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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Convenience Store Woman crowned Foyles' Fiction Book of the Year

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[ The Bookseller | 2018-12-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Aspen Words Prize Longlist of 16 Titles for 2019 Prize in Issue-Driven Fiction

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-11-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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First Scottish SFF literary festival to launch next summer

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[ The Bookseller | 2018-11-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Tales of the unexpected: 10 literary classics you may not have read

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[ The Guardian | 2018-11-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In Québec, a Literary Prize Is Suspended Over Objections to Amazon Sponsorship

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-11-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Dublin Literary Award Names Its 2019 Librarian-Nominated Longlist

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-11-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Friend scoops the 2018 National Book Award for Fiction

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[ The Bookseller | 2018-11-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-11-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Rachel Mann joins JULA as literary agent

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[ The Bookseller | 2018-11-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Lengold and Pârvulescu win EUPL short fiction prize

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[ The Bookseller | 2018-11-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Fremantle joins as sponsor of Women's Prize for Fiction

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[ The Bookseller | 2018-11-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Salena Godden signs with OWN IT! literary agency

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[ The Bookseller | 2018-11-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2018-11-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Books: The Beastie Boys' memoir, fascinating fiction and more book news

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[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-10-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2018-10-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-10-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2018-10-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2018-10-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-10-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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