Innovations in Keeping Beloved Books Alive

The Takeaway

Earlier this month, T.S. Eliot’s 424-line modernist poem “The Waste Land” became the most popular literary app in America. The app includes recordings of Eliot reading the poem. And last Friday, the Harry Potter franchise proved that it’s still thriving when author J.K. Rowling officially announced details about a new interactive website called “Pottermore.” Are the “Waste Land” app and “Pottermore” site gimmicks that will quickly lose popularity? Or will they represent the new way to consume literature?
Patrik Henry Bass, Takeaway contributor and senior editor at Essence magazine, shares his thoughts with us.

Will you support The World?

The story you just read is not locked behind a paywall because listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Now more than ever, we need your help to support our global reporting work and power the future of The World. Can we count on you?