Granta 163: Best of Young British Novelists 5 review – more solipsism than state of the nation

The latest celebration of emerging literary talent brings thrills, charm and emotional punch to the page. But this new generation have taken an inward turn compared with the more worldly themes of bygone yearsEvery decade since 1983, an editor of the literary quarterly Granta has tasked a panel of writers and critics with naming the 20 best British novelists aged under 40. The first list, which included Martin Amis, Julian Barnes, Kazuo Ishiguro, Ian McEwan, Salman Rushdie, Pat Barker, William Boyd and Graham Swift, defined the nation’s literary fiction not just for a generation but a lifetime, at least for anyone young enough to be eligible for this year’s selection. Subsequent lists had star quality, too. In 1993, Hanif Kureishi and Alan Hollinghurst. In 2003 came Zadie Smith and Monica Ali, listed when Brick Lane was still a manuscript. The 2013 list spotlit Ross Raisin, Evie Wyld and David Szalay, who each went on to publish exceptional novels, while Naomi Alderman won the Women’s prize for The Power, now a hit TV series. If nobody talks them up as a golden generation, it probably says less about their calibre as writers and more about the diminishing clout of a marketing wheeze dreamed up when four-channel TV was still a novelty.The class of 2023 are a rangy bunch with some fantastic writing already under their belts. Eley Williams brings emotional punch to tickled wordplay. The slow-burn thrill of Eleanor Catton’s many-tentacled plotting. The tragicomic charm of... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2023-04-16 06:00:03 UTC ]

Other news stories related to: "Granta 163: Best of Young British Novelists 5 review – more solipsism than state of the nation"


Three Literary Translators Discuss Their Paths to Writing Their Debut Novels

Writing fiction itself might be (and often is) considered an act of translation: from experience to language, from emotion to logic, from chaos to legibility. Perhaps it is a mere coincidence, or a stroke of good luck, then that these three fall debut novelists selected for our craft series each... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2024-12-17 12:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Spring 2025 Fiction & Nonfiction Preview: Literary Fiction

Among this spring’s most anticipated offerings are the latest novel from Susan Choi, about a father’s mysterious disappearance, and Colum McCann’s tale of transcontinental cables and the deep sea divers who repair them. Other noteworthy titles include novels by Morgan Jerkins, Torrey Peters,... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-12-06 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Method Writing: What Novelists Can Learn From Actors About Self-Expression

I wrote What It’s Like in Words in my dressing room in the St Martin’s theatre in the West End whilst playing Miss Casewell in The Mousetrap, and over nine months and approximately 300 shows it occurred to me how similar the processes of writing and acting are. They may appear binary forms of... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2024-12-04 09:55:59 UTC ]
More news stories like this


A Love Song to the Philippines: The Revolutionary Power of Jessica Hagedorn’s Dogeaters

Dogeaters wasn’t just the first Filipino American novel I ever read; it was the first work of literary fiction I picked up on my own outside of a classroom. I was in my mid-twenties. I had already flunked out of college twice, having spent exponentially more time behind turntables, picking... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2024-11-13 09:56:39 UTC ]
More news stories like this


How Should Debut Novelists Measure Success?

Earlier this May, an Esquire article by Kate Dwyer called “Why Are Debut Novels Failing to Launch?” channeled the fear of debut novelists everywhere: What happens if no one buys my book? Book sales are an important way for editors and agents to gauge whether to invest in an author. If her first... Continue reading at The Millions

[ The Millions | 2024-10-16 12:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Breaking Bourgeois Taboos in Cairo: Ihsan Abdel Quddous’s A Nose and Three Eyes, by Gretchen McCullough

Breaking Bourgeois Taboos in Cairo: Ihsan Abdel Quddous’s A Nose and Three Eyes, by Gretchen McCullough Book Reviews [email protected] Mon, 10/14/2024 - 14:18 Five or six years ago, I was reading Ihsan Abdel Quddous (1919–1990) with my Arabic... Continue reading at World Literature Today

[ World Literature Today | 2024-10-14 19:18:43 UTC ]
More news stories like this


‘It was a deflating experience’: the novelists who nearly gave up

With earnings having dropped by 60%, it is harder than ever to keep going as a writer – even if your work gets rave reviewsThe 2022 publication of A Hunger, Ross Raisin’s fourth novel, was his “lowest moment”, the 45-year-old author says. “It was a deflating experience.”The book received... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-10-14 15:35:55 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Looking for what to watch this weekend? Try your favorite authors’ favorite films.

