“For three consecutive decades, Granta has foreseen the brilliant careers of the British literary scene, showcasing an array of talent that included Martin Amis, Pat Barker, Julian Barnes, Kazuo Ishiguro, Ian McEwan, Salman Rushdie, Rose Tremain, Alan Hollinghurst, A.L. Kennedy, Will Self, Helen Simpson, Jeanette Winterson, David Mitchell and Zadie Smith.
Here, in a collection of new work by twenty writers, is the future of literature in Britain: Granta’s fourth BEST OF YOUNG BRITISH NOVELISTS.
The List: Naomi Alderman, Tahmima Anam, Ned Beauman, Jenni Fagan, Adam Foulds, Xiaolu Guo, Sarah Hall, Steven Hall, Joanna Kavenna, Benjamin Markovits, Nadifa Mohamed, Helen Oyeyemi, Ross Raisin, Sunjeev Sahota, Taiye Selasi, Kamila Shamsie, Zadie Smith, David Szalay, Adam Thirlwell, and Evie Wyld.”
Granta has also noted that they will be releasing podcast
interviews with each author starting today. Episode 58, features Adam Foulds, a
former forklift truck driver. He talks about his transition from working in a
warehouse to writing novels.
There is also a small piece by Foulds on writing as a career and how he ventured into author territory. “Writing is not a profession, nor should it be constricted or necessitated by any sense of responsibility.” He poses an interesting, if somewhat unconventional, view of writing. Read more of this here.
Furthermore, NPR ran a story this morning, showcasing another author: Sarah Hall. Hall isn’t even 40 yet, has already published five books and is well into her sixth, The Reservation. “It's about a woman who's working with a wolf pack on an Idaho reservation when she's wooed back to the U.K. by an earl who wants her help with a wolf-related project.”
Hall is known for her eloquent language and ability to create strong and moving atmospheres. John Freeman, Granta’s editor, explains, “’I think her language has deepened and richened so that she's not just a writer of landscape, she's a writer of atmosphere.’”
According to Hall, ‘”You have to have a respect for the language and an understanding of its musicality and its structures, its rhythms,’ Hall says, ‘because it's not just about calling a table a table, you know. Just describing the entrails of an animal as plush and red — well, plush is a good word. It's kind of a beautiful image on the one hand, but it's hopefully an image that's successful. It's not just visually accurate, but it's something that will stir the reader, make them feel slightly squeamish.’”
You can listen to more of the short interview here.
To read a story by Sarah Hall click here.
I don’t know about you but all of this talk of successful young writers makes me want to pick up a pen and start writing. I’ll definitely have to check some of these authors out. I’ll also be watching Granta for new Podcasts. You should subscribe to them if you haven’t already.
-Marcie Gainer
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