The Lit Review |63| Trump Erotica, Costa Winner & More
Trump Erotica
Trump erotica is now officially a thing. (Trumpotica, anyone?) Written by comedian Elijah Daniel – in four hours, no less – the erotic gay book, entitled Trump Temptation: the Billionaire and the Bellboy is currently number 1 in Amazon.com’s gay erotica chart, and number 1 in its humorous erotica chart.
Trump Temptation tells the story of a young bellboy from Michigan who goes to work at Trump Hotel in Hong Kong. While working at the hotel, he comes across the presidential hopeful, and a tawdry affair ensues.
Steamy lines include: ‘He stood there in front of me, like a tall stallion. With his oily orange skin glistening in the sunlight as if he were a soggy cheeto, his hair unkempt and messy, like a gorgeous rat’s nest.’ And: ‘his ass flapped behind him like a mouth-watering stack of pancakes. And my hunger for pancakes had never been stronger.’
A look through Amazon, however, reveals that Daniel may not be the first writer to dip into this particular well of inspiration. Other titles uncovered include Donald Feels the Bern by Cliff Fuxtable, an account of the love affair between Trump and Bernie Sanders, and then there’s the fantastically-titled President Trump’s Gay Hairpiece and the Revenge of the Were-Water Buffolo by Phoenix Debray. So, yes, there’s lots of Trumpotica for you to choose from, so get going!
Lie Tree Blooms at Costa Awards
Frances Hardinge’s The Lie Tree was this week announced as the overall winner of the 2015 Costa Book of the Year. This marks only the second time in the competition’s history that a children’s book has won the overall £30,000 prize. Philip Pullman’s The Amber Spyglass, the concluding part of Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy, was the previous children’s book winner in 2001.
The Lie Tree is set in Victorian England and revolves around a precocious 14 year-old girl, Faith, who wants to study natural science, just like her father. The novel has been described as a Victorian Gothic mystery. The chair of judges, James Heneage, referred to The Lie Tree as ‘an important book’. Hardinge equated her win to being transported to another dimension ‘which feels implausibly idyllic, but I like it here, and I’m staying.’
Lack of Diversity in Publishing
According to a recent survey on diversity in the publishing industry in the U.S. and Canada, straight white women make up the majority of editorial positions. Conducted by Lee & Low Books, the survey reveals that the publishing industry is 78 per cent women, 79 per cent white, and 88 per cent heterosexual.
These statistics appear to back-up Booker Prize Winner Marlon James’ comments last November when he argued that many writers of colour ‘pander to white women’ due to their dominance in publishing. In response to the survey, James took to Facebook: ‘Not to beat what many hoped would be a dead horse, but I still remember how I was near crucified in certain circles for saying this.’
While a similar survey has yet to take place in the UK and Ireland, it is widely accepted that the publishing industry on this side of the Atlantic also lacks diversity. Authors Nikesh Shukla and Jon McGregor both recently launched scathing attacks on the UK publishing industry for failing to take diversity seriously.
Egyptian Poet Sentenced to Jail
Prominent Egyptian poet, Fatima Naoot, has been sentenced to three years in prison this week for the crime of blasphemy against Islam. Naoot’s jail sentence begins immediately, but she plans to appeal her sentence from behind bars.
The blasphemy allegations stem from a comment Naoot made on Facebook when she criticised the slaughtering of sheep during the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha. After her sentencing, Naoot said to The Middle East Eye newspaper that ‘I’m not sad about the sentencing as I don’t care about going to jail. I’m afraid that the efforts of reformists have been wasted.’
Bolaño Adaptation
In news that’s bound to interest all Roberto Bolaño fans, his final novel 2666 has been adapted for the stage. It will receive its world-premiere at the famous Goodman Theatre in Chicago next Saturday, February 6th. The infamously long and challenging book, which stretches to nearly 900 pages, has been adapted by theatre director Robert Falls, who, this week, spoke to The New York Times about the ten year ordeal that was bringing this project to fruition.
And if you do plan to go see it, bring a cushion. The play is expected to be almost five hours long.
Featured images:
nbcnews.com
northstarnewstoday.com
