Literary fiction conveys the human character | Letters

Helen Cross, Andy Stelman, Mark Stewart and Richard Adams respond to a recent Guardian article by Tim LottAs someone whose tiny, grimy literary novels have attracted the interest of the film industry, the truth is the opposite of what Tim Lott (Why should we subsidise writers who’ve lost the plot?, 2 January) suggests; it’s the screenwriter who needs the literary novelist. Plot is easy to learn (and even easier to flog to impressionable students excited by the supposed glamour of the writing life), but impossible to make work on the page without an ability to master what the novel can uniquely convey: the deep mysteries of human interiority. Or, as the screenwriters say, character.Helen CrossFlamborough, East Yorkshire• Tim Lott clearly has not heard of, nor read: Adam Thorpe (Ulverton), Graham Swift (Waterland and Mothering Sunday), Sebastian Barry (A Long, Long Way and Days Without End), Colm Tóibín (Norah Webster), Kamila Shamsie (Home Fire), Salley Vickers (Miss Garnet’s Angel) and many other contemporary British and Irish authors who maintain and expand a “great tradition” of fictional output.Andy StelmanBishop’s Castle, Shropshire Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2018-01-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #mothering sunday #sebastian barry #irish authors

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Literary fiction conveys the human character | Letters

Helen Cross, Andy Stelman, Mark Stewart and Richard Adams respond to a recent Guardian article by Tim LottAs someone whose tiny, grimy literary novels have attracted the interest of the film industry, the truth is the opposite of what Tim Lott (Why should we subsidise writers who’ve lost the... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2018-01-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #mothering sunday #sebastian barry #irish authors


Literary Fiction Literary Agents Open to Submissions

Literary agents are gatekeepers of the publishing industry. Find literary fiction literary agents open to submissions in this post. List will be updated regularly. The post Literary Fiction Literary Agents Open to Submissions by Robert Lee Brewer appeared first on Writer's Digest. Continue reading at Writer's Digest

[ Writer's Digest | 2019-07-26 11:00:18 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #publishing industry #updated regularly #literary fiction #literary agents


8 Award-Winning Literary Fiction Books You’ve Probably Never Heard Of

Despite winning awards, these little-known beautiful and thought-provoking literary fiction books, like Last of Her Name by Mimi Lok, remain criminally underrated. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-08-01 10:34:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #mimi lok #literary fiction


Where are fiction’s real working-class heroes? | Letter

Working-class lives are unlikely to be properly represented in fiction if the publishing industry is run by middle-class graduates, says Nick MossKeiran Goddard is right to say that too many novels that claim to portray working-class life just give us “recent arts graduate feels emotionally,... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-04-30 16:40:05 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #middle class #literary agents #publishing industry


More than 150 Literary Agents Sign Letter to Support HarperCollins Workers’ Strike

More than 150 literary agents signed a letter promising to stop submitting new books to HarperCollins to support striking workers. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2022-11-30 17:34:23 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #harpercollins #literary agents


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 ]
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Good historical fiction is not just about factual accuracy, but the details of human experience too

When it comes to writing historical fiction, one author finds that it’s the very human details that resonate with the reader. Continue reading at The Conversation

[ The Conversation | 2022-07-01 15:38:42 UTC ]
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8  Literary Friendships Told Through Letters

In 1995, I left the Elliott Bay Book Company in Seattle to teach English in Vietnam. Around that time, my friend and fellow bookseller Janet Brown traveled to Thailand to teach as well. There was no email then, and overseas phone calls were a luxury. So we wrote to one another, meditating on the... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2022-04-28 11:00:00 UTC ]
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Jennifer Egan wants to save literary fiction from itself

Jennifer Egan walks and talks — about 'The Candy House,' her sequel to 'A Visit From the Goon Squad,' and why she still believes in fiction and humanity. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-04-03 12:00:47 UTC ]
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10 Most Captivating Fictional Frenemies (Or 10 Examples of Humans Being Complicated)

Amelia Morris, author of the new novel 'Wildcat,' recommends 10 novels that explore the thin line between friendship and rivalry. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-02-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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How science fiction can inspire humanity’s response to the climate crisis – podcast

The audio version of an in-depth article on how science fiction’s hopes and fears can inspire humanity’s response to the climate crisis. Continue reading at The Conversation

[ The Conversation | 2021-10-11 09:13:49 UTC ]
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A Human Cloning Error and Existential Questions Fuel This Science Fiction Romp

In Matthew FitzSimmons’s speculative murder mystery “Constance,” the title character’s consciousness is mistakenly downloaded into a clone. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2021-08-24 19:55:19 UTC ]
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5 Contemporary Literary Fiction Books That Are Game-Changers

If you want to do some serious reading to reflect on humanity and its many aspects, these 5 contemporary literary fiction books are for you, including A Burning By Megha Majumdar. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2021-05-28 10:38:00 UTC ]
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U.S. Book Show: PW Editors' Picks, Literary Fiction

Sally Rooney, Lauren Groff, and Atticus Lish were among the authors whose upcoming works of literary fiction were highlighted during this Editors' Picks panel hosted by 'PW' reviews editor David Varno. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-05-26 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #pw editors #book show #sally rooney #lauren groff #atticus lish #upcoming works #literary fiction


Downloading our thoughts to the mainframe may be the stuff of science fiction — but humans have been imagining it for centuries

Leaving our earthly bodies and living forever as a machine isn't just a thing of modern science fiction. These transhumanist ideas date back to the 18th century. Continue reading at The Conversation

[ The Conversation | 2021-05-17 05:22:55 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #18th century #science fiction


Indie publishing 'crucial' for literary fiction writers, Roffey says

Independent publishers are "crucial and critical" for literary fiction writers, Costa-winning author Monique Roffey has said, enabling them to take risks no mainstream publisher would allow. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-05-11 11:27:01 UTC ]
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The Literary Risk-Takers: On New Migrant and Refugee Fiction

I can’t attend, for the road between my poem and Damascus is cut off for postmodern reasons. –“I Can’t Attend,” by Ghayath Almadhoun * No ISBN sequence can keep track the world’s recent homeless, but the books won’t stop coming. As the refugee crisis grows unremittingly, with people out of... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-12-29 09:48:26 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #books won #el salvador #isbn


16 Brilliant Bi and Lesbian Literary Fiction Novels to Keep You Thinking

Bi and lesbian books from the last two decades for fans of literary fiction, from haunting collections to atmospheric historical fiction like Miss Timmins’ School for Girls by Nayana Currimbhoy. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2020-10-02 10:38:36 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #historical fiction #literary fiction


10 Works of Literary Fiction for Runners

Over the past few months, as gyms and yoga studios and fitness centers have remained closed, many of you antsy yogis and barre-enthusiasts and Zumba-addicts have gone back to that most elemental of exercises: the run. For those of us who like to read and run, well, plenty of books on the subject... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-06-23 08:49:25 UTC ]
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Aspen Words Literary Prize Opens 2021 Submissions Seeking ‘Transformative Fiction’

Opening today for submissions in its 2021 cycle, the Aspen Words Literary Prize is focused on fiction that illustrates 'the transformative power of literature on thought and culture.' The post Aspen Words Literary Prize Opens 2021 Submissions Seeking ‘Transformative Fiction’ appeared first on... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-06-10 17:05:39 UTC ]
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