NATIONAL POST ARTS

Film Review: Life of Pi

Based on Yann Martel’s extraordinary, 2001 Booker-winning novel, Life of Pi has been in development so long that film has grown another dimension in the meantime. Actors, writers and directors have come and gone. At one point, M. Night Shyamalan was attached. Then (twist!) he left. The good news is it was worth the wait. Read the full review here: natpo.st/Y2ysdO

Author Philip Roth to retire: ‘To tell you the truth, I’m done’

Celebrated U.S. author Philip Roth quietly announced his retirement last month in a French magazine, Salon.com is reporting, saying that his 2010 book Nemesis will be  his last.

“To tell you the truth, I’m done,” the 78-year-old Roth told French magazine Les inRocks last month, in comments that were printed in French and translated by Salon, then later confirmed by a representative for Houghton Mifflin, the author’s publisher. Read more: natpo.st/PJS2YK

Illustration by Antony Hare

It’s not only Election Day in the United States, but here at The Afterword, as well.

We are huge fans of artist Jane Mount. We wrote about about her bookshelf-inspired paintings, which she sells on her website, a couple of years ago.

Her first book, My Ideal Bookshelf, will be published on November 13. It features the ideal bookshelves of over 100 writers, musicians, directors, chefs, journalists and other cultural figures, including Judd Apatow, David Chang, Miranda July, Michael Chabon, and Dave Eggers (pictured above).

In anticipation of the book’s release, we’ve asked Mount to paint Canada’s ideal bookshelf. That’s where you come in. Read on: natpo.st/SqSlVr

Clark Kent quits the Daily Planet

As far as bad portents for your industry go, having an iconic fictional character give up his job in it after 70-some years of gainful employment has to be up there. But, yes, here we are: As Jim Romenesko reports, Superman, a.k.a. Clark Kent, has decided he’s mad as hell, and he’s not going to take working at the Daily Planet anymore.

In the 13th issue of the recently rebooted series, the Man of Steel and High-Minded Journalistic Ethics quits his long-time paper job with a speech that would make Will McAvoy proud, deriding an industry that has turned a valuable service into entertainment. (Which is just laughable, the guy writing about a comic book character’s job situation assures you.)

Super Kawaii! Hello, Cutie! Adventures in Cute Culture explores the “aw” factor

We already know that the internet is made of kittens. Cute, harmless and totally adorable kittens, awwwww. But it’s the pervasive corporatization of cute that intrigues Pamela Klaffke. In Hello, Cutie! Adventures in Cute Culture (Arsenal Pulp Press, $19.95), the Calgary pop culture writer explores the fatal attraction to cuteness that Gwen Stefani sang about.

In this excerpt from his new book, columnist Jonathan Goldstein chronicles the awkward blind date between Mary Poppins and The Penguin. [Illustration by Steve Murray]

Zadie Smith is homeward bound for NW
Zadie Smith’s new novel, NW, is about four people stuck in different circumstances despite starting out from the exact same place on the map. (Illustration by Kagan McLeod)

What kind of J. K. Rowling novel might we expect where every character is a Muggle?
Book review: The Casual Vacancy confirms that J.K. Rowling does not lose her narrative gifts by stepping outside her usual realm. Stripped of the fantastic, she still draws the reader onward.

J.K. Rowling not ruling out writing a ‘sidestep’ from the Harry Potter series

J.K. Rowling plans to return to writing for young people — and the author says she doesn’t rule out another book set in Harry Potter’s magical world.

Book Review: 1982, by Jian Ghomeshi

Ghomeshi’s goofy sense of humour and humility is part of his easy-going charm, and his ability to appeal to a broad audience has made him a household name in Canada. But in his new memoir, titled 1982 after his life-changing 15th year, his avuncular nature is a major hindrance. Illustration by Chloe Cushman