‘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'


PRH Peru Chief and Author in Defamation Case: Publishing Industry Support

IPA, CPJ, and several embassies condemn the defamation verdict against PRH Peru's Jerónimo Pimentel and author Christopher Acosta. The post PRH Peru Chief and Author in Defamation Case: Publishing Industry Support appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-01-12 15:59:10 UTC ]
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A Memoir of a Young Girl’s Survival Amid Mounting Horrors

In “Mala’s Cat,” Mala Kacenberg describes her time hiding out in the forest during World War II after losing her family. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2022-01-12 10:00:02 UTC ]
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BookLife Indie Author Forum Set for March 19

BookLife, PW’s subsidiary devoted to helping self-published authors, will hold the first BookLife Indie Author Forum on March 19 from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. EDT. The forum will cover the writing and publishing of adult and children’s books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-01-12 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors’ mental health MOT

The Christmas decorations are down, the tin of Quality Street is empty and now I’m planning my author goals for the year. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2022-01-08 10:21:55 UTC ]
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Lit Hub’s Most Anticipated Books of 2022

And just like that . . . 2021 is over. Like any year, it had its share of disappointments, triumphs, and scandals. There were some good books published and some good literary adaptations to watch. There were great book covers, great book reviews, and even (if we do say so ourselves) a few great... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-01-05 14:17:54 UTC ]
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Galley Beggar pays tribute to author Uschi Gatward

Independent publisher Galley Beggar has paid tribute to author Uschi Gatward, who has died following a battle with cancer.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2022-01-05 01:03:10 UTC ]
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New Librarian-Moderated Author Series to Celebrate AAPI Voices

The AAPI Communities in Conversation series launches on January 4 at 1 p.m. ET. The series is a joint effort between the University of South Carolina's Augusta Baker Endowed Chair and Penguin Random House Library Marketing, with additional media support from Publishers Weekly. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-01-03 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Tech that can help you stick to your New Year’s resolutions

Regardless of how 2021 went for you, 2022 is another chance for all of us to make the new year better than those that came before it. We set New Year’s resolutions with the best of intentions, but it’s no wonder that so many people fail after just a few weeks – old habits die hard. Just as it’s... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2022-01-01 14:34:42 UTC ]
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Authors Win $7.8 Million Default Judgment in Global Piracy Lawsuit

A federal judge has issued a default judgment against a major overseas e-book piracy operation known as the KISS Library. In addition to a permanent injunction barring the service from operating, the court also awarded the plaintiffs the maximum amount of damages under the law, totaling some... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-12-29 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Joan Didion, American journalist and author, dies at age 87

The unsparing observer of US culture, politics and public life won huge acclaim for her memoir The Year of Magical Thinking• Read Alex Clark’s interview with Joan Didion from February 2021• Obituary: Joan DidionJoan Didion, the eminent journalist, author and anthropologist of contemporary... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2021-12-23 17:19:56 UTC ]
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The exceptional stories in ‘On Girlhood’ explore the realities of growing up Black and female

‘On Girlhood,’ edited by Glory Edim, pulls together the work of Toni Morrison, Alice Walker and more. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-12-23 12:00:13 UTC ]
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Lit Hub Daily: December 20, 2021

From Franzen to Kidneygate (with a prolonged pit stop in the land of Supply Chain Issues), we’ve finally reached the end of the Biggest Literary Stories of the Year. Against reading historical fiction to learn history: Juhea Kim considers how the onus of writing educational fiction falls... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2021-12-20 11:30:45 UTC ]
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CrimeFest offers bursary for crime author of colour

CrimeFest is offering a bursary for a writer of colour to attend its festival in May 2022 and appear on a panel. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-19 23:32:15 UTC ]
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Avon takes two more in Cornish Girls series from Walker

Avon Books has acquired two more saga novels from author Jane Holland, writing under the pseudonym Betty Walker. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-17 14:32:47 UTC ]
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Electric Lit’s Favorite Novels of 2021

When it comes to great novels, this year felt like an embarrassment of riches. The books collected here are ambitious—in intellect, in scope, in subject matter, and in size. Some are perfect encapsulations of the unique problems of our time, while others illuminate the human threads that connect... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2021-12-16 12:05:00 UTC ]
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The Author Behind ‘Maid’ Has a Room — and a Voice — of Her Own

Stephanie Land’s best-selling memoir inspired the popular Netflix series. She’s not done fighting for people navigating the red tape of poverty. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2021-12-16 10:00:03 UTC ]
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Authors Guild Fights School Book Bans

The Authors Guild has launched a National Letter Writing campaign, asking its 11,000 members and supporters to send emails and letters to school boards, lawmakers, and newspapers arguing that banning books harms students. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-12-16 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Words with Fangs: Finding Myself in Julia Alvarez’s How the García Girls Lost Their Accents

I’ve had the grand pleasure of meeting Julia Alvarez twice. The first meeting was figurative: I met her through her writing. I was in middle school, searching for a silent reading book in my classroom library. There, on the shelf of books that seemed less shelf than treasure chest, was a novel... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2021-12-14 09:49:59 UTC ]
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Anne Rice, best-selling novelist who helped launch a vampire revival, dies at 80

Her first novel, “Interview With the Vampire,” launched a blockbuster book series and was adapted into a movie starring Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-12-14 00:33:11 UTC ]
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'Interview with a Vampire' Author Anne Rice Dies at Age 80

Rice, whose books have sold more than 150 million copies worldwide, died of complications from a stroke on December 11. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-12-13 05:00:00 UTC ]
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