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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Soft Fiction Sales Continue Into June

Unit sales of print books fell 2% in the week ended June 3, 2018, compared to the similar week in 2017, at outlets that report to NDP BookScan. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-06-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Shamsie scoops 2018's Women’s Prize for Fiction

Kamila Shamsie has scooped this year's £30,000 Women’s Prize for Fiction for her "extraordinarily topical" novel Home Fire (Bloomsbury Circus).  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-06-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Kamila Shamsie Wins £30,000 Women’s Prize for Fiction

In the year that Kamila Shamsie once proposed as a 'Year of Publishing Women,' the Pakistani-British author has won the Women's Prize for Fiction 2018 for 'Home Fire' in London. The post Kamila Shamsie Wins £30,000 Women’s Prize for Fiction appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-06-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Cheltenham Literary Festival 2018 Announces Its Educational Program for Kids

The Cheltenham Literary Festival—the UK's oldest literary festival—announces its 2018 educational programming  aimed at children and school groups. The main festival runs October 5 to 14. The post Cheltenham Literary Festival 2018 Announces Its Educational Program for Kids appeared first on... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-06-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BookExpo 2018: YA Editors Aim to Further Diversify Character Diversity

The five editors presenting this year’s YA buzz books at a BookExpo panel on May 31 underlined the importance of inclusion in book acquisitions. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-06-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Muslims wins prize for radical children’s fiction

A children's book published by a tiny independent publisher has beaten off competition from authors such as Malala Yousafzai and Gill Lewis to win the Little Rebels Children's Book Award for Radical Fiction. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-06-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Books: Rachel Cusk, the long literary life of the Replacements and more book news

Hi, all! Carolyn Kellogg, books editor here, back from a trip to Helsinki, Stockholm and Paris with the not-at-all groundbreaking news that these are delightful cities. Yes, I shopped at Paris’ Shakespeare and Company, but not enough — when decided I needed to return for more books, I couldn’t... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-06-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Portobello signs 'blast of literary freshness' Maarouf

Portobello Books has signed Jokes for the Gunmen from Palestinian-Icelandic writer, poet, translator and journalist Mazen Maarouf. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-06-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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‘Brainy backlist’ helps boost non-fiction market

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[ The Bookseller | 2018-06-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BookExpo 2018: April Genevieve Tucholke Visits New Fictional Terrain

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-06-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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10 Essential Offbeat Science Fiction Novels

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-06-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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More Fiction Softness Leads to Dip in Sales in Late May

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-06-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amid Financial and Digital Disruption, Print Remains a Powerful Medium for Human Emotion

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[ Folio Magazine | 2018-06-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Can science fiction help us prepare for 21st-century warfare?

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[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-05-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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More Weakness in Adult Fiction Leads to Sales Dip

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-05-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Young to leave Transworld amid non-fiction restructure

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[ The Bookseller | 2018-05-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Vintage pays tribute to literary giant Philip Roth

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[ The Bookseller | 2018-05-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The European Union Prize for Literature Launches Its 10th Anniversary Short Fiction Anthology

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-05-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Philip Roth, Titan of American Fiction, Dies at 85

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-05-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Photo Essay: Fiction Readers Summit Launches

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-05-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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