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 ]
Barbara Kingsolver and others are no longer oppressed – they dominate book salesThere is a point at which all special treatment becomes patronising. And we have reached that point, I think, when it comes to giving women a leg-up in the business of writing fiction.Genghis Khan sacked and... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-06-18 06:31:35 UTC ]
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India is a land of great linguistic, cultural, and religious diversity. Here are 20 of the best examples of historical fiction set in India. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-06-15 10:32:00 UTC ]
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Flaws used to feed their sales but now writers are expected to be saints‘As you get older you realise that all these things – prizes, reviews, advances, readers – it’s all showbiz, and the real action starts with your obituary.”Martin Amis first started spinning in favour of his future... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-05-27 17:31:09 UTC ]
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These books rewind time, depositing readers in the Cumbrian countryside, coastal Maine, rural Wyoming and beyond. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2023-05-26 15:30:50 UTC ]
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The third day of the U.S. Book Show was capped off on an entertaining note with a keynote given by Matthew Gray Gubler; the actor-turned-children’s book author-illustrator, who is known for his role as Dr. Spencer Reid on 'Criminal Minds,' made a segue into the literary world with the 2019... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-05-26 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Check out what all the online book clubs are reading in May, from dystopian fiction to historical fiction set in old Hollywood. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-05-08 10:36:00 UTC ]
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Pick your favorite period piece films and drama in this quiz to get a recommendation for a matching historical novel! Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-04-18 10:35:00 UTC ]
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From Kazuo Ishiguro to Zadie Smith, Granta’s list has been spotlighting future stars since 1983. Four decades on, what does its evolution says about our literary landscape?Last month, a reformed Glaswegian gang member, a former personal trainer and a Booker prize winner all glammed up for a... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-04-15 08:00:36 UTC ]
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These compelling Indigenous historical fiction books cover hundreds of years and take place all across North America. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-04-11 10:36:00 UTC ]
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After an extremely lucrative but creatively deadening sojourn on Marvel Money Island, Oscar-winning writer-director Chloé Zhao is returning to more cerebral fare. Deadline announced this morning that the one of the Nomadland and Eternals director’s next projects will be a film adaption of... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-04-04 19:04:48 UTC ]
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These hefty books explore the lives of a former poet, a polarizing artist and a Scottish rebel from unexpected angles. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2023-03-30 09:00:12 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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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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I don’t know if we deserve Rebecca Makkai, but we certainly need her. The author of four novels and a short story collection, she’s been bringing range, depth, and humor to the literary world for at least fifteen years. She’s a regular among the pages of Best American Short Stories and was a... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2023-03-02 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Unpublished authors in their 60s, 70s and 80s are now at a premium in the book world – with radical, edgy women in high demandThe literary world is often accused of an obsession with youth, from multiple awards targeted at authors under 40 to publishers who hunt for new voices exclusively among... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-02-25 07:00:46 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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Family memoirs are never about one thing. There’s always a compelling domestic story; in her new memoir, The Critic’s Daughter, Priscilla Gilman tells a fascinating story about her dynamic parents and the literary world that they inhabited. But good memoirs always involve a secondary subplot (or... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-02-06 09:54:35 UTC ]
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Bestseller Kiley Reid re-ups with Putnam, two-time NBA winner Jesmyn Ward sells her first historical fiction outing to Scribner, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-02-03 05:00:00 UTC ]
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