I haven’t read it yet, but Jennifer Croft’s The Extinction of Irena Rey is set amongst a group of translators assembled to translate a novel. I have no idea to what extent it focuses on their work, but it seems relevant enough to mention. It’s particularly notable that Croft herself is a translator who lived abroad for a significant period.
This week, I did one of my favorite (if all too rare) afternoon activities: walk into a bookstore, buy a little translated novella I know nothing about, and read it in a day.”
Yes, I thought this too. But then I thought perhaps they’re more about the books than the writers. Which opens up yet another sub genre- -books about books.
Films about filmmakers are also a whole thing, and in horror (my home territory) we have the 'cursed footage' subgenre, which has in turn come back into novels with stories like Paul Tremblay's fantastic Horror Movie.
Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk is about seventeen writers that attend a writer’s retreat and get locked inside by the host who says they’ll be let out in three months. Debasement ensues.
I revisited it a few months ago and then discovered The Body Scout, which I absolutely loved! I haven’t had that much fun reading fiction in a while. I also listened to the audiobook. The narrator’s performance was incredible. His take on The Mouth was hilarious.
Man in the High Castle by Philip K Dick also features a mysterious writer, and Murakami’s 1Q84 as well (one of my favorites of his and one in which a character actually reads Proust!)
Jincy Willett's The Writing Class is one of my all-time favorites of the group of writers novel. Bonus fun for anyone who has ever taught, especially a small group of newbies.
What about Ben Marcus' story -- "I Can Say Many Nice Things"? These are beginner/hobby writers on a ship--from the POV of their teacher. Really looking forward to Metallic Realms--with its mix of SF and other elements. Why not write about a writers' group?! I tried it once after a particularly traumatizing workshop!
I was thinking of The Letter Killers Club by Sigizmund Krzhizhanovsky as I read this, but maybe that's the anti-version of the premise, as the storytellers in that one are committed to writing nothing down...? Still I think it fits, somehow.
> "Almost all of the literary movement novels I can find are by authors from outside the United States. [...] There are many American novels set in America about being a writer if not exactly about groups of writers, secret societies, and literary movements."
Is this just a function of how the American literary scene works, where you don't have literary movements so much as you have, like, two or three HOT DEBUT NOVELISTS every year, and an MFA ecosystem of writers who silently seethe at their competition for the handful of slots in the winner-take-all system? This isn't the most obvious aspect of "Erasure" but Monk's envy of the kind of millionaire writer feted by Oprah is definitely *a* driver of the plot; I have not read "Yellowface" but I think the dead friend in that novel is explicitly one of those Netflix-deal-and-Obama-summer-reading-list types.
I definitely think you're onto something there. The speculation I've always heard is that Erasure was specifically inspired by Push by Sapphire. But yes, I can imagine there is more of a "every man for himself" feeling in American literature and maybe less of the comradery that perhaps people in other countries feel? Makes me think about how there seem to be more artistic movements and groups in American poetry than American fiction. Perhaps because there is less of a "winner takes all" feeling with million dollar advances and movie deals in poetry and more of a "we're in this together" vibe?
I realize you're focused on literary fiction, but in the world of commercial women's fiction and its stepsibling romance, writers are very well-represented as main characters. A few of the more famous recent examples: Emily Henry's breakout Beach Read (a romance between two competing / collaborating writers, which has almost become its own subgenre), Ally Carter's The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year (a holiday mystery romance starring two mystery writers), Yulin Khang's How to End a Love Story (upmarket romance starring... more writers, working together in a television writing room).
I haven’t read it yet, but Jennifer Croft’s The Extinction of Irena Rey is set amongst a group of translators assembled to translate a novel. I have no idea to what extent it focuses on their work, but it seems relevant enough to mention. It’s particularly notable that Croft herself is a translator who lived abroad for a significant period.
The world of the translator is such a private place- so much potential to write fiction there.
This week, I did one of my favorite (if all too rare) afternoon activities: