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                                                                                     PEOPLE & ARTS Friday 27 OctOber 2017
                                                                      Historical novel published



                                                                      last year is big seller in 2017



                                                                      By HILLEL ITALIE             and thought of Russia, with
                                                                      AP National Writer           its long history of house ar-
                                                                      NEW YORK (AP) — From the  rest, an appropriate setting.
                                                                      moment she read an early  The  novel  follows  Count
                                                                      copy of Amor Towles’ novel  Alexander  Ilyich  Rostov’s
                                                                      “A Gentleman in Moscow,”  life from the 1920s to 1950s
                                                                      author-bookstore    owner  as he adapts to losing the
                                                                      Ann Patchett had a feeling  world he grew up in.
                                                                      her  customers  would  love  “The  book  is,  to  some  de-
                                                                      the story of a Russian count  gree, a meditation on a set
                                                                      accused  by  the  Bolsheviks  of aesthetic and moral val-
                                                                      of succumbing to the “cor-   ues, as personified through
             In this June 26, 2017 file photo, Canadian rapper Drake arrives
             at the NBA Awards in New York.                           ruptions  of  his  class”  and  an aristocrat, and how this
                                                    Associated Press  held  for  decades  under  contrasts to a 20th-century
             AP Source: Drake did                                     house arrest at a luxury ho-  world,” says Towles, a Bos-
                                                                                                   ton native who now lives in
                                                                      tel.
             not submit latest                                        “The  book  is  like  a  salve,”  Manhattan.  “I  do  not  be-  This image released by Viking
                                                                      says  Patchett,  who  chose  lieve human progress, in its
                                                                                                                                                         in
                                                                                                                                shows
                                                                                                                                            Gentleman
                                                                                                                                        “A
             album to the Grammys                                     “A Gentleman in Moscow”  most  complex  sense,  is  lin-  Moscow,” by Amor Towles.
                                                                                                                                            Associated Press
                                                                      for the First Editions reading  ear.
                                                                      group  at  Parnussus  Books  The advances we make in      response  of  the  sales  offi-
             By MESFIN FEKADU                                         in   Nashville,   Tennessee.  science  and  technology,   cials because they have a
              AP Music Writer                                         “I  think  the  world  feels  so  in the social order — most   more  objective  viewpoint
             NEW  YORK  (AP)  —  Drake’s  “More  Life”  album  won’t   disordered  right  now.  The  of  these  advances  require   and  “don’t  praise  things
             earn him more Grammy Awards: The rapper didn’t sub-      count’s  refinement  and  shedding  off  of  other  as-   casually.”  Slovak  says  the
             mit the album for consideration at the 2018 Grammys.     genteel nature are exactly  pects of life that had signifi-  book might have benefited
             A person close to the nomination process, who spoke      what we’re longing for. His  cant merits.”                from  the  current  “fascina-
             on the condition of anonymity because the person was     world  was  also  in  sham-  Towles,   whose   previous   tion”  with  Russia,  but  also
             not allowed to publicly talk about the topic, said the   bles but he maintained his  novel  came  out  six  years   thinks it appeals for its sense
             multi-platinum rapper did not submit “More Life” for al-  grace and humor.”           ago,  works  at  a  regiment-  of atmosphere.
             bum of the year or best rap album. The person also said   First released in September  ed  pace.  Before  attempt-  “The novel does provide a
             Drake did not submit any of the songs from the album     2016,  Towles’  lyrical  nar-  ing  a  full  manuscript,  he   kind of panoramic view of
             to categories like song of the year, record of the year or   rative  has  become  one  drafts  a  40-  to  50-page   30 years of Russian history,”
             best rap song. “More Life” was released in March and     of  this  year’s  top  word-of-  outline  that  includes  plot   Slovak says.
             debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.      mouth  successes.  Building  points  and  character  de-  Towles  and  his  publisher
             Drake has described the album as a mixtape and playl-    on  a  solid  first  printing  of  velopment.  The  book  had   both  cite  the  early  and
             ist. The album has sold more than 2 million units — based   80,000  copies,  “A  Gentle-  the working title “The Songs   continuing support of inde-
             off of album sales, singles sales and streams — accord-  man  in  Moscow”  has  sold  of St. Petersburg,” but after   pendent bookstores, which
             ing  to  Nielsen  Music.  The  album,  which  set  streaming   more  than  800,000  copies  considering dozens of other   in  the  past  have  helped
             records when it was released, includes the Top 10 hits   and remains in the top 100  names, Towles decided on      launch  best-sellers  rang-
             “Fake Love,” ‘’Passionfruit” and “Portland.”             on Amazon.com. The book  “A Gentleman in Moscow”          ing  from  Sue  Monk  Kidd’s
             Representatives  for  the  rapper  and  the  Recording   has  received  nearly  6,000  and its hint of sophistication   “The  Secret  Life  of  Bees”
             Academy didn’t reply to emails seeking comment.          reader reviews on Amazon.    and suspense.                to  Charles  Frazier’s  “Cold
             Nominees in the 83 Grammy categories will be officially   com and been rated more  “When  I’m  done  with  the     Mountain.” At the Blue Wil-
             announced on Nov. 28. Drake could earn nominations       than 56,000 times on the so-  draft,  I  might  make  some   low  Bookshop  in  Houston,
             for songs where he is the featured guest.                cial media site Goodreads,  meaningful changes, but a     “A Gentleman in Moscow”
             Drake, a three-time Grammy winner, has had a bumpy       with more than 80 percent  lot of the work is refinement   has  sold  500  copies,  more
             history with the awards show, even rapping in a song,    of  the  reviews  giving  the  of  language,”  he  says.   than double what even the
             “I could give two (expletive) ‘bout where the Grammys    novel  4  or  5  stars  out  of  a  “That  means  refining  ev-  most popular works usually
             go.” He didn’t attend this year’s show, despite winning   possible 5. A television mini-  ery  sentence,  every  para-  sell at the store.
             two awards.                                              series  is  being  planned  by  graph, to make it better.   “When  I  first  read  it,  I  re-
             Like  many  in  the  hip-hop  community  including  Jay-  eOne.                       It also involves a lot of sub-  member how the book has
             Z  and  Kanye  West,  Drake  has  felt  that  the  Grammys   “We now feel like such ge-  traction,  seeing  how  two   all  these  ideas  that  make
             haven’t properly rewarded the genre when it comes to     niuses,” Patchett says.      pages should be one page,    you  stop  and  reflect.  You
             its top categories, where rappers are competing with     Towles is a former partner in  how I don’t need two pag-  realize that he (the count)
             country, pop and rock performers. A rap tune has never   the  investment  firm  Select  es to communicate a par-   is  not  going  anywhere,  so
             won song of the year or record of the year, and Lauryn   Equity  Group  and  author  ticular moment.”              he  has  time  to  reflect  on
             Hill and Outkast are the only rap-based acts to win the   of a previous novel, “Rules  Awareness  of  the  book’s   life,” says Blue Willow owner
             coveted album of the year prize.                         of Civility,” a sophisticated  potential  came  in  phases   Valerie Koehler.
             Others,  too,  have  questioned  the  relevance  of  the   tale of New York society in  for Towles, who turns 53 this   “We  were  sent  around  12
             Grammys in recent years. Frank Ocean made a state-       the  1930s.  He  first  thought  month. He shows no one his   copies  and  each  of  us  at
             ment when he didn’t submit his album for consideration   of  “A  Gentleman  in  Mos-  first draft, not even his wife,   the store read it and loved
             at the 2017 awards show. Justin Timberlake, who didn’t   cow”  around  eight  years  then  gradually  welcomes     it  on  our  own.  Sometimes,
             earn nominations for album, song or record of the year   ago  while  staying  at  a  fa-  outside  advice  as  he  re-  we  read  something  to-
             when he made a major comeback in 2013, skipped the       vorite hotel in Geneva and  vises.                        gether as a staff, but we’ve
             2014 show.                                               recognizing  people  in  the  He was pleased by the en-   never  had  a  book  come
             Kendrick Lamar’s “Damn” is the clear front-runner in the   lobby.  He  soon  came  up  thusiasm of his editor at Vi-  together  for  us  this  way,
             best rap album category — another reason Drake may       the idea of a man confined  king, Paul Slovak, and even   with each of us individually
             have decided not to submit his album. q                  indefinitely in a luxury hotel  more  encouraged  by  the   coming to it.”q
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