship takes under the weight of history."
Reposted by Michael Holtmann
Lovely news! #TaiwanTravelogue, by Yang Shuang-zi (author) and Lin Kin (translator), have won the 2024 National Book Award for Translated Literature! A first for Taiwan.
November 21, 2024 at 2:37 AM
Lovely news! #TaiwanTravelogue, by Yang Shuang-zi (author) and Lin Kin (translator), have won the 2024 National Book Award for Translated Literature! A first for Taiwan.
Reposted by Michael Holtmann
Piet Mondrian. Red Amaryllis with Blue Background. ca. 1907. Watercolor on paper
November 20, 2024 at 1:49 PM
Piet Mondrian. Red Amaryllis with Blue Background. ca. 1907. Watercolor on paper
Reposted by Michael Holtmann
Y sus amarillos y sus rojos y naranjas y violetas.
November 20, 2024 at 2:46 PM
Y sus amarillos y sus rojos y naranjas y violetas.
Reposted by Michael Holtmann
