literary fiction
DEFINITION:
Literary fiction is high quality, often prize-winning fiction, characterized by a distinctive writing style -- inventive, rich, demanding, multi-layered, experimental, or showing technical virtuosity. Books in this category focus more on character than plot, deal in nuances, are intellectually interesting and rewarding, and prompt a high degree of interaction between reader and book. Authors of literary fiction are consistently featured in major book review sources, and their books are often used for thought-provoking discussions.
CHARACTERISTICS:
The emphasis is on fine writing; complex, well-developed characters; and stories that probe the human condition. These books often have a dark or bleak outlook, pose serious questions concerning moral issues, utilize symbolism and imagery, and offer the reader an opportunity to search for hidden meanings.
APPEAL:
These books encourage readers to think about particular themes and issues. They push readers to form opinions and make connections between the stories and their own lives. They appeal to readers who appreciate distinctive writing and enjoy participating in thoughtful discussions.
READERS:
People who enjoyed literature classes in high school and college; leaders and members of book discussion groups; those who like to get inside characters’ skins and think about authors’messages. Readers of other genres who particularly appreciate character development and elegant writing may be led to cross over to
Literary Fiction.
AUTHORS:
United States - T.C. Boyle, Geraldine Brooks, Michael Chabon, Pat Conroy, Don DeLillo, Jennifer Egan, Lauren Groff, Alice Hoffman, Khaled Hosseini, John Irving, Barbara Kingsolver, Jhumpa Lahiri, Cormac McCarthy, Alice McDermott, Toni Morrison, Celeste Ng, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Joyce Carol Oates, Ann Patchett, Marilynne Robinson, Richard Russo, Elizabeth Strout, Donna Tartt, Colson Whitehead, Tom Wolfe
Africa - Chinua Achebe (Nigeria), J.M. Coetzee (S. Africa), Mia Couto (Mozambique), Nadine Gordimer (S. Africa), Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Nigeria), Helen Oyeyemi (Nigeria)
Asia - Monica Ali (Bangladesh), Anita Desai (India), Amitav Ghosh (India), Ha Jin (China), Han Kang (South Korea), Anchee Min (China), Rohintin Mistry (India), Haruki Muakami (Japan), Yoko Ogawa (Japan), Salman Rushdie (India), V.S. Naipaul (India)
Canada - Margaret Atwood, Patrick deWitt, Emma Donoghue, Emily St. John Mandel, Yann Martel, Alice Munro, Michael Ondaatjie
Great Britain - A.S. Byatt (England), Julian Barnes (England). Peter Carey (Australia), Roddy Doyle (Ireland), Kazuo Ishiguro (England), Thomas Keneally (Australia), Ian McEwan (England), Zadie Smith (England), William Trevor (Ireland)
Europe - Umberto Eco (Italy), Gunter Grass (Germany), Milan Kundera (Czech Republic), Arturo Perez-Reverte (Spain), Jose Saramago (Portugal), Leili Slimani (France), Elie Wiesel (Romania), Carlos Ruiz Zafon (Spain)
Latin & Central America - Isabel Allende (Chile), Paulo Coelho (Brazil), Laura Esquivel (Mexico), Carlos Fuentes (Mexico), Yuri Herrera (Mexico), Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Colombia), Guadalupe Nettel (Mexico), Samanta Schweblin (Argentina), Mario Vargas Llosa (Peru)
Middle East - Yasmina Khadra (Afghanistan), Amos Oz (Israel), Orhan Pamuk (Turkey), Elif Shafak (Turkey)
Literary fiction is high quality, often prize-winning fiction, characterized by a distinctive writing style -- inventive, rich, demanding, multi-layered, experimental, or showing technical virtuosity. Books in this category focus more on character than plot, deal in nuances, are intellectually interesting and rewarding, and prompt a high degree of interaction between reader and book. Authors of literary fiction are consistently featured in major book review sources, and their books are often used for thought-provoking discussions.
CHARACTERISTICS:
The emphasis is on fine writing; complex, well-developed characters; and stories that probe the human condition. These books often have a dark or bleak outlook, pose serious questions concerning moral issues, utilize symbolism and imagery, and offer the reader an opportunity to search for hidden meanings.
APPEAL:
These books encourage readers to think about particular themes and issues. They push readers to form opinions and make connections between the stories and their own lives. They appeal to readers who appreciate distinctive writing and enjoy participating in thoughtful discussions.
READERS:
People who enjoyed literature classes in high school and college; leaders and members of book discussion groups; those who like to get inside characters’ skins and think about authors’messages. Readers of other genres who particularly appreciate character development and elegant writing may be led to cross over to
Literary Fiction.
AUTHORS:
United States - T.C. Boyle, Geraldine Brooks, Michael Chabon, Pat Conroy, Don DeLillo, Jennifer Egan, Lauren Groff, Alice Hoffman, Khaled Hosseini, John Irving, Barbara Kingsolver, Jhumpa Lahiri, Cormac McCarthy, Alice McDermott, Toni Morrison, Celeste Ng, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Joyce Carol Oates, Ann Patchett, Marilynne Robinson, Richard Russo, Elizabeth Strout, Donna Tartt, Colson Whitehead, Tom Wolfe
Africa - Chinua Achebe (Nigeria), J.M. Coetzee (S. Africa), Mia Couto (Mozambique), Nadine Gordimer (S. Africa), Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Nigeria), Helen Oyeyemi (Nigeria)
Asia - Monica Ali (Bangladesh), Anita Desai (India), Amitav Ghosh (India), Ha Jin (China), Han Kang (South Korea), Anchee Min (China), Rohintin Mistry (India), Haruki Muakami (Japan), Yoko Ogawa (Japan), Salman Rushdie (India), V.S. Naipaul (India)
Canada - Margaret Atwood, Patrick deWitt, Emma Donoghue, Emily St. John Mandel, Yann Martel, Alice Munro, Michael Ondaatjie
Great Britain - A.S. Byatt (England), Julian Barnes (England). Peter Carey (Australia), Roddy Doyle (Ireland), Kazuo Ishiguro (England), Thomas Keneally (Australia), Ian McEwan (England), Zadie Smith (England), William Trevor (Ireland)
Europe - Umberto Eco (Italy), Gunter Grass (Germany), Milan Kundera (Czech Republic), Arturo Perez-Reverte (Spain), Jose Saramago (Portugal), Leili Slimani (France), Elie Wiesel (Romania), Carlos Ruiz Zafon (Spain)
Latin & Central America - Isabel Allende (Chile), Paulo Coelho (Brazil), Laura Esquivel (Mexico), Carlos Fuentes (Mexico), Yuri Herrera (Mexico), Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Colombia), Guadalupe Nettel (Mexico), Samanta Schweblin (Argentina), Mario Vargas Llosa (Peru)
Middle East - Yasmina Khadra (Afghanistan), Amos Oz (Israel), Orhan Pamuk (Turkey), Elif Shafak (Turkey)