World Turtle Day

There’s rubbish in the ocean now far from any land, Coca-Cola tins perhaps circling among the icebergs. If turtles have memories the beaches the old ones remember are not what they would find now. Perhaps the only decent thing would be a monster Turtlearium charging a proper admission, with turtle rides 10p and YOUR PHOTO WITH A SEA TURTLE 50p. Something has got to be whole in some way but my mind isn’t strong enough to work it out.

—Today is World Turtle Day, and we would like to commemorate it with a short passage from Russell Hoban’s Turtle Diary, which goes on sale June 11th. The two main characters in the book—Neaera H and William G—think a lot about turtles. But they also are prepared to take action.

thedizzies:

Coming in June—NYRB Classics’ reissue of Russell Hoban’s TURTLE DIARY! Introduction by “Ed Park.”

A Year of Russell Hoban →

Great project: “A year of reading Russell Hoban’s books in Chronological order.”

Russell Hoban’s Contribution to Study of Cat/Mouse Relations

Today is Russell Hoban’s birthday, and for the last 11 years, his fans have marked the day by sharing their favorite Hobanisms—either around town on scraps of notebook paper, or on the Internet. Read more about the tradition here and here. Tweets and the like are tagged #sa4qe.

Herewith our pick (among many favorites, including several from the forthcoming reprint of Turtle Diary). It comes from Hoban’s Sorely Trying Day. The set-up is that there is strife in the family, and the poor mouse has volunteered to take the fall as the start of the whole thing. We like to think of this as Hoban’s contribution to this blog avant la lettre.

“Who do you think you are,” inquired Puss, “to put on such airs of nobility and unselfish heroism? You are nothing but a mouse, an insignificant rodent. You are the least of the least.”

“I may be small and insignificant,” said the mouse, “but all this suffering must end somewhere.”

“There’s no need to be so puffed up about it,” said Puss.

The mouse said nothing, but waited.

He opened one eye.

“You are insufferable,” said Puss, “and I refuse to let you die a hero’s death.”

The Guardian reviews a Soonchild, a posthumously released book by Russell Hoban →

Thirty years ago I was dispatched by a children’s books magazine to interview Russell Hoban. The afternoon I spent with him talking about books, writing and life – the interview was supposed to last an hour, and I stayed for six – has remained with me ever since. It was an experience of surpassing strangeness, and one which left me changed. Just like reading one of his books, in fact.

Click the link above to read the entire review.

(We will be releasing Hoban’s Turtle Diary next year.)