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28 artists, 2 saints

“Like Sontag, like every great critic, [Joan] Acocella is subjective, uncompromising.” (Don’t miss Acocella’s 2005 essay on Hilary Mantel.)

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Frank (and justified) fears

Correspondence and official papers reveal the desperate efforts of Anne Frank’s family to gain entry to the U.S. or Cuba before they were forced into hiding.

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Orwell & Buddicom

George Orwell’s childhood friend and sweetheart, Jacintha Buddicom, may have omitted the truth about their falling-out from her 1974 memoir.

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Do-it-yourself cover art

A writer who wrangled with his publisher over cover art, and lost, enlisted an artist to “produce a sticker that can be placed over the original paperback cover.” (Also via.)

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