Married to the mob: the rise of the smartphone in fiction

They interrupt narrative and disrupt plot – no wonder novelists have been slow to warm to mobile phones. But a new generation is putting technology at the heart of their workWhat do you call a phone when it rings in a fictional world? “Mobile” and “cell” are old, “smartphone” is almost a tautology and “phone” is so intrusive that the word seems to ring out shrilly from the page the instant you type it. This may be because we read fiction partly to escape our phones, or it may be that phones, even fictional ones, seem to demand too much of our attention. Telephones, of the kind we all keep handy, are so much a part of daily life we touch them as often as our faces. But phones in fiction require a sleight of hand: if characters use them as realism dictates, they will feel as interruptive on the page as they do at the dinner table. How can authors navigate this challenge?Like bathrooms and paid employment, it is amazing how often phones are dispensed with by many otherwise realist fiction writers. JM Coetzee famously wrote to Paul Auster (in Here and Now, the 2013 selection of their letters) that he was not prepared “to write novels in which people go around with personal electronic devices”. Because, if “everyone has access to more or less everyone else, what becomes of all that plotting?” He also lamented the impact of mobile technology on the “novel of adultery”, though surely Sally Rooney has proved there was nothing to fear. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2023-07-22 10:00:09 UTC ]
News tagged with: #mobile technology #daily life #dinner table #paul auster #write novels #novelists

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Married to the mob: the rise of the smartphone in fiction'


Married to the mob: the rise of the smartphone in fiction

They interrupt narrative and disrupt plot – no wonder novelists have been slow to warm to mobile phones. But a new generation is putting technology at the heart of their workWhat do you call a phone when it rings in a fictional world? “Mobile” and “cell” are old, “smartphone” is almost a... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-07-22 10:00:09 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #mobile technology #daily life #dinner table #paul auster #write novels #novelists


Fiction Sales Continue to Rise

Sales of adult fiction rose 28.1% last week and young adult fiction jumped 49.6%, driving a 6.4% increase in total unit sales of print books last week over the week ended June 27, 2020. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-07-01 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Interview: Fabrice Piault on the Rise of French Popular Fiction

While the trend has been building for some time, publishing news media in France now are reporting on how 'houses known for publishing literary fiction have been hiring editors to develop popular fiction imprints.' The post Interview: Fabrice Piault on the Rise of French Popular Fiction appeared... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-07-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Rise of Surender Mohan Pathak: HarperCollins India Wins Big With Hindi Pulp Fiction

Hindi pulp fiction writer Surender Mohan Pathak has been made 'the Agatha Christie of India' by HarperCollins India's Minakshi Thakur, now at Westland. The post The Rise of Surender Mohan Pathak: HarperCollins India Wins Big With Hindi Pulp Fiction appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-12-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Historical Fiction Books for People Who Don’t Like Historical Fiction

There are historical fiction books out there for every reader. Find recommendations for fans of literary fiction, romance, fantasy, and more. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-12-19 11:32:00 UTC ]
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10 Tudor Fiction Titles to Step Up Your Historical Fiction

The Tudor Dynasty lives on in these outstanding historical fiction novels, including The King’s Witch. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2021-10-22 10:33:00 UTC ]
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Non-fiction and children’s outstrip fiction in Ireland as sales fillip continues

After encouraging sales despite bookshops’ closures in the first lockdown, the market in Ireland has responded remarkably well since, with sales of Non-Fiction and Children’s titles particularly solid. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-09-10 13:31:14 UTC ]
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5 Historical Fiction Books to Read If You Don’t Like Historical Fiction

Think you don't like historical fiction? Try these books out and prove yourself wrong. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2019-09-14 10:33:10 UTC ]
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Casting a wide net: the rise and rise of podcasts

Renowned for their diversity, the popularity of podcasts has skyrocketed in recent years. This has not passed publishers by with many harnessing the potential of the medium by launching their own shows.   Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-03-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Immigration in 2018: Rising tensions and rising voices

Nearly every morning, a pseudo-dystopian scene unfolds just steps away from America’s gates. At the San Ysidro Port of Entry in Tijuana, someone reads aloud from a mysterious, unsanctioned notebook filled with the names of thousands of people from across the globe. Each of them — including the... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-12-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In Colombia, A Discussion of ‘Women’s Fiction’ Versus Fiction by Women

As part of the launch of Hay Festival's Latin American anthology, 'Bogotá39-2017,' author Samanta Schweblin and editor Sara Malagón talk about labels and gender. The post In Colombia, A Discussion of ‘Women’s Fiction’ Versus Fiction by Women appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-03-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Survey: Translated Fiction Outsells English Fiction in the UK

'Currently 25 percent of our top 20 fiction titles are translated,' we learn from Waterstones. It appears that UK readers are surprisingly into international books. The post Survey: Translated Fiction Outsells English Fiction in the UK appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-05-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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E-fiction venture Fiction Express goes into print

ReadZone Books will this year publish stories from Fiction Express - an e-fiction venture that... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-01-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Predicting the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction

With March Madness and the Super Bowl recently crowning champions and the Grammys and Oscars awarding music and movies, it’s finally time for the literary world to have its own big moment in the sun. And that can only mean one thing: It’s Pulitzer time! While there are many book awards that... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2024-04-19 11:15:00 UTC ]
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Andrew O’Hagan Weaponizes Fiction

For the Scottish novelist and journalist, the novel is a way to fight political misinformation, conspiracy theories, and outright lies. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-04-19 04:00:00 UTC ]
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In the face of online misinformation, these teens are learning how to sort fact from fiction

How teens learn about navigating the online world varies, but a pair of digital media literacy programs aim to get more Canadian students scrutinizing their social feeds. Continue reading at CBC

[ CBC | 2024-04-15 08:00:00 UTC ]
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10 New Works of Queer Fiction

Akwaeke Emezi, Rivers Solomon, and others offer realistic, fantastical, and experimental looks at LGBTQ life. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-04-12 04:00:00 UTC ]
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New LGBTQ Fiction in Translation

Works by queer authors from Argentina, Catalonia, Syria, and beyond speak to U.S. readers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-04-12 04:00:00 UTC ]
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New Climate Fiction Author Sarah Ruiz-Grossman’s Favorite Cli-Fi Books

This Earth Day, settle into "A Fire So Wild," Sarah Ruiz-Grossman's debut novel about the societal impacts of climate change. Continue reading at HuffPost

[ HuffPost | 2024-04-05 09:45:24 UTC ]
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