Ever since novelists started mixing with Hollywood, film and prose have been easy bedfellows. A lot of authors are proud cinephiles. Others go so far as to credit movies as major form or content influences. And thanks to the fleet marketing department at Criterion and the rise of Letterboxd,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2024-09-27 15:48:15 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Our 15 Most-Read Posts Of All Time

Fifteen years ago, Electric Literature started as a print and digital quarterly journal during the glory days of the print magazine era. Our very first issue surpassed 10,000 copies in sales, we were stocked in newsstands and bookstores, and as an e-book. We were one of the first to publish... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2024-09-27 11:10:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Give me more Putinas, por favor: A Conversation with Giannina Braschi, by Sandra Guzmán

Give me more Putinas, por favor: A Conversation with Giannina Braschi, by Sandra Guzmán Interviews [email protected] Mon, 09/23/2024 - 15:16 Photo by Laurent BadessiThe last time I saw Giannina Braschi was a year ago at the 92NY in New York City.... Continue reading at World Literature Today

[ World Literature Today | 2024-09-23 20:16:07 UTC ]
More news stories like this


All the times Sally Rooney was saner than Book Media.

It’s delightful, on the one hand, to have a feverish Book Event. I’m as excited as anyone that we’re doing midnight release parties for literary fiction in the year of our lord 2024. That said, we need to talk about the Rooneyverse. This week, we’re getting a novel—Intermezzo—from Sally Rooney,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2024-09-23 13:55:56 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Are novelists who worry about the rise of AI really ‘classist and ableist’? | Arwa Mahdawi

An international writing organisation appeared to greenlight the use of AI, prompting anger, the resignation of four board members and an entire creative community to ask: ‘What?!’Please spare a thought for artificial intelligence (AI). It may not have feelings yet but, if it did, it would feel... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-09-11 10:00:07 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Tim O'Connell Takes the Reigns at Saga Press

O’Connell comes to Saga from the flagship Simon & Schuster imprint, for which he will continue to acquire literary fiction and select nonfiction. Joe Monti, who founded Saga in 2015, has been promoted to VP, associate publisher, and editorial director. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-09-10 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Striding the Borderlands: Charles Ferdinand Ramuz’s Great Fear on the Mountain, by Alice-Catherine Carls

Striding the Borderlands: Charles Ferdinand Ramuz’s Great Fear on the Mountain, by Alice-Catherine Carls Book Reviews [email protected] Thu, 09/05/2024 - 14:03 Caroline Cingria, C. F. Ramuz, pastel (1903) / Images courtesy of Noël CordonierLumen... Continue reading at World Literature Today

[ World Literature Today | 2024-09-05 19:03:58 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Five Irish novelists to read while you wait for the new Sally Rooney novel, Intermezzo

The Irish literary scene is thriving, which makes choosing just five other Irish writers likely to appeal to fans of Rooney a daunting task. Continue reading at The Conversation

[ The Conversation | 2024-08-22 11:49:16 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Letter to Mohamed Choukri: Writing between Silence and Prattle, by Mohamed Berrada

Letter to Mohamed Choukri: Writing between Silence and Prattle, by Mohamed Berrada Cultural Cross Sections [email protected] Wed, 08/07/2024 - 15:25 Mohamed Choukri (left) and Mohamed Berrada / Photo courtesy the estate of Mohamed ChoukriIn the... Continue reading at World Literature Today

[ World Literature Today | 2024-08-07 20:25:04 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Queer-Feminist Writing from 1970s Turkey: A Conversation with Maureen Freely on Sevgi Soysal, by Ipek Sahinler

Queer-Feminist Writing from 1970s Turkey: A Conversation with Maureen Freely on Sevgi Soysal, by Ipek Sahinler Interviews [email protected] Tue, 08/06/2024 - 16:31 Maureen Freely (left) & Funda Soysal (right)Maureen Freely is an author,... Continue reading at World Literature Today

[ World Literature Today | 2024-08-06 21:31:04 UTC ]
More news stories like this


This Booker longlist might just be the most enjoyable of recent years

No Sally Rooney, one clear favourite and a novel set in space - this is a longlist of unexpected discoveries and big ideas• Three British novelists make Booker 2024 longlist among ‘cohort of global voices’It is 10 years since the Booker prize expanded its remit to include American novelists. The... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-07-30 13:04:15 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The 2024 Booker Prize Longlist

The 13-strong longlist for this year's 2024 Booker Prize has been announced. Among those listed are three debut novelists and several marquee names, including Percival Everett, Rachel Kushner, and Richard Powers. Six Americans made this year's list. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-07-30 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this