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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15 best fiction titles of 2016

“Read the best books first, or you may not have a chance to read them at all,” Henry David Thoreau once wisely counseled. It is in that spirit that we offer this list. As happens every year, 2016 was full of widely praised novels, but the 15 fiction titles listed here are the ones the Monitor’s... Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2016-12-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Christmas Fiction Is Vital Subgenre for Religion Publishers

Religion fiction publishers discuss the different sales strategies surrounding Christmas-themed fiction. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-12-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Viv Groskop's literary self-help memoir to Fig Tree

Viv Groskop's "literary self-help memoir" inspired by the Russian classics has been acquired at auction by Penguin General imprint Fig Tree. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-12-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Three Finnish Publishers Launch New Literary Agency

Three independent publishers in Finland have jointly launched the Helsinki Literary Agency to represent their foreign rights The post Three Finnish Publishers Launch New Literary Agency appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-12-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hot Books for the Holidays in Paris: Love Letters to a Mistress

Selling well in France, controversial François Mitterand books, love letters for the former president's mistress, are on offer to international publishers. The post Hot Books for the Holidays in Paris: Love Letters to a Mistress appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-12-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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An open letter to Swindon Council

Author/illustrator and Swindon Libraries Patron Steve Antony pens an open letter in response to plans to close 10 of the borough's 15 libraries Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-12-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Arts Foundation Award 'creative non-fiction' shortlist revealed

Writers Marina Benjamin and Joanna Walsh, author/illustrator Oliver Kugler and poet Jack Underwood are on the shortlist for a new prize for creative non-fiction writing. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-12-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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At Guadalajara: Latin American Literary Agencies Gain Traction

Evident in the rise of literary agencies at Guadalajara Book Fair, the road to international markets for Latin American writers is no longer just via Spain. The post At Guadalajara: Latin American Literary Agencies Gain Traction appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-12-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Noir Press: Bringing Lithuanian Fiction to English Readers

‘Does a Lithuanian author stand a chance in the ocean of books on British bookshop shelves?’ Noir Press’ Stephan Collishaw says he has a good answer. Laura Sintija Černiauskaitė is the Vilnius-born, 39-year-old author who won the 2009 European Union Prize for Literature for her ‘Kvėpavimas į... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-12-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A cosy consultation which will pander to the press | Letters

We read with interest Jane Martinson’s article (Paul Dacre to step down as chair of journalists’ code of practice committee, 1 December). The article notes that culture secretary Karen Bradley has launched a 10-week consultation into press regulation. As teachers and researchers in media and... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-12-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Human revolution' needs to be understood, urges Appelbaum

Publishers need to move away from thinking about digital as a silo and instead focus on cultivating the mindset and behaviours needed to thrive in the digital age, Eva Appelbaum, digital strategy specialist at Digital Talent @Work has said. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-12-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Erri De Luca wins Bad Sex in Fiction Award

Erri De Luca has won the 24th annual Literary Review Bad Sex in Fiction Award for The Day Before Happiness (Allen Lane). Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-12-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Inside Vladimir Nabokov and Edmund Wilson’s Epic Literary Feud

How bad sex writing and professional jealousy soured Nabokov and Wilson’s literary bromance. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-12-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Atkinson, Hawkins and Ishiguro longlisted for €100k Dublin Literary award

Titles from Kate Atkinson, Paula Hawkins and Kazuo Ishiguro are among the 23 British novels longlisted for the €100,000 (£85,407.66) International Dublin Literary award 2017. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-11-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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India’s CinnamonTeal Publishing and the Revival of Goa’s Literary Past

Fighting time and a climate that deteriorates old documents, a publishing house in Goa contributes to the preservation of texts said to date back to ‘the earliest in Asia.’ By Dennis Abrams | @DennisAbrams2 ‘Regaining Their History’ riting for The Hindu, Aditya Sudarshan looks at CinnamonTeal, a... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-11-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Chicagoland Indies Mobilize Windy City Area's Literary Community

Two dozen Chicagoland independent bookstores are mobilizing the Windy City area's literary community by forming the Chicago Independent Bookstore Alliance, raising the visibility of Chicagoland's indies both in the region and on social media. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-11-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Colson Whitehead wins for fiction at the National Book Awards

In a year plagued by racial tensions, Colson Whitehead took the National Book Award for fiction for his novel "The Underground Railroad," a visceral and creative imagining of a female slave's escape from slavery. Although it takes years to write a book and bring it to publication, the National... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2016-11-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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International Notes: IPA Blasts New Turkish Censorship; Amazon Awards Spanish-Language Fiction

Further action against media in Turkey prompts international publishers' criticism; and Amazon KDP names a new recipient of its Spanish-language award. The post International Notes: IPA Blasts New Turkish Censorship; Amazon Awards Spanish-Language Fiction appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-11-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Wordstock 2016: A Literary Day for the Whole Family

A little Northwest rain couldn't deter eager readers, young and old, from attending Wordstock, Portland, Ore.'s annual literary festival, which took place on Nov. 5, primarily in the Portland Art Museum and at several satellite venues. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-11-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Emad Akhtar to join Orion Fiction as publishing director

Orion Publishing Group has appointed Emad Akhtar, senior commissioning editor at Michael Joseph, as publishing director for Orion Fiction. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-11-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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