‘The pendulum has swung’: Why we female Trinidadian writers are having our moment

Monique Roffey, the Costa-winning author of The Mermaid of Black Conch, on the lit-boom that’s happening on the Caribbean islandLast week, Trinidadian writer Lisa Allen-Agostini’s novel The Bread the Devil Knead landed a coveted spot on the Women’s prize shortlist. As a fellow Trinidadian writer, this is both exciting and unsurprising. These days Trinidad is producing world-class female writers hand over fist. Allen-Agostini’s shortlisting comes on the heels of the announcement, two weeks ago, that Trinidadian writer Amanda Smyth had made the Walter Scott prize for historical fiction shortlist, the only woman on the list, and the first Caribbean writer ever to be chosen. Meanwhile, Celeste Mohammed has become the fifth woman (and third Trinidadian woman) to win Trinidad’s regional OCM Bocas prize.Something has happened in Trinidad, in our small but dense hothouse of a literary world. Perhaps it’s 12 years of the Bocas literary festival, or five waves of feminism, or maybe it’s to do with the internet opening up opportunities for those from developing countries, but in the last decade Trinidad has produced a host of outstanding female writers. It’s a trend that anyone in Caribbean literary circles knows about. Myself, Smyth, Allen-Agostini, Mohammed and others are part of a “lit-boom”, and most of this boom is female. We are finding ourselves on the global stage, on prestigious shortlists in North America and the UK. This huge generational and gender shift would have been... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2022-05-03 13:03:34 UTC ]

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“Between the Facts”: A Conversation with Monique Truong, by Renee H. Shea

Interviews Renee H. Shea Monique Truong / Photo © Haruka Sakaguchi Monique Truong, who came to the United States in 1975 as a refugee from Vietnam, began exploring untold and ignored histories in her first novel, The Book of Salt (2003), told through... Continue reading at World Literature Today

[ World Literature Today | 2019-09-17 13:54:26 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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Historical Fiction Literary Agents Open to Submissions

Literary agents are gatekeepers of the publishing industry. Find historical fiction literary agents open to submissions in this post. List will be updated regularly. The post Historical Fiction Literary Agents Open to Submissions by Robert Lee Brewer appeared first on Writer's Digest. Continue reading at Writer's Digest

[ Writer's Digest | 2019-09-11 12:59:53 UTC ]
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Lit Hub Daily: August 9, 2019

“The phrase ‘common-or-garden dick’ in a medieval poem? Yes, please.” On the gleefully indecent lines of the Medieval Welsh feminist poet Gwerful Mechain. | Lit Hub For the anxious historical fiction writer, Caitlin Horrocks offers some permissions for writing into the past. | Lit Hub “As a... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2019-08-09 10:30:36 UTC ]
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7 Books About Past Decades That Feel Like Traveling Back in Time

The Amazon review for my debut novel was glowing, including words like “compelling” and “fun.” And then there was this: “If you love historical fiction, you’ll love The Last Book Party.” Say what? How could my novel, which is set during the 1980s—a decade of my own youth—be historical fiction?... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2019-08-01 11:00:53 UTC ]
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12 Novels about Historical Women to Inspire a Better Future

The Spanish philosopher and poet George Santayana once said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” As a genre, historical fiction allows us to shuttle back in time to stand in the shoes, clogs, chopines, and go-go boots of people—real and imagined—to consider the... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2019-07-15 11:00:13 UTC ]
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The Literary World of Comic-Con

San Diego Comic-Con isn’t just a place for authors to promote their work—it’s got a literary tradition of its own. Here are some of the books and graphic novels set at or about SDCC. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-07-05 04:00:00 UTC ]
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A Gathering of Epic Historical Fiction Books

Historical fiction authors bring textbook events to life. By creating backstories and intricate narratives, authors can turn a few lines ... Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2019-06-28 10:36:47 UTC ]
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Robertson wins Walter Scott Prize for The Long Take

Robin Robertson has become the first Scot to win the £25,000 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction with his book The Long Take (Picador). Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-06-17 13:23:17 UTC ]
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Book Expo 2019: Adult Breakfast Authors Say Crime Pays in Literary World

Thursday morning's Adult Book & Author Breakfast featured Rachel Maddow, Malcolm Gladwell, Karin Slaughter, Marjorie Liu, and Ta-Nehisi Coates introducing their newest books, with presentations emphasizing the true crimes that inspired each to write. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-05-30 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Williams hails 'forward thinking' Women's Prize shortlist, but accident-hit Mosse misses celebration

Women's Fiction Prize co-founder Kate Mosse missed last night's celebration for the 2019 award shortlist after being knocked off her bike in central London. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-05-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Carey, Ondaatje and Miller shortlisted for Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction

A “dazzling” six-book shortlist has been announced for the £25,000 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-04-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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‘The Old Drift’ author Namwali Serpell shares how Zambian Afronauts inspired her debut novel

For nearly 20 years, Namwali Serpell has been writing “The Old Drift.” If you don’t find that fact alone to be staggering, consider this: The 576-page book blends English with a multitude of Bantu languages spoken in Zambia. Incorporating elements of historical fiction, sci-fi, magical realism,... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-03-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Walter Scott Prize unveils 2019 longlist

The Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction has unveiled its longlist, as the chair of the judges warns choosing a shortlist “from these corkers is going to be a tough task”.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-03-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sweden’s Dorotea Bromberg Is London Book Fair’s Lifetime Achievement Laureate 2019

Dorotea Bromberg co-founded Swedish book publisher Bromberg Bokförlag with her father. The company still punches far above its weight in the literary world. The post Sweden’s Dorotea Bromberg Is London Book Fair’s Lifetime Achievement Laureate 2019 appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2019-02-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Small Island author Andrea Levy dies, aged 62

Andrea Levy, writer of bestselling Windrush generation novel Small Island (Headline), has died from cancer at the age of 62, with the publishing community paying tribute to how she "reshaped the literary world". Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-02-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Adeyemi and Anderson make Waterstones Children’s Prize shortlist

Authors and illustrators including Tomi Adeyemi, Sophie Anderson, Jessica Love and Onjali Q. Raúf are on the shortlist for this year’s Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, which is now in its fifteenth year. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-02-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Joy of Waterboiling is hot tip for oddest book title prize

This year’s shortlist also includes Jesus on Gardening, Equine Dry Needling and Why Sell Tacos in Africa?A book that celebrates Germany’s timesaving contribution to global cuisine is among the contenders for the 2018 Diagram prize for the oddest title of the year. The Joy of Waterboiling may... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2018-10-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Historical Fiction Is Hot in Europe

In Germany, Turning Point, the finale of Carmen Korn’s Century Trilogy, a historical series about four women in the 20th century, topped the fiction bestseller list in September, and prolific mystery novelist Charlotte Link was in second with The Search, about a missing teen. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-10-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Woman Beside C.S. Lewis: PW Talks with Patti Callahan Henry

In her first work of historical fiction, bestselling author Patti Callahan explores the life and love of Joy Davidman, the wife of C.S. Lewis. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-08-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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