Fall for the Book

I'm so pleased to be taking part in this year's Fall for the Book Festival in Fairfax, VA.  I'll be in Research I 163, George Mason University on Thursday, September 22 at 4:30PM to discuss The Golden Mean.

Aristote, Alexandre, et Annabel

"Qu'est-ce qui a bien pu motiver une auteure de nouvelles et de livres pour enfants, jeune mère de deux bambins d'âge préscolaire, à publier une brique de presque 500 pages recréant sous forme de fiction le rapport entre Aristote et son élève Alexandre le Grand? «J'adore la Grèce antique», confie Annabel Lyon, dans un salon de thé de la rue Saint-Denis."

To read Sylvie St-Jacques's article on cyberpresse.ca (en francais, naturellement!), please click here.

Welcome, French Readers!

Le juste milieu is now available in Quebec from Editions Alto and in France from Editions la Table Ronde. Bienvenue aux lecteurs francophones!

New Republic Review

"This deeply pondered and very beautiful book provokes much reflection from its reader. Lyon’s own densely metaphorical, present-tense narrative invites us to realize the importance of observation, and of looking before we think, before we delve in with the scalpels and the knives."


To read Emily Wilson's full review for The New Republic, please click here.

Galiano Literary Festival

I'm so pleased to be taking part in the Galiano Literary Festival at the Galiano Oceanfront Inn and Spa on Saturday, February 26. For more information, please click here.

"Magazine" Interview (Spain)

"A Alejandro hoy lo llamaríamos un niño soldado."

To read my interview with Pedro Vallín (in Spanish), please click here.

PEN Anthology

"I wanted to write a novel about Aristotle, not Alexander-- at first, the boy was just along for the ride. In early drafts he was a supporting actor, no more. My real passion, or so I thought, was the philosopher who was his tutor. Here was a subtle, adult mind; a once-in-a-thousand-years genius-- a character of Wagnerian scope. All I knew about the kid was that I wanted him to be annoying."

To read "Alexander", my contribution to the brand-new PEN anthology Finding the Words (edited by Jared Bland), please click here.

Genrified

The Golden Mean has been shortlisted for the American Library Association's 2011 RUSA (Reference and User Services Association) Reading List in the category of Historical Fiction.  According to the ALA website, "The Reading List annually recognizes the best books in eight genres: adrenaline (including suspense, thriller and adventure), fantasy, historical fiction, horror, mystery, romance, science fiction and women’s fiction. This year’s list includes novels that will please die-hard fans, as well as introduce new readers to the pleasures of genre fiction."  To see a complete list of all the shortlisted titles, please click here.

Welcome, Taiwanese Readers!

The Golden Mean is now available in Taiwan from Ye-Ren.  Welcome, Taiwanese readers!

"Beer and Books" in Madrid

New Yorker Review

A “vivid imagining of the encounter between Aristotle and the young Alexander the Great…. Lyon’s evocation of the ancient world is earthy and immediate.”

If you have a New Yorker subscription, you can see the complete review online by clicking here. Otherwise, you can read the review in the November 29rd issue.

Books of the Year for Christmas

"Annabel Lyon won prizes in her native Canada for her note-perfect historical novel The Golden Mean (Atlantic, £14.99), but here [in the UK] it has not had the attention it deserves. It tells the story of Aristotle and the young Alexander; her interpretation of their relationship and their world is luminous and deeply intelligent." --Hilary Mantel

To read the full article in The Telegraph, with more gift suggestions from Mantel, Colm Toibin, Simon Schama, Lydia Davis and others, please click here.

Bad Sex Shortlist!

I am deeply honoured to announce that The Golden Mean has made the shortlist for the Literary Review's Bad Sex in Fiction Award for 2010. The competition includes Jonathan Franzen and Christos Tsiolkas, amongst others. To read the whole sweaty, red-faced list, please click here.

Fabulous Fiction: Sitka Books and Art

On Wednesday, November 24 at 7:30PM, I'm honoured to be reading from The Golden Mean alongside Lee Kvern (The Matter of Sylvie) and Chris Ewart (Miss Lamp). For more information, please click here.

IMPAC Dublin Longlist

The Golden Mean has made the IMPAC Dublin longlist! To see the full list, please click here.

Welcome, Brazilian Readers!

The Golden Mean is now available in Brazil from Leya under the title O Filosofo + O Imperador. For more information, please click here.

Robson Reading Series II

On Thursday, November 4th at 1:00PM, I'll be reading at the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, Parliament Room 155, at 1:00PM. The reading is free and open to the public. For more information, please click here.

Welcome, Portugese Readers!

The Golden Mean is now available in Portugese under the title Aristoteles e Alexandre from D.Quixote. For more information, please click www.dquixote.pt.

BC's Top 100 Influential Women

According to the Vancouver Sun, I'm one of BC's Top 100 Influential Women. Now, if only someone would tell my kids. To read the full article, please click here.

The Daily Beast

"And while The Golden Mean is beautifully written, its compressed prose both fleet and rhythmic, the novel’s pleasures are closer to those of Robert Graves’ I, Claudius, or even the historical pot boilers of Ken Follett."

To read Taylor Antrim's full review for The Daily Beast, please click here.

University College's 2010 Stubbs Lecture

"The talk by the Rogers Trust Writers’ Fiction Prize-winning author was wide-ranging, opening with the Greek myth of Philoctetes, a famed archer, and touching on depression, gender roles and creating a historical character that rings true to one’s readers. Lively and intelligent, her lecture was thought-provoking for both readers and writers."

To read Elaine Smith's full article for News@The University of Toronto, please click here.

Welcome, Spanish Readers!

The Golden Mean is now available in Spain under the title El Maestro de Alejandro. To purchase a copy of the Spanish edition, please click here.

Hello, Portland!

On Saturday, October 9th at 2:00PM I'll be in Portland, OR at the Wordstock Festival, on-stage with Tatjana Soli. This event will take place on the Wieden + Kennedy Stage in the Oregon Convention Centre.

Boston Globe Part Two

"Through Aristotle’s eyes, Lyon presents a remote world in such vivid and intimate detail that this alien terrain becomes uncannily familiar."

To read my interview with the Boston Globe's Anna Mundow, please click here.