Fiction v nonfiction – English literature's made-up divide

Some cultures do not distinguish between fiction and nonfiction – and instead talk of ‘stories’. Is that a barrier to English-language writers and publishers? Or should they just learn to enjoy telling tales?There’s a mighty canyon that runs down the middle of the world of the word, carving through bookshops, libraries and literary prizes, splitting them into fiction and nonfiction. Those who try to build bridges over this fissure may find themselves – like Geoff Dyer – rejecting the terms on which they are read, or, like Sheila Heti, arguing with their own book jackets. Those who are caught on the wrong side of the divide are attacked as frauds, pillioried or even – like James Frey – hounded out of their homes. Related: Julian Barnes: 'Biographical novels are kind of cheesy' The art is in the telling … the best storyteller is the one who recreates the anxiety of expectation and fulfils it[The distinction] serves as a useful guide to the kind of experience the reader is wanting to have Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2016-03-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #literary prizes #build bridges #geoff dyer #sheila heti #book jackets #wrong side #james frey #julian barnes

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Fiction v nonfiction – English literature's made-up divide'


Move Over, Hallmark: Coca-Cola Made 3 Christmas Films as It Dives Into Entertainment

Coca-Cola is the latest major brand to branch out into entertainment, with the release of a film anthology series on Prime Video that tells stories about Christmas. The anthology is the first project from Coca-Cola's new entertainment platform, "Real Magic Presents," which will see the brand... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2022-12-08 14:42:08 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #prime video #tells stories #anthology


Long Gone: 10 of the Best Historical Fiction Books of 2022

No DeLorean necessary: Let ten of the best historical fiction books of 2022 -- including Four Treasures of the Sky by Jenny Tinghui Zhang -- take you on a trip back in time! Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2022-12-06 11:36:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #trip back #historical fiction


The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of 2022

Pandemics, witchcraft, terrifying A.I.: speculative fiction that stood out in 2022. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2022-12-05 10:00:33 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #speculative fiction #science fiction


Talking to Lake Bell About the 2022 Best Nonfiction and Culture Audiobooks

Every Monday through Friday, AudioFile’s editors recommend the best in audiobook listening. We keep our daily episodes short and sweet, with audiobook clips to give you a sample of our featured listens. Actor, author, and film director Lake Bell joins AudioFile’s Michele Cobb to learn more about... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-12-05 09:53:28 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #editors recommend #audiobook listening #audiobook clips #featured listens #michele cobb #audiobook


The Best Historical Fiction of 2022

These sturdy time machines have two things in common: They’re built to last and they’re constructed by pros. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2022-12-04 12:20:13 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #historical fiction


New Historical Fiction to Read

There’s something for everyone in this season’s bumper crop of novels set in other times and places. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2022-12-02 14:45:08 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #bumper crop #novels set #historical fiction


Koos Prinsloo: the cult Afrikaans writer has been translated to English – here's a review

Challenging myths about heterosexual white South African men, Prinsloo published four books of short stories in 12 years. Continue reading at The Conversation

[ The Conversation | 2022-11-28 05:37:53 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #short stories


The best fiction of 2022: death and life in Cormac McCarthy's The Passenger

The Passenger, Cormac McCarthy’s first novel since The Road in 2006, shows him at the peak of his powers even as he nears his ninetieth year. Continue reading at The Conversation

[ The Conversation | 2022-11-24 13:19:55 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #cormac mccarthy #first novel


‘All you have to do is participate’: how the Shotgun Seamstress zine made space for Black punks

As the DIY publication is collected in a new anthology, creator Osa Atoe and the musicians she inspired reflect on its defiant positivityIn 2006, Osa Atoe picked up pen and paper and began to write herself into history. She had decided to create a fanzine, titled Shotgun Seamstress, with a... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-11-21 12:00:20 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #anthology


Sabaa Tahir Wins 2022 National Book Award for Young People's Literature

Sabaa Tahir received this year's Young People's Literature prize for her YA novel 'All My Rage'; during her tearful acceptance speech, Tahir noted, "I am the first Muslim and Pakistani American woman to win this award.” Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-11-17 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ya novel #literature prize #national book award


Traci Lester to Leave the Center for Fiction

Lester will step down as executive director of the Center for Fiction on January 1, and an interim director will be appointed until a permanent replacement can be found. Lester joined the Center in March 2021. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-11-16 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #interim director #permanent replacement


2022 Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction

The 2022 Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction has been awarded to Khadija Abdalla Bajaber for her debut YA novel The House of Rust. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2022-11-10 19:36:19 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #debut ya #ya novel


Four Ukrainian Writers on Literature, Solidarity, and the Future of Justice

“Words and Bullets” is a project launched by the Ukrainian independent publisher Chytomo and PEN Ukraine with the support of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). It is a series of interviews with authors and journalists who became soldiers or volunteers following the Russian invasion of... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-11-07 09:53:45 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #pen ukraine #project launched #national endowment #russian invasion #independent publisher


Literature Lovers Night Out Expands With New Bookstore Partnership

Literature Lovers Night Out, a speakers program launched in the Twin Cities in 2015, will return after a three-year interval to the Minneapolis suburbs by partnering on events with Cream & Amber in Hopkins, Minn. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-11-04 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #twin cities #bookstore


15 fiction books that follow their own rules — and make great gifts

We've rounded up the 15 best fiction books published this year to gift any lover of novels or story collections in your life this holiday season. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-11-02 16:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ve rounded #story collections #holiday season


14 Great Japanese Historical Fiction Books

Read your way into the best Japanese historical fiction, ranging from novels to manga and historical fiction about Japanese Americans. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2022-10-28 10:35:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #manga #historical fiction


The Eerie Experience of Watching My Science Fiction Story Become Real

On May 13, I finally got to read my wayward science fiction story “It Is the Voice That Unnerves Me” in The Dread Machine. I had been submitting the story since the spring of 2019, and had thought many times about consigning it to the “retired” list. I knew every word, sentence and section break... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2022-10-20 11:05:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #electric literature #science fiction


Hitting the Books: The women who made ENIAC more than a weapon

After Mary Sears and her team had revolutionized the field of oceanography, but before Katherine G. Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson helped put John Glenn into orbit, a cadre of women programmers working for the US government faced an impossible task: train ENIAC, the world's first ... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2022-10-16 14:30:01 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #clear path


Can Black Literature Escape the Representation Trap?

A crop of recent novels strains against the expectations of a publishing industry attempting to embrace diversity. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2022-10-13 09:00:06 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #embrace diversity #publishing industry


Deck the Shelves with Holiday Fiction: Christmas-Themed Novels

Several faith-based novels set during Christmastime are publishing between now and November this year, just in time for the holidays. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-10-12 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |