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"


Appreciation: Russell Banks was a giant rooting for the underdogs

Russell Banks, who has died at age 82, carried on the legacy of great American novelists probing big themes through the small lives of heroic underdogs. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-01-09 21:54:28 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Wild Worlds: SFF Books By Unexpected Writers

Poets, literary fiction authors, and other unexpected writers are taking their shot at sci-fi and fantasy. Here are some of the best, including Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2022-12-20 11:35:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


How Jane Austen Almost Walked Away From Writing

If you’re a literary genius, you’ve got it easy—right? Wrong. Even Jane Austen, indisputably one of the greatest novelists in the English language, spent years struggling to be published and became so dispirited that there were moments when she almost walked away. The story begins with an... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-11-18 09:54:04 UTC ]
More news stories like this


New audiobook platforms are launched to rival Amazon’s Audible

Spiracle will feature titles from independent presses, while last month, Spotify also began offering audiobooks to US customersA new audiobook platform which aims to create a “lovely, welcoming, independent bookstore kind of vibe” has launched, as audio giant Spotify also enters the fast-growing... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-10-03 18:09:30 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Hilary Mantel, celebrated author of Wolf Hall, dies aged 70

‘She saw and felt things us ordinary mortals missed,’ her agent says of Booker prize-winning author who died on Thursday• Hilary Mantel remembered: ‘She was the queen of literature’• ‘The pen is in our hands. A happy ending is ours to write’: Hilary Mantel in her own wordsThe Booker... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-09-23 11:29:23 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Celebrating Christian Fiction: ACFW 2022 Photo Essay

Held in person for the first time since 2019, the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) 2022 conference brought over 300 authors, agents, publishers, and aspiring novelists together in St. Louis, Mo. from September 8-11. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-09-14 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Why American Novelists Need to Not Just Keep Up With But Also Overtake Reality

Hosted by Andrew Keen, Keen On features conversations with some of the world’s leading thinkers and writers about the economic, political, and technological issues being discussed in the news, right now. In this episode, Andrew is joined by A.M. Homes, author of The Unfolding. Find more Keen On... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-09-06 08:56:16 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Bookstore Spotlight: White Whale Bookstore

We talk with Jill and Adlai Yeomans, owners of White Whale Bookstore in Pittsburgh, Pa., which focuses on literary fiction. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-08-26 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Coding and Creative Writing Have More in Common Than You Think

While other future novelists were discussing iambic pentameter and leitmotifs, Gina Chen immersed herself in computer science. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2022-08-25 09:00:11 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Religion Book Deals: August 24, 2022

A Black Muslim leader is bringing his life story and work to Broadleaf; novelists Tosca Lee and Marcus Brotherton are joining forces on a WWII story coming from Revell, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-08-24 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


U.S. Authors Dominate Booker Prize Nominees

Six of the 13 writers in contention for the prestigious British literary award are from the United States, with novelists from Britain, Ireland and Zimbabwe also on the list. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2022-07-26 14:51:57 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Apparently, those who read literary fiction—but not other kinds—have a more “complex worldview.”

Yep, as the guy in your MFA already knows, turns out reading literary fiction is better for you than reading other kinds of fiction—especially if you grew up doing it. In a new paper published this week in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, scholars Nicholas Buttrick, Erin C.... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-07-08 16:16:52 UTC ]
More news stories like this


10 Books About Young Women in (and Out) of Love

The best literary fiction is in some ways a simple character study. It is a roadmap into the interiority of a specific character: the way they think, how their identity impacts their relationships, and what decisions get made in response to the socio-political pressures shaping their lives. But... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2022-06-24 11:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


When a Novel Reimagines a Nation

Patrice Nganang’s Cameroon trilogy challenges the capacities of literary fiction with the turbulent complexities of his home country. Continue reading at New Yorker

[ New Yorker | 2022-06-20 10:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Barnes & Noble Announces Their Best Books of 2022 So Far

Ranging from middle grade fantasy to adult literary fiction and romance, here are Barnes & Noble's top 10 books of 2022 so far. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2022-06-07 13:23:38 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The Best Audiobooks 2022 Has To Offer (So Far!)

The best audiobooks 2022 has to offer includes everything from memoir to literary fiction and even poetry. Find your next listen! Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2022-05-31 10:39:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Historical Novelists and Fantasy Writers Should Be Friends

Author Christopher M. Cevasco says there's a surprising lack of crossover between the two. Continue reading at Wired

[ Wired | 2022-04-29 16:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The people who teach us history aren’t always historians

Filmmakers, novelists and photographers, among others, also shape our collective memory, Richard Cohen writes. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2022-04-22 12:00:50 UTC ]
More news stories like this


New African Novels: A Conversation with Eloghosa Osunde and Okwiri Oduor, by Anderson Tepper

Interviews Eloghosa Osunde and Okwiri Oduor. Photo of Oduor by Chelsea Bieker. It’s hard to argue with Booker Prize–winning author Damon Galgut’s assertion that 2021 was “a great year for African writing.” And as WLT’s “New African Voices” issue... Continue reading at World Literature Today

[ World Literature Today | 2022-04-21 13:41:40 UTC ]
More news stories like this


How Los Angeles transformed American literature

L.A.'s authors, from 19th century novelists to Wanda Coleman to Steph Cha, have always pushed genre boundaries and dissected California myths. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-04-14 13:00:55 UTC ]
More news stories like this