Writers Talk: Conversations with Contemporary British Novelists

Description

Writers Talk includes interviews with Kate Atkinson, Pat Barker, Jonathan Coe, Jim Crace, Toby Litt, Graham Swift, Matt Thorne, David Mitchell, AlanWarner, and Will Self. "Is it a good time to be a writer in the time of The Da Vinci Code? It's not necessarily good time to be a literary writer."-Kate Atkinson "The best novels allow us to rehearse the world ahead of us, to play out the battle before we fight it, to experience disaster before we encounter it, to practice grief before it flattens us. Narrative is useful. It confers advantages on us as a species." -Jim Crace Why do writers write? How do they react to criticism of their work? What inspires them and how do go about working? Does fiction have any political, ethical or spiritual significance? Can we learn more about a book from its author? This collection of interviews with contemporary British novelists offers a fascinating insight into bestselling authors' views on fiction today; their influences and themes; readers and critics; why they write and their writing process; and provides a snapshot of the reality of living as a writer.

Philip Tew is Professor of English (Post-1900 Literature) at Brunel University, UK, Director of the Brunel Centre for Contemporary Writing and Director of the UK Network for Modern Fiction Studies. His many publications as both author and editor include Reading Zadie Smith: The First Decade and Beyond (Bloomsbury, 2013) and (co-edited with Emily Horton and Leigh Wilson) The 1980s: A Decade of Modern British Fiction (Bloomsbury, 2014). Fiona Tolan is Lecturer in English at Liverpool John Moores University, UK. Leigh Wilson is a Senior Lecturer in English at the University of Westminster, UK.

"Writers Talk gives readers a sense that they're listening in on real conversations between some of Britain's top fiction writers and people who know how to get at the ideas behind their work. Accessible enough for undergraduate students, with clear explanations of key terms, this volume also has surprising insights for researchers in the field. It's a book I'll be recommending to students and colleagues in the future." -- Dr Lynn Wells, Faculty of Arts, University of Regina, USA Mentioned in Publishing News, 2008. 'This collection of interviews with 10 contemporary novelists (no poets, playwrights or short-story writers) offers the simple, reliable pleasure of listening to experts talking about what they know best.' Brandon Robshaw, The Independent on Sunday, July 2008. Listed in the Writers' Bookshelf selection, Writing Magazine, October 2008. Mention -Today's Books, March 20, 2009