Names and faces

J.K. Rowling is back with a novel concerning a writer whose acid-tipped pen might have led to murder. Publisher Little, Brown said Monday that it is publishing a second book by Robert Galbraith, the Harry Potter author’s thriller-writing pseudonym. The Silkworm is the return of detective Cormoran Strike, the ex-soldier hero introduced in The Cuckoo’s Calling. In the new book, Strike investigates the disappearance of a novelist who has written a book that features scathing descriptions of real people. The Cuckoo’s Calling initially attracted little notice when it was published last year, but rocketed up the charts after Rowling was exposed as its author. A lawyer has been fined for letting slip the writer’s identity. The Silkworm will be published June 19 in Britain and June 24 in the U.S.

For the second straight year, a story taken from the pages of American history triumphed at the British film awards, with 12 Years a Slave winning prizes for best film and for leading actor Chiwetel Ejiofor. Alfonso Cuaron, director of the space odyssey Gravity, beat out 12 Years a Slave’s Steve McQueen as best director. Cate Blanchett was named best actress for Blue Jasmine and promptly dedicated her award to the memory of actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, who died this month of an apparent drug overdose. Jennifer Lawrence, who was absent from the ceremony, won supporting actress for American Hustle, and Barkhad Abdi, the Somali-born actor plucked from obscurity as a cabby in Minnesota to play opposite Tom Hanks in the pirate drama Captain Phillips, was honored as supporting actor.The best-film award for 12 Years a Slave added to the momentum behind the slavery-era movie as the awards season rushes toward the Oscars in two weeks. The film has already garnered a number of best picture laurels, including the Golden Globe for best drama last month. Ejiofor is the second Brit in a row to take the best-actor award for playing an American, after Daniel Day-Lewis’ turn in Lincoln. Likewise, 12 Years a Slave followed in the footsteps of the Iran-hostage thriller Argo, last year’s winner for best film, which was also based on a true American story.

Front Section, Pages 2 on 02/18/2014

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