Novelist Robert Stone died on Saturday. He was the author of numerous novels, including the National Book Award-winning Dog Soldiers, which updated Graham Greene’s international thrillers for the Vietnam War era and paved the way for Denis Johnson’s counterculture classic Already Dead.
Michel Houellebecq—the subject of a Charlie Hebdo cover story titled “The predictions of the Great Houellebecq,” published on the day that terrorists killed twelve people at the satirical newspaper—has stopped promoting his novelSubmission. The novel, which was released on Wednesday, is about a radical Muslim politician who is elected president in 2022 France.
On Friday, Rupert Murdoch Tweeted: “Maybe most Moslems peaceful, but until they recognize and destroy their growing jihadist cancer they must be held responsible.” J.K. Rowling has posted a number of responses, including: “I was born Christian. If that makes Rupert Murdoch my responsibility, I’ll auto-excommunicate.”
The Believer, which has been monthly since it was founded in 2003, has released its first bimonthly issue.
Politico reporter Maggie Haberman has joined the New York Times, where she will cover the upcoming presidential campaigns. And Jack Shafer has joined Politico to cover the media and politics.
Gawker asks: “Dear God, What Have They Done to Joan Didion Now?”