‘A smorgasbord of unlikability’: the authors helping ‘sad girl lit’ grow up

In this post-Fleabag world, publishing has become obsessed with the inner turmoils of messy millennials – but isn’t it time they pulled themselves together? Meet the novelists subverting the clichesYou’ve probably come across this woman: she is unfulfilled in her career, has been abandoned by at least one man, she is aimless and lamenting the obstacles in her life (of which, in reality, there don’t appear to be many). She is not just miserable, she’s a mess; self-absorbed and full of self-loathing.If you’ve read a book by a woman, about a woman, that has been published in the last five years, then it’s overwhelmingly likely that this woman was the protagonist. The narrative likely circled around this character’s sadness, her passive struggle to overcome it, and little else. Typically, such stories have notes of darkness but will rarely deliver the actual thing. Usually the main character (like the author) will be middle-class, if not incredibly wealthy. Almost always she will be white. The book’s cover will probably feature a devastated-looking woman with her hair covering her face or her head cradled in her hands. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2023-08-08 15:19:43 UTC ]
News tagged with: #ve read #main character #rarely deliver #novelists

Other Publishing stories related to: '‘A smorgasbord of unlikability’: the authors helping ‘sad girl lit’ grow up'


Jim Murphy, children’s author who humanized U.S. history, dies at 74

His books about the Great Chicago Fire and America’s first epidemic were Newbery Honor winners. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2022-05-19 22:43:48 UTC ]
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Help Copper Canyon Press raise $80,000 for an anthology and film on translator Red Pine.

This seems like a cause worth supporting, if you’re able: Copper Canyon Press has launched a Kickstarter to help fund two projects featuring Red Pine, whose work translating Chinese poetry and Buddhist texts has reached audiences around the world. Here’s how Copper Canyon describes Red Pine: He... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-05-17 16:02:50 UTC ]
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Larry Woiwode, author of acclaimed 1970s novel, dies at 80

His 1975 novel, "Beyond the Bedroom Wall," was considered among the best of its time. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2022-05-17 02:04:35 UTC ]
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From the author of ‘The Flight Attendant,’ a gripping tale of survival

Chris Bohjalian’s latest novel ‘The Lioness’ takes readers on a posh African safari that turns terrifying. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2022-05-11 12:00:26 UTC ]
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Lit Hub Weekly: May 2-6, 2022

Lost in the subject matter: Gerald Murnane rereads his first novel, Tamarisk Road, nearly 50 years later. | Lit Hub Why Twitter loves James Baldwin (and whether that’s a good thing). | Lit Hub A quiet reply to a life cut short: Elisha Cooper on coming to terms with what killed his brother. | Lit... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-05-07 10:30:22 UTC ]
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11 Books by Filipino American Authors You Should Be Reading

The first time I read a book about a person who even minorly resembled me, I was 19 and teaching at a creative writing summer camp. My coworker Sophie Lee’s YA novel What Things Mean tells the story of a young Filipina girl named Olive who uses reading to cope with feelings of loneliness and... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2022-05-06 11:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House, Authors Guild on Book Bannings

As book-bannings sweep the United States, two campaigns from the industry demonstrate different styles and tones of response. The post Penguin Random House, Authors Guild on Book Bannings appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-05-06 00:17:19 UTC ]
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Authors Condemn Forthcoming OUP Title

A book by Australian academic Dr. Holly Lawford-Smith, 'Gender-Critical Feminism,' has led a group of authors to mount a campaign criticizing Oxford University Press's decision to publish a title they say encourages anti-trans rhetoric. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-05-05 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Dennis Hopper and Brooke Hayward: Unlikely couple and artistic force

Mark Rozzo's "Everybody Thought We Were Crazy" examines a brief but impactful moment in cultural history. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2022-05-03 12:19:08 UTC ]
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How reading helps us build empathy and resist tyranny

While arguing against intolerance, Azar Nafisi draws parallels between literary dystopias and contemporary America. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2022-04-29 12:00:16 UTC ]
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An author investigates the disappearance of an early movie luminary

Louis Le Prince, arguably the creator of the first motion picture, disappeared in 1890. What happened? Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2022-04-27 11:00:43 UTC ]
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Lit Hub Daily: April 26, 2022

“Only the Ukrainian Army and its volunteers are awake.” New poetry from Ukraine by Natalia Beltchenko. | Lit Hub Ukraine Give a warm welcome to these 20 new books published today. | The Hub “Eliot could rationalize her nonparticipation with her belief that her novels were improvements for the... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-04-26 10:30:30 UTC ]
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Rolando Hinojosa-Smith, ‘dean of Chicano authors,’ dies at 93

His wry, understated novels turned the Lower Rio Grande Valley into an almost mythic setting for explorations of family, history and cultural identity. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2022-04-23 13:17:20 UTC ]
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Fast-Growing Independent Publishers, 2022

Microcosm Publishing, of Portland, Ore., makes its debut on our list of fast-growing independent publishers, landing with a bang at #1: net revenue spiked 106% in 2021 over 2020 and was up 207% over 2019. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-04-22 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Lit Hub Daily: April 20, 2022

“Doesn’t it scan as odd that the collective book industry reply to “your working conditions are so racist they’re a form of psychological horror” was an ecstatic yes, drag me?” Tajja Isen on The Other Black Girl and lip service in publishing. | Lit Hub Criticism Middle-earth in watercolor: Alan... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-04-20 10:30:04 UTC ]
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AAPI Communities in Conversation #4: Sheldon Simeon, author of 'Cook Real Hawai’i'

If you missed the livestream, check out the recording of Sheldon Simeon, author of 'Cook Real Hawai’i' in conversation with Michelle Young of the Waimea Public Library. And register today for the next discussion, featuring Jai Chakrabarti, author of 'A Play for the End of the World.' Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-04-15 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Lit City: The Everything Guide to Literary Los Angeles

A guide to the literary geography of Los Angeles: A comprehensive bookstore map, writers' meetups, place histories, an author survey, essays and more. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-04-14 13:00:40 UTC ]
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Authors and Booksellers Mobilize for Midterm Voters

Writers for Democratic Action, an organization of some 2,600 authors, is mobilizing its membership in a campaign called Book the Vote. WDA will facilitate nonpartisan voter registration for the 2022 midterm election, working with authors, bookstores, and libraries to educate voters about their... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-04-13 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Patricia MacLachlan, ‘Sarah, Plain and Tall’ Author, Dies at 84

A best-selling children’s book writer, she focused on family life and its difficulties, earning acclaim for her gentle, spare prose. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2022-04-12 18:33:17 UTC ]
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Jack Higgins, best-selling author of ‘The Eagle Has Landed,’ dies at 92

The British thriller writer's 85 books have sold more than a quarter of a billion copies. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2022-04-11 17:59:46 UTC ]
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