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Prof. Manshel interviewed for WNYC's 'On the Media'

Published: 4 January 2024

Last month, Prof. Alexander Manshel was interviewed for WNYC's On the Media with Brooke Gladstone. They discuss Prof. Manshel's new book and his other recent research on the politics of race when it comes to literary prizes.


From On the Media:

This holiday season, book store displays — and Christmas stockings — will be filled with novels minted with gold and silver medals. Those gilded stamps denote recognition by literary prizes like the National Book Award, which was announced just last month. Alexander Manshel is the author of Writing Backwards: Historical Fiction and the Reshaping of the American CanonWith Melanie Walsh, he recently wrote a piece about how literary prizes have changed over the past few decades, leading to the recognition of more authors of color, for one. This week, Brooke asks Manshel how much these prizes actually matter. And according to another study he co-authored (with J.D. Porter and Laura B. McGrath, titled "Who Cares About Literary Prizes?"), the influence of literary awards is undeniable...

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