Charles Frazier

In the book world's version of David vs. Goliath, first-time novelist Charles Frazier won the National Book Award for fiction on Tuesday, beating out the heavy favorite, Don DeLillo. Frazier, cited for his Civil War novel, "Cold Mountain," said even he had DeLillo on his mind as the award was being announced.

Circle City Books in Pittsboro, N.C., has just completed an eye-catching mural: a side of a building covered in books. Huge, oversize books, with titles that even this myopic passerby could read. What's on it? Forty-eight titles, some of which are widely known: "Light in August" by William Faulkner, "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou, and "Cold Mountain" by Charles Frazier. Others are harder to recognize. "The Hope of Liberty" by George Moses Horton, who lived near the store, was the first book by an African American author published in the South when it appeared in 1829, writes bookstore owner Myles Friedman on The Bookshop Blog (via Shelf Awareness )

Charles Frazier stands before a formidable crowd at Quail Ridge Books, looking slightly ill at ease. Not that long ago--back when he was still a part-time English professor and stay-at-home dad--he could have walked into this bookstore, only miles from his home, and nobody would have noticed. But then "Cold Mountain" changed everything.

Nightwoods A Novel Charles Frazier Random House: 272 pp., $26 Landscape played a big role in Charles Frazier's bestselling 1997 novel, "Cold Mountain," which was adapted into a movie of the same name. The book, its inside cover lined with a map of the southern Blue Ridge Mountains, told of a soldier on a long walk home across the South - the obstacles he encountered along the way made his journey all the more compelling. Frazier's new book, "Nightwoods," takes place in the hilly landscape of the Appalachians, a vivid place of bent trees, black lakes and resigned mountains with names such as Hog Pen Gap and Picken's Nose.

Nightwoods A Novel Charles Frazier Random House: 272 pp., $26 Landscape played a big role in Charles Frazier's bestselling 1997 novel, "Cold Mountain," which was adapted into a movie of the same name. The book, its inside cover lined with a map of the southern Blue Ridge Mountains, told of a soldier on a long walk home across the South - the obstacles he encountered along the way made his journey all the more compelling. Frazier's new book, "Nightwoods," takes place in the hilly landscape of the Appalachians, a vivid place of bent trees, black lakes and resigned mountains with names such as Hog Pen Gap and Picken's Nose.

Circle City Books in Pittsboro, N.C., has just completed an eye-catching mural: a side of a building covered in books. Huge, oversize books, with titles that even this myopic passerby could read. What's on it? Forty-eight titles, some of which are widely known: "Light in August" by William Faulkner, "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou, and "Cold Mountain" by Charles Frazier. Others are harder to recognize. "The Hope of Liberty" by George Moses Horton, who lived near the store, was the first book by an African American author published in the South when it appeared in 1829, writes bookstore owner Myles Friedman on The Bookshop Blog (via Shelf Awareness )

Charles Frazier's "Thirteen Moons" is a bestseller, with more than 100,000 copies sold in its first month and high spots on the charts of the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times and other publications. But both commercially and critically, Frazier's second book -- one of the year's most anticipated novels -- is no "Cold Mountain."

ON an afternoon years ago, William Eastlake, a Nobel-caliber American author, was holding a cue stick and gazing at the configuration of colored balls on the table when he was asked a casual but serious question: "What's the best thing a writer can do to get better?" His glaring eyes jumped across the table. "Read," he growled. Hawk-like, he surveyed the field again and began to raise his cue when a second thought stopped him. "But don't read ... ," he snapped. "Only read good stuff."

Charles Frazier has become the 50,000th student to enroll at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Ft. Worth, Tex., which claims to be the world's largest theology school. The 27-year-old native of Lithia Springs, Ga., made history when he enrolled for the fall semester at 9 a.m. Aug. 26. The event coincides with the celebration of the seminary's 80th anniversary and the 10th anniversary of the presidency of the Rev. Russell Dilday.

Cold Mountain Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, Renee Zellweger Miramax, $30 All too often directors don't seem to know what to say on the commentary track for the DVD of a movie. Sometimes a director will simply describe what's going on or get too technical or self-congratulatory. So writer-director Anthony Minghella is like a breath of fresh air in his commentary for his uneven but ambitious adaptation of Charles Frazier's Civil War romance.

Charles Frazier's "Thirteen Moons" is a bestseller, with more than 100,000 copies sold in its first month and high spots on the charts of the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times and other publications. But both commercially and critically, Frazier's second book -- one of the year's most anticipated novels -- is no "Cold Mountain."

ON an afternoon years ago, William Eastlake, a Nobel-caliber American author, was holding a cue stick and gazing at the configuration of colored balls on the table when he was asked a casual but serious question: "What's the best thing a writer can do to get better?" His glaring eyes jumped across the table. "Read," he growled. Hawk-like, he surveyed the field again and began to raise his cue when a second thought stopped him. "But don't read ... ," he snapped. "Only read good stuff."

In the book world's version of David vs. Goliath, first-time novelist Charles Frazier won the National Book Award for fiction on Tuesday, beating out the heavy favorite, Don DeLillo. Frazier, cited for his Civil War novel, "Cold Mountain," said even he had DeLillo on his mind as the award was being announced.

Charles Frazier stands before a formidable crowd at Quail Ridge Books, looking slightly ill at ease. Not that long ago--back when he was still a part-time English professor and stay-at-home dad--he could have walked into this bookstore, only miles from his home, and nobody would have noticed. But then "Cold Mountain" changed everything.

British author Penelope Fitzgerald was a surprise winner Tuesday night of the National Book Critics Circle fiction prize. She defeated such heavily favored writers as Don DeLillo, Philip Roth and Charles Frazier. "It was a very, very, very difficult choice," NBCC president Art Winslow said after the ceremony in downtown Manhattan. Fitzgerald's win of the 21st annual award was only made possible by the organization's decision this year to allow non-U.S. citizens to compete.

Dan Harary, public relations specialist: "The Death of a President" by William Manchester (Galahad Books). "Manchester's book was written a few years after the assassination of JFK, and he is convinced that Oswald was the sole killer. While the book is pure fiction, the details of JFK's last hours are riveting." **** Michael Dula, computer technology consultant: "Cold Mountain," by Charles Frazier (Atlantic Monthly).