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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