Literature

Students are often asked to read works of "Great Literature." They're assigned novels by giants like Hawthorne, Dostoyevsky, and Dickens, and are told these works are considered "classic" or "important," and that they're somehow different from the vampire novels, crime thrillers, and comics that are read for fun. But at what point does fiction become literature?  Read more

Publishers have faced a vexing question in recent years: As newspapers' book coverage shrinks and fewer people shop in brick-and-mortar bookstores, how might publishers open a conversation with readers online, without getting lost in the digital sea?  Read more

An interesting piece on The Bookseller today about literary fiction. The worry from some agents and publishers is that unique and daring voices are going to fall silent because of the changes in the publishing industry (fewer bookstores, lower advances, less risk-taking).  Read more

Rather than mere escapism, writing is identifying issues and confronting them, says Israeli author David Grossman, while for Peruvian Nobel Prize winner Mario Vargas Llosa, words can provoke change.David Grossman and Mario Vargas Llosa engaged in a spirited discussion during the first day of FIL Guadalajara, where Israel is the Guest of Honor.
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