The 21st-Century Novel: Notes from the Edinburgh World Writers' Conference

Jonathan Bastable; Hannah McGill

Published by Edinburgh University Press 2014

The 21st-Century Novel

Notes from the Edinburgh World Writers' Conference

Jonathan Bastable and Hannah McGill

https://doi.org/10.1515/9781474464253

Overview
Contents

About this book

Contemporary creative writers reflect on the past, present and future of the novel

In 2012-2013, a year-long conversation between writers took place at 17 literary festivals around the world, from Jaipur to Krasnoyarsk, and from Melbourne to Berlin. Distinguished novelists such as Irvine Welsh, Ahdaf Soueif and Ali Smith shared their thoughts on various aspects of contemporary literature – the challenges it faces and the directions it is taking. This book is in part an anthology of the best of those accounts and also an overview of the lively wide-ranging global debate that the authors’ views engendered among the many writers who took part. It adds up to an arresting and thought-provoking picture of the state of world literature today.

Key Features

A powerful statement of the significance of literature in the modern world, and a call-to-arms for those who believe that fine writing is endangered
Contributors include well-known contemporary novelists such as: China Mieville, Ahdaf Soueif, Kapka Kassabova, Irvine Welsh, Ali Smith and Kirsty Gunn
Provides an international perspective on the issues facing writers and writing in general, and the present-day novel in particular
A new and valuable resource for academics and students, and a fascinating primer for a wider readership – for those who want to know how fiction functions & who like to get an insight into the thought processes of creative artists

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	1
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	4
Foreword Nick Barley and Cortina Butler Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	7
Edinburgh World Writers’ Conference 2012–2013 Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	13
Introduction Hannah McGill Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	23
The Future Of The Novel
Introduction: Modernity And Machinery Hannah McGill Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	28
Keynote: The Autonovelator China Miéville Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	40
Discussion: The Protean Genre Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	47
Keynote: After The Novelist Teju Cole Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	50
Discussion: Twitter Storms Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	54
Keynote: Escape To The Big Time Georg Klein Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	60
Discussion: Enemies Of The Novel Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	66
Keynote: A New Age Of Fiction A New Age Of Fiction and Michel Le Bris Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	72
Discussion: Reasons To Be Hopeful Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	80
Keynote: A Shred Of Objectivity Li Er Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	85
Discussion: Questions Of Ownership Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	88
Keynote: Egypt Rising Sahar El Mougy Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	93
Should Literature Be Political?
Introduction: Nailing The Important Stuff Hannah McGill Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	98
Keynote: The Great Narrative Of The World Ahdaf Soueif Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	104
Discussion: Politics On The Page Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	107
Keynote: Weapons Of Struggle Njabulo Ndebele Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	112
Discussion: Game-Changing Books Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	116
Keynote: The Power And The Story Melvin Burgess Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	120
Discussion: The Russian Dimension Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	124
Keynote: The Heart Of A Heartless World Amanda Lohrey Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	128
Discussion: The Impotent Text Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	134
Keynote: Words As A Pledge Atiq Rahimi Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	139
Discussion: On Ambiguity Benjamin Markovits Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	144
Keynote: Big ‘P’ And Little ‘p’ Olive Senior Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	147
Discussion: When Is A Book Political? Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	151
Keynote: The State Fell, The Poem Ruled Tamim Al-Barghouti Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	155
Censorship Today
Introduction: Engines Of Silence Hannah McGill Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	164
Keynote: Voices Of Unreason Boualem Sansal Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	170
Discussion: Speaking Freely Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	175
Keynote: The Censors Within Patrick Ness Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	178
Discussion: Everything Is Permitted Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	183
Keynote: The Gatekeepers Keith Gray Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	187
Discussion: On Taking Offence Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	194
Keynote: A Death Penalty For Thought Emmanuel Dongala Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	197
Discussion: Sousveillers And Fifty-Centers Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	203
Keynote: The Whale On The Rock Larissa Behrendt Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	206
A National Literature
Introduction: Marking Your Territory Hannah McGill Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	214
Keynote: Negotiations Against Difference Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	222
Discussion: Brit Lit Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	228
Keynote: Allochthoon, Autochtoon Rachida Lamrabet Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	234
Discussion: Words Of War / Velibor Čolić Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	238
Keynote: Serve The Story Miriam Toews Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	242
Discussion: Writers As Nation-Builders Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	248
Keynote: Writing Across Boundaries Anjali Joseph Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	252
Discussion: News From Elsewhere Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	256
Keynote: On The African Novel Helon Habila Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	260
Discussion: Lingua Franca Alain Mabanckou Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	268
Keynote: Categorisation Is Reductive Marlon James Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	272
Discussion: Above The Barriers Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	276
Keynote: Citizens Of The Cosmopolis Kapka Kassabova Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	279
Style Versus Content
Introduction: Reading The Reader Hannah McGill Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	284
Keynote: ‘Fight! Fight! Fight!’ Ali Smith Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	290
Discussion: Thought’s Clothing Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	298
Keynote: The Tao Of Writing Sophie Cooke Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	302
Discussion: Voice, Gait, Watermark … Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	308
Keynote: On Form Kirsty Gunn Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	310
Discussion: You’ve Either Got, Or You Haven’t Got … Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	316
Keynote: The Feeling Of The World Hubert Haddad Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	319
Afterword / The New Publishing Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	325
Biographies Of Keynote Speakers Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	334
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	342
Acknowledgements Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	351

(Deutsch)

Language: English
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
Audience: College/higher education;
Pages
- Main content: 352
Keywords: Literary Studies

eBook

Published: March 14, 2022
ISBN: 9781474464253