California Literary Review

Which Authors Are Faking Their Autographs?: At two authors and $25 per 200 books, one would have to churn out a convincing fake signature every 9 seconds just to earn the advertised $25 per hour. And you’re supposed to visit their office on spec to prove your abilities first! It’s not clear on behalf of which authors the ad was posted. [Gawker]

Japan: Marxist book turns bestseller 79 years on: A 79-year-old tale of rebellion among a fishing boat crew has become an unlikely summer hit among young Japanese people facing economic decline and rising poverty. [Guardian]

Hollywood Still Going After Fitzgerald: In December, audiences will see Brad Pitt and Cate Winslett appear in the David Fincher-helmed adaptation of the author’s little-known short story, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.” And, with Hollywood options on several other Fitzgerald properties, there may soon be a swell of material about, and by, the romantic and doomed Jazz Age writer. [Publishers Weekly]

Novel pulled from bookshops after Muslim protest: The Serbian publisher of Sherry Jones’s controversial novel about the child bride of Muhammad has withdrawn the book following protests from an Islamic pressure group. Publisher BeoBook yesterday pulled 1,000 copies of Jones’s The Jewel of Medina from bookshops across Serbia and apologised for its publication. [Guardian]

Signing off: the weird world of book signings: To some authors, the book-signing is a curse. What could be more excruciatingly dull, to the sensitive creative mind, than to sit for hours in a festival tent or bookshop, inscribing your name on several hundred copies of your new masterpiece? [Independent]

My first language: Before becoming a novelist, Eva Hoffman studied the piano in her native Poland and dreamed of becoming a professional musician. Here she explores the complex relationship between music and literature – and how they have both shaped her life. [Guardian]