Product Description

"British Fiction Today" provides students and readers with a critical introduction to key authors and novels since 1990 through a collection of the latest critical perspectives on current British fiction. It offers comprehensive and up-to-date coverage of a broad range of selected contemporary authors, drawing together both established and emerging literary voices reflecting the scope of the new British writing. Organised around key themes in contemporary writing - Modern Lives, Contemporary Living; Distortions and Dreams; States of Identity and Histories, each section begins with a short introductory essay. Each section includes newly commissioned essays by leading critics on: Peter Ackroyd, Martin Amis, Pat Barker, Julian Barnes, A. S. Byatt, Jonathan Coe, Jenny Diski, Alan Hollinghurst, Toby Litt, Ian McEwan, Ben Okri, Salman Rushdie, Zadie Smith, Adam Thorpe, Sarah Waters, and Jeanette Winterson. Introducing key works, writers and major themes including post-colonialism, gender and history, "British Fiction Today" is the ideal guide to the contemporary literary scene for students and readers.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #258630 in Books
• Published on: 2006-11-09
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 202 pages

Review
"'[An] insightful, perceptive and nuanced analysis... the collection is a landmark in the critical analysis of current literary culture.' THES 'I was impressed by the range and conscientious skill of the critics... this collection discusses much of the best in contemporary British writing...' Sir Frank Kermode, formerly King Edward Professor of English at Cambridge 'An admirably ambitious attempt to map the contemporary literary scene, impressive both in the range and depth of its coverage. Certainly the sharpest and most up-to-date book I have read on the subject.' Jonathan Coe"

About the Author
Rod Mengham is Reader in Modern English Literature at the University of Cambridge, UK. Philip Tew is Professor in English at the University College Northampton, UK. He is founding Director of the London Network for Modern Fiction Studies.

Customer Reviews

England is not Britain
Despite there being some interesting writers on offer here, not least the marvelous Jenny Diski, who is so often overlooked in the panoply of innovative British writing, this book is solely concerned with English writing. That not one writer from Scotland (surely the most interesting pat of Britain in a literary sense for the past fifteen years), from Wales or Ulster) gave the feeling of reading a book by someone who had never bothered to look beyond his own doorstep for inspiration, spark or what "literature" might be in contemporary UK. I assume this is because the author knows very little about the rest of the UK's literary world, which is fair enough in some senses, but the title of his book will not do if this is the case. This is a very narrow range of English writers and ended up persuading me there is a case for revamped Literary teaching the the UK as a whole, but particularly in English universities. Very disappointing and tediously old-fashioned in its outlook. Waste of this inclusive reader's time.