Categorising fiction may help to sell books, but it says little about how writers write or readers readIn her Reith lecture of 2017, recently published for the first time in a posthumous collection of nonfiction, A Memoir of My Former Self, Hilary Mantel recalled the beginnings of her career as a novelist. It was the 1970s. “In those days historical fiction wasn’t respectable or respected,” she recalled. “It meant historical romance. If you read a brilliant novel like I, Claudius, you didn’t taint it with the genre label, you just thought of it as literature. So, I was shy about naming what I was doing. All the same, I began. I wanted to find a novel I liked, about the French Revolution. I couldn’t, so I started making one.”She made A Place of Greater Safety, an exceptional ensemble portrayal of the revolutionaries Danton, Robespierre and Desmoulins, but although the novel was completed in 1979, it wasn’t published until 1992 – widely rejected, as she later explained, because although she thought the French Revolution was the most interesting thing in the world, the reading public didn’t agree, or publishers had concluded they didn’t. She decided to write a contemporary novel – Every Day Is Mother’s Day – purely to get published; A Place of Greater Safety emerged only when she contributed to a Guardian piece about writers’ unpublished first novels. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2023-11-27 12:30:00 UTC ]
The novelist on his latest book, a Charles Manson-inspired work written in slang, his love of the band Mogwai and the trials of sorting post for Royal MailRichard Milward, 38, grew up in Middlesbrough and lives in London. He is the author of three previous novels: Apples, published when he was... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-03-18 18:00:17 UTC ]
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Cocreator Tembi Locke shares the culture of vulnerability that turned her memoir into a universal story. Dr. Winteringham, Via Ortolano, Dott, Ronaldo Muscarella.Read Full Story Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2023-03-18 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Sentenced as a teenager to 15 years for “unlawful assembly,” Abdelrahman ElGendy started recording the abuses of prison life. The idea of someday publishing his memoir gave him a reason to live. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2023-03-17 09:00:36 UTC ]
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From a bestselling migration memoir to an acclaimed novel of suburbia, political poetry and essays and on and on, Salvadoran writers are having a big moment. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-03-16 13:00:22 UTC ]
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From sweeping epics of ancient history to stories set in the 1990s, here are 20 beautiful Chinese historical fiction books to read now. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-03-16 10:31:00 UTC ]
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I first connected with Jennifer Rosner as fellow debut authors in early 2020 (you might recall what happened next). Historical fiction authors trip upon, excavate and fictionalize stories from the past that in turn inspire each other. I loved Jennifer’s brilliant debut The Yellow Bird Sings and... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-03-16 08:52:55 UTC ]
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A more interesting autofiction: DK Nnuro examines how Black writers are “appropriating” their way into a literary movement. | Lit Hub Criticism Is the “first job” memoir dead? Bryony Lau makes the case for new narratives of work. | Lit Hub Criticism “If Don Draper is a metaphor for white... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-03-15 10:30:59 UTC ]
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To protect animals in Uganda, Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka found she needed to help villagers find work and learn to value their role in caring for wildlife. Her memoir “Walking with Gorillas” reveals her dedication and persistence. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2023-03-13 22:15:07 UTC ]
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Letters to Trump will contain 150 private letters written over more than 40 years, including correspondence with North Korean leaderDonald Trump has not yet announced a deal to write a White House memoir but he will publish a second post-presidential book next month – reportedly including... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-03-09 12:58:59 UTC ]
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In her memoir 'I Am Debra Lee,' BET's former CEO gets candid about her tenure at the cable network and shares advice for women in corporate America. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-03-07 19:04:58 UTC ]
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The portrait is stern, defiant, of bountiful hairline. Shot by Ramona Rosales for the cover of Prince Harry’s memoir Spare, it planted a flag in the golden Californian soil and hung a shark-tooth necklace around the decrepit institution it set out to eviscerate. Tiled in your local Barnes &... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-03-03 15:21:13 UTC ]
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This morning, Penguin Press announced that they will be publishing Zadie Smith’s next novel, The Fraud, on September 5, 2023. Here’s how the publisher describes the book: From acclaimed and bestselling novelist Zadie Smith, The Fraud is a kaleidoscopic work of historical fiction set against the... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-03-02 14:57:55 UTC ]
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Carolyn Forche remembers the late, great poet Charles Simic. | Lit Hub Nerds, jocks, and a secret society: Will Schwalbe recalls the start of an unlikely friendship at Yale. | Lit Hub Memoir Bruce Krajewski unpacks the criticism of Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front and its... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-03-02 11:30:14 UTC ]
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Raja Shehadeh’s highly personal memoir probes a relationship that might have been. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2023-03-02 10:00:15 UTC ]
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Literary Hub is pleased to reveal the cover for Athena Dixon’s memoir in essays The Loneliness Files, forthcoming from Tin House this fall. Here’s a bit about the book from the publisher: In Spring 2020, the world as we knew it ground to a halt at the start of the COVID pandemic—streets emptied,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-02-28 15:00:10 UTC ]
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Blur guitarist Graham Coxon had fame and fortune, but hated the attention. His sharp memoir 'Verse, Chorus, Monster!' documents his struggles and recovery Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-02-24 14:00:20 UTC ]
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I'm recommending eight Peruvian books in translation, from surrealist short stories to creative memoir to bloody historical fiction. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-02-22 11:33:00 UTC ]
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On this week's episode of To Dine For, host Kate Sullivan welcomes Mary Calvi, Emmy-winning reporter and anchor at WCBS in New York City. Calvi is also the author of two historical fiction novels, including Dear George, Dear Mary: A Novel of George Washington's First Love. She has recently been... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2023-02-21 21:48:39 UTC ]
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Take a trip back in time without leaving your seat with 25 of the best historical fiction books of the past 10 years! Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-02-21 11:34:00 UTC ]
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Hot off the presses: new books from Rebecca Makkai, Nona Fernández, and more! * Rebecca Makkai, I Have Some Questions for You (Viking) “This psychological thriller hits all the high notes, complete with at least a few revelations you won’t see coming.” –Good Housekeeping Erica Berry, Wolfish... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-02-21 09:56:59 UTC ]
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