“When I Write Fiction, I’m in My Body as a Different Person”

Two decades ago, Arundhati Roy released her first novel, The God of Small Things. The response was pretty much everything an author could hope for from a debut. (It was a huge best-seller and won the Booker Prize.) But in the past 20 years, Roy has followed a different path than one might have expected, composing essays and books about India, where she was born in 1961, and establishing herself as arguably the most outspoken commentator on Indian politics. She has written about the role of India’s military in Kashmir and tribal areas, and spoken out against the rise of the Hindu right wing, including the current prime minister, Narendra Modi. Over the years, Roy has been threatened and even accused of sedition; she has also been the subject of debate in liberal circles, with some accusing her of being simplistic in her anti-capitalist rhetoric and naïve in her support for India’s Maoist uprisings. (She has also been a consistent critic of American foreign policy; in 2015, she met with Edward Snowden in Moscow, along with John Cusack and Daniel Ellsberg.) Continue reading at 'Slate'

[ Slate | 2017-06-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #edward snowden #daniel ellsberg

Other Publishing stories related to: '“When I Write Fiction, I’m in My Body as a Different Person”'


‘The potential to undermine democracy’: European publishing trade bodies call for action on generative AI

Three organisations argue that more transparency is needed after research found AI models have been trained using pirated works by authors such as Zadie Smith and Stephen KingThree major European publishing trade bodies have urged the EU to “act now” on transparency over artificial intelligence... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-10-19 13:53:46 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House and We Need Diverse Books Open Submissions for the 2024 Creative Writing Awards

The awards partnership between Penguin Random House and We Need Diverse Books will award $60,000 in scholarships. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-10-18 18:22:57 UTC ]
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Tiffany D. Jackson is Writing a YA Novel About the Marvel Superhero Storm

Tiffany D. Jackson's newest book is YA novel about the Marvel superhero Storm, titled Storm: Dawn of a Goddess. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-10-17 15:40:54 UTC ]
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8 Queer Historical Fiction Books Set Around the World

When you hear the phrase “queer history,” how far back does your mind go? For many, there’s a sense that LGBTQIA+ history is fairly recent, starting with Marsha P. Johnson or maybe Oscar Wilde. Beyond that, we start to get into murky territory: stories of “lifelong bachelors” and “happy... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2023-10-17 11:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #world appeared #oscar wilde #electric literature #historical fiction


The Past Is Messy and Repeats Itself: The Trap of Fairytale Victory Endings in Historical Fiction

This essay isn’t about World War II. But like any historical fiction writer publishing in 2023, it’s impossible to ignore the recent wave of WWII novels that fill bookstore shelves at the moment. As someone who reads and enjoys many of these books but has no desire to write one, I have a theory... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-10-17 08:45:05 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #recent wave #bookstore #historical fiction


Halloween Short Fiction: 9 Short Stories to Get You Ready for Spooky Season

These Halloween short stories are free to read online! They're deliciously unsettling, genre-bending, emotional, and even humorous. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-10-16 10:33:00 UTC ]
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9 Science Fiction Books that Mix in Medieval Elements

These nine medieval science fiction books play with limits of time, space, and history to tell fascinating stories with medieval elements. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-10-13 10:32:00 UTC ]
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Salman Rushdie to Write Memoir About Stabbing Attack

Rushdie, who was grievously injured onstage last year, said the forthcoming book was a way “to answer violence with art.” Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-10-11 14:10:29 UTC ]
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How to Write a Memoir While Dying

Writers are often advised to write as if we are dying. Awake to our mortality, the theory goes, we will write with urgency and acuity about what matters. We will write honestly, vulnerably, bravely without fear of judgement. We will write for the pure readers: ourselves and our loved ones. We... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-10-11 08:50:48 UTC ]
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Why Genre Fiction Is So Effective in Tackling Social Issues

Novelist Cindy Fazzi says authors interested in addressing the great issues of the day should avoid preaching and focus on telling a good story. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-10-06 04:00:00 UTC ]
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With Adult Fiction Tumbling 10%, Print Book Sales Fell 5.7% Last Week

After a long run with weekly sales ahead of 2022, unit sales of adult fiction titles were down 0.2% in the year-to-date after sales fell last week. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-09-28 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Letting the Unspoken Speak: A Reading List of Historical Trauma in Fiction

My sophomore novel, Evil Eye, follows Yara Murad, a Palestinian American woman who begins to confront the psychological and interpersonal aftermath of her emotionally volatile childhood as her carefully constructed life begins to fall apart. In drafting this novel, which explores post-traumatic... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-09-22 08:35:35 UTC ]
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Read the Winners of American Short Fiction’s 2023 Insider Prize, Selected by Nickolas Butler

Last spring, I approached Nickolas Butler, internationally bestselling author of the novels Shotgun Lovesongs, The Hearts of Men, and Godspeed, to be the judge for this year’s Insider Prize, American Short Fiction’s annual literary award for incarcerated writers in Texas. He’d worked with... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-09-22 08:15:30 UTC ]
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Booksellers Stock Up on Genre Fiction

Genre fiction by such authors as Colleen Hoover, N.K. Jemisin, and Rebecca Roanhorse remains extremely popular with readers. As publishers increase their output to meet demand, booksellers are making more and more room on their shelves for the titles. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-09-22 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Want to understand Elon Musk (and America)? This is the book to read—and it’s fiction

‘Kill the Rich’ by Jack Allison and Kate Shapiro is a lacerating satire of America’s gonzo culture—and no one comes out unscathed. A provocative book title doesn’t always telegraph to readers what awaits inside. When it comes to those self-help books that include a naughty little swear on the... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2023-09-16 03:00:00 UTC ]
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New Historical Fiction Books

From the dark heart of a misguided follower to the young hand of a diarist whose words outlived her, these novels encompass the full spectrum of humanity. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-09-15 16:58:33 UTC ]
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Here’s the longlist for the 2023 National Book Award for Fiction.

Today, the National Book Foundation announced the longlist for the 2023 National Book Award for Fiction. The ten titles on the longlist were selected from a pool of 496 books submitted for consideration by their publishers; this year’s judges for Fiction are Steph Cha, Calvin Crosby, Silas... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-09-15 14:15:56 UTC ]
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20 of the Most Thought-Provoking, Philosophical Science Fiction Books of All Time

Looking for a work of science fiction that will make you really think? Welcome to these philosophical sci-fi books! Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-09-15 10:33:00 UTC ]
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8 Magical Libraries in Fiction

Get away from it all with a journey to the most magical libraries in fiction from the Library of Zosma to the Great Libraries of Austmeer. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-09-12 10:34:00 UTC ]
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Claire Keegan: ‘I can’t explain my work. I just write stories’

The much-acclaimed Irish author of Small Things Like These on her quietly devastating new story and why George Saunders wouldn’t read it aloud for a podcastClaire Keegan’s five books to date run to just 700 pages and some 140,000 words. “I love to see prose being written economically,” she tells... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-09-02 17:00:10 UTC ]
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