Oxygen Books

Oxygen Books awarded Arts Council grant for world writing project A Year of Reading Dangerously

Ann Morgan, Reading the World: Confessions of a Literary Explorer, Harvill Secker. See Ann on Thursday March 26 2015 in Chelmsford, Essex www.essexbookfestival.org.uk

From Jessie Burton's The Miniaturist to Joanne Harris's Chocolat, so many of us enjoy reading novels about other countries.

It's this enthusiasm that has led Oxygen Books, well known for its offbeat city-pick urban travel anthologies, to come up with an exciting  new Arts Council funded project called A Year of Living Dangerously.

The project's aim is simple: to introduce a wider public to the joys of writing in translation from a range of countries.

Working with library authorities and book festivals across London and Essex, A Year of Living Dangerously will involve an extensive touring exhibition highlighting some of the best writers from India, Africa, China, France, Turkey, South America, the Netherlands, Russia, Scandinavia and Japan.

A website, including interviews with key translators and podcasts, special bookmarks, visits to book groups across London and Essex, stock promotions and new links between cultural agencies and libraries will all help to raise the profile of world writing among general readers. 

Also, a series of events in which well known writers and commentators discuss their own work and books from particular countries which have inspired them, will make writing in translation even more accessible.

Across 2015 and 2016 these will include an evening of Russian writing with Orange Prize-winner Helen Dunmore, exploring books and writers from every country in the world with Reading the World author Ann Morgan, a celebration of Asian poetry with award winning poet Moniza Alvi and an evening of Scandinavian crime featuring a well-known Scandinavian crime writer in discussion with Professor Amanda Hopkinson.

'We want this project to entertain and enthrall our readers as we journey across the globe with them,' says project manager Malcolm Burgess from Oxygen Books. 'Writing in translation doesn't have to be heavy or worthy: in fact there's something for every possible reading taste.'

For more information about A Year of Reading Dangerously: http://ayearofreadingdangerously.com  

 To speak to the project team: malcolm.burgess3@btopenworld.com; 07594490216/ 01277 263770

 

 

Book club resolution to try something different? city-pick has something for you - with discounts to match!

Love reading about foreign places? Like the idea of reading about a favourite city but not sure where to start? Or even thinking about getting your book group to branch out with something a bit different?

You might be interested, then, to know more about Oxygen Books' city-pick series.

Each of our titles on cities from Berlin, Paris, Amsterdam, London and Istanbul to Venice, Dublin, St Petersburg and New York has over sixty specially hand-picked writers on their city.

In our Paris title, for example, you'll find well-known writers like Kate Mosse, Joanne Harris and Stephen Clarke (who's also written a drole introduction) beside Proust, Hugo and newer contemporary writers - all helping to evoke the truly Parisian experience.

 

Over 60 amazing writers on all things Parisian

But it's not just novelists (including those in translation and some of the best new ones around) that you'll find in our books.

There's also plenty of non-fiction, whether it's from historians and travel writers or journalists and bloggers.

We've researched far and wide - with lots of help from co-editors and translators in our cities and from readers themselves - to come up with what we believe is some of the best writing on these amazing cities.

But don't take our word for it. The Times has called the city-pick series 'superb ... it's like having your own phone loaded with different tomes, except with the best passages, bite-sized chunks, just perfect to dip into.' The Sydney Morning Herald has called it 'a great idea! A sublime introduction.'

We're offering a special direct from publishers discount on all orders over ten copies (P & P free and an even better discount than Amazon).

Please contact Oxygen Books at malcolm.burgess3@btopenworld.com for more details.

If your book group resolution is to read something a bit different in 2015, we'd love you to try the city-pick way ahead.

Just check out Paris here Download 9780955970009 short version (3) to give you a taste of what to expect with your favourite city. 

Love reading about & visiting cities? Check out city-picks' favourite recent features, links & videos

Love reading about and visiting favourite world cities? This is the first in Oxygen Books city-picks' regular round-up of our favourite features, links and videos on a whole range of cities from Berlin and Istanbul to New York and Paris. The focus is on the best books and writing but we do like to stray as the flaneurish way takes us.  

 

First to wonderful 1920s New York, where Literary Traveller (a site well-worth checking out for all things about writers and travel) has unearthed a brilliant documentary from the early sixties about the legendary Algonquin set. Dorothy Parker, Groucho Marx, George F Kaufman et al and some very dry martinis ...

 

Next Paris in the company of crime writer Patrick Modiano winner of 2014's Nobel Prize for Literature. Nouvelle Observateur has created a Google Map showing all the Paris locations used in Modiano's novels. Most of the writer's novels are set in Paris and we hope to include some excerpts in the next edition of city-lit Paris. There's also a lovely piece by Israeli journalist Moshe Gilad in Haaretz.com doing a flaneur's walk across Paris visting Modiano's locations.

  Patrick Modiano's Paris

'Tis the season to be in Dublin it seems with a plethora of festivals, literary and lots of others, through to the Spring reports Kevin McKenna in the Observer. This includes One City, One Book run by the library service, in which the whole city will be encouraged to read one book. This year it's Roddy Doyle's The Barrytown Trilogy.

Dublin's Temple Bar

 

Come to the cabaret too in Berlin in the company of the very best writers on the city according to The Culture Trip. Agree? Disagree? Or a bit in the middle? Do let us know.

Christopher Isherwood and friend

What's biting Venice? This is the leading question one of our leading novelists on Venice Michelle Lovric asks in a recent blog entry and her answers are as fascinating as they are fearsome.

Venice: Byzantine stone circle

 

Writers and writing about Amsterdam is really amazing. But don't take our word for it - check outthis video featuring a stroll around literary Amsterdam in the company of writer and translator Victor Schiferli

 

  

Orhan Panuk is probably the best-known modern Turkish writer and, unsurprisingly, Istanbul features in many of his books, including his non-fiction Istanbul. You can read all about Orhan Pamuk's Istanbul from a recent feature in the New York Times.

                                                            Orhan Pamuk's Istanbul

St Petersburg's cultural wonders don't begin and end with the Hermitage writes Tim Stanley in Guardian Travel. St Petersburg's contemporary art scene more than offers a rival attraction for visitors.

  St Peterburg art gallery

Oxygen Books is the publisher of the city-pick series featuring some of the best writing on world cities. 'Superb ... it's like having your own phone loaded with different tomes, except with the best passages, bite-sized chunks, just perfect to dip into' The Times

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The best books on Berlin, Paris, London, New York, Istanbul, Venice, Amsterdam, St Petersburg and Dublin are here

Read what they say about the city-pick series:

'Brilliant ... the best way to get under the skin of a city. The perfect read for travellers and book lovers of all ages' Kate Mosse, bestselling author of Labyrinth

'Superb ... it's like having your own iPhone loaded with different tomes, except only the best passages' The Times

city-lit Berlin £9.99

'We love the city-pick books. They're right up our street! Lonely Planet Traveller

'There are some books that you spot and immediately curse under your breath - "Why didn't I think of that? What a great idea!" The city-pick series is one such idea' The Sydney Morning Herald

city-lit London £8.99

'Tired of the usual guides? Can't be bothered with apps? Meet the alternative' Wanderlust

'city-picks's method of including blogs, novels, letters and memoirs of famous artists, filmmakers and writers is endlessly inspiring' Scotland on Sunday

'The beauty of this clver series is the breadth and reach of its contributors' Real Travel Magazine

city-pick New York £9.99

'Essential - slip it into your bag alongside a Rough Guide' Waterstone's Books Quarterly

'A unique way to explore the ever-changing landscape of a city, through the voices of those who know it intimately' Rachel Lichtenstein, author of On Brick Lane

city-lit Paris, £9.99

'The excellent city-pick series which uses descriptions of a city penned by writers, both living and dead, to illuminate the metropolis in question' Conde Nast Traveller

'A new breed of city guide ... it makes for some delightful discoveries' Time Out

city-pick Amsterdam, £8.99

'All of a sudden the traditional travel guide seems a little dull ... a more soulful guide to the metropolises of the world in the company of journalists, musicians, playwrights, bloggers and novelists past and present ... Oxygen Books is restoring intellectual discovery to travelling' The Good Web Guide

'If you haven't yet discovered the city-pick series you are missing something very special. The concept is pure genius' Hot Brands Cool Places

city-pick Istanbul, £9.99

'An inviting new series of travel guides which collects some of the best writing on European and other cities to give a real flavour of the place ... Such an idee formidable, it seems amazing it hasn't been done before' The Bookseller

'These snappy literary collages of the world's most written-about cities combine erudition with inspiration, bookishness with approachability, and a near-encyclopaedic range of reference with a canny appreciation for whatever it is that would make you want to visit a city in the first place' Booktrust

city-pick St Petersburg, £9.99

city-pick Venice, £8.99

city-pick Dublin, £8.99

... And what they're saying about Heather Reyes's An Everywhere: a little book about reading and Miranda Road, published 11 April 2014:

'A brilliant travel guide to the city of books ... I love Heather's passion for reading and her blend of erudition and intimacy' Helen Dunmore, author of The Siege

'This is a gem of a book, one to read and re-read and to carry around like a bible - not just as a guide to great literature but as a reminder that reading is the highest form of religion' Cheryl Moskowitz, founder of Lapidus

An Everywhere: a little book about reading, Heather Reyes, £8.99

'Hugely readable and quietly profound, Miranda Road is about family in the most modern sense ...a sensitivity that is both lyrical and deeply moving' Beatrice Colin, author of The Luminous Life of Lilly Aphrodite

Miranda Road, Heather Reyes £8.99

Oxygen Books titles are available as paperback originals from all good bookshops. Buy them from Amazon or FREE POSTAGE & DELIVERY wherever you live in the world from Book Depository.

Editorial: Heather Reyes, Tel: +44(0)1277 213849 heather@oxygenbooks.co.uk

Marketing & Sales (UK and Europe): Malcolm Burgess, Tel: +44 (0) 1277 263770 malcolm.burgess3@btopenworld.com

UK Sales Agency: Compass-DSA sales@compass-dsa.co.uk

Distribution (UK, Europe & British Commonwealth): Central Books, Tel: +44 (0) 845 4589911 orders@centralbooks.com

Australia & New Zealand sales and distribution: Peribo, Tel: +61  (0) 9457 0011 michael.coffey@peribo.com.au

'Fantastic supplement to my standard guidebook ... never left my side' Amazon on city-pick Istanbul

 Fantastic supplement to my standard guidebook., 8 Sep 2013

By 

Mr. Christopher M. Eves

Amazon Verified Purchase(What is this?)

This review is from: City-pick Istanbul (City-Pick Series) (Paperback)

I took this along with the Rough Guide to Istanbul on my trip to the city this summer. Despite the added weight of carrying both, this book never left my side. A great selection of passages which give added insight into the way the city 'ticked', and which made the experience all the better for it. Particular favorites include a 19th century visitors journey into the Basilica Cistern, plus three passages covering the characters crossing Galata bridge in different ages.

Highly recommended. Amazon.co.uk

The best writing on Istanbul? Read Time Out Istanbul's 11 page feature on city-pick Istanbul

Download City-pick Istanbul Time Out Istanbul

The Guardian on city-pick Istanbul: ' as ever with this excellent series, there is so much to savour'

Istanbul, ed by Heather Reyes – review

In the pages of this anthology you can visit a Turkish bath Istanbul's cuisine. As ever with this excellent series, there is much to savour

• PD Smith
• The Guardian, Friday 3 May 2013 19.00 BST
• Jump to comments (0)

"An intense, dynamic metropolis" … fisherman on Istanbul's Galata Bridge. Photograph: David Levene

1. City-pick Istanbul (City-Pick Series)
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Founded in 667 BC, Istanbul has been the capital of both Christian and Islamic empires. It is one of those intense, dynamic metropolises where the fault lines of the world collide. David Byrne describes Istanbul as "intoxicating" and this evocative anthology, part of the city-pick series, captures its unique atmosphere. In 1841, Hans Christian Andersen noted that "the Turks are the most good natured and honest people there are". In the following decade, Flaubert predicted that this vast "anthill" of a city would become "the capital of the world". ButSimone de Beauvoir had reservations. She commented on the absence of women in the streets: "It felt as though we were on the fringe of a disinherited country and of some dismal Middle Ages." In the pages of this anthology you can visit a hamam (Turkish bath) with its "masseur-torturers", experience the moods of the city's people and sample its cuisine including kokoreç (sheep intestines) and a dish called "the imam fainted" which is apparently made with aubergines. As ever with this excellent series, there is much to savour.

The World Bank agrees that vulnerable people's land rights must be respected - well done campaigners

When we told you that big land deals in poor countries are leaving people homeless and hungry, you said it was an injustice. And then you told the World Bank to help solve the problem. They listened. Thank you.  You put land grabs high on the World Bank’s agenda. Read our blog to learn more.

We presented the World Bank with your petition for action just before it met for its Spring Meetings last week. Combined with strong private lobbying, sustained campaigning in the months before, and a video petition from Coldplay fans, our message was incredibly loud.  As a result, the World Bank did the right thing:  World Bank President Jim Yong Kim made a public statement agreeing that efforts must be made to protect land rights.   The World Bank agreed to use new UN guidelines to ensure the land rights of the world’s most vulnerable people are respected. The World Bank committed to ensuring land is a strong focus of a review of the rules governing its investments. It’s also looking at ways to close loopholes to make investors more accountable for their actions.  Find out more about your amazing achievements on land grabs.       You have started a serious debate inside the World Bank. Although the Bank didn’t agree to everything we asked for, this still represents serious progress. We’ll continue to keep the pressure up to make sure it keeps its promises.  Thanks for your incredible support,  Sally Copley  Head of UK Campaigns

Trip Fiction: 'city-pick Istanbul gave me such an extra dimension on the city - guidebook in one hand, over a cup of cay in a cafe'

Another gem from Oxygen books. A collection of writing from different authors, that brings the city to life through fiction. This gave me such an extra dimension on the city of Istanbul - guidebook in one hand, over a cup of çay in a cafe. Trip Fiction

At last a world writing Readers' Day: Kate Mosse's France, Michelle Lovric's Venice Chelmsford 29/6.

 

From Paris, Venice and Berlin to Istanbul and Amsterdam …

Bestselling writers Kate Mosse, Michelle Lovric and lots more

                                       Around the World in 80 Books Readers’ Day

Anglia Ruskin University, Lord Ashcroft Building, Bishop Hall Lane. Chelmsford, Essex ,  CM1 1SQ. Saturday 29 June 2013, 9.30am – 4.30 pm Tickets £15/ £12 concessions (tea and coffee included in price)  Tel: 01206 573948 www.essexbookfestival.org.uk/events/around-the-world-in-80-books/

Come along and enjoy a readers’ day with a difference – a feast of exciting reading with some of the very best in world writing run by the Brentwood-based publisher of the city-picks travel guide series in association with the Essex Book Festival, the Arts Council and Anglia Ruskin University.

Featuring an amazing range of popular authors, publishers, cultural institutes and translators, plus competitions, goody bags, book lists and much more.

• Kate Mosse, the superselling author of Labyrinth and Sepulchre on her own writing and French books that have inspired her, and Venice-based author Michelle Lovric on the pleasures of living in - and writing novels about -  Venice. 
• The best books to read from France, Germany, the Netherlands and Turkey introduced by friendly and enthusiastic experts 
• A Year of Reading the World: Ann Morgan on spending 2012 reading a book from every country in the world
• Independent Publisher of the Year Peirene Press on what makes a good book in translation
• Around the World in 80 Books with Oxygen Books’ city-picks team
• Freedom to Read, Freedom to Write – a special creative writing workshop with English PEN
• For full day's events: www.essexbookfestival.org.uk/events/around-the-world-in-80-books/

'There are so many wonderful books written in other languages but sometimes the problem is knowing where to start,' says Oxygen Books publisher Malcolm Burgess. 'We think our readers' day is an ideal way for readers to discover new writing about some of their favourite cities and countries and with superb introductions from well-known writers like Kate Mosse and Michelle Lovric.'

For more information or to speak to most of our participants, including Michelle Lovric down the line from her Venetian palazzo,  please contact malcolm.burgess3@btopenworld.com; tel: 01277 263770 www.oxygenbooks.co.uk