For the first time in the Franco-Belgian comic book classic, Black characters have full-fledged roles and are drawn without the racist depictions that marred the genre.
Tag: Books and Literature
How Geng Xiaonan Ran Afoul of China’s Communist Party
The authorities have charged Geng Xiaonan with illegal business activities, but her true offense may have been sympathizing with critics of the Communist Party.
Léna Situations, Upstart French Influencer, Is Rattling the Literary Lions
The social media star known as Léna Situations, 23, had a pretty eventful 2020. She racked up millions of followers, became a best-selling author — and attracted criticism from the Paris book world.
How a Historian Got Close, Maybe Too Close, to a Nazi Thief
Over nearly a decade, Jonathan Petropoulos met dozens of times with a man who helped the Nazis loot Jewish art collections, a complicated relationship he explores in “Göring’s Man in Paris.”
Helga Weyhe, Germany’s Oldest Bookseller, Dies at 98
She died above the bookstore, founded in 1840, where she had worked since the waning months of World War II. She locked it up for the last time in December.
Shamsur Rahman Faruqi, Towering Figure in Urdu Literature, Dies at 85
A poet, scholar, historian, critic and novelist, he was credited with the revival of Urdu literature, especially from the 18th and 19th centuries. He died of Covid-19.
Fans of H.G. Wells Cry Foul Over Errors in Commemorative Coin
The two-pound coin from the Royal Mint features imagery from Wells’s books. But fans noted that the writer’s Martian tripods have three legs, not four.
How to Pretend You’re in Cartagena Today
The Colombian port city, home to the trademark sounds and dances of the region, is so full of magic that it has inspired entire books by Gabriel García Márquez.
A Year of Scandals and Self-Questioning for France’s Top Publishers
The release of “Consent” put France’s literary establishment under a harsh spotlight. The publishing industry is grappling with a nation that it resembles less and less.
Tim Severin, Seafarer Who Replicated Explorers’ Journeys, Dies at 80
He and his crew sailed from Ireland to Newfoundland in a 36-foot boat like the one a sixth-century monk is believed to have used to cross the Atlantic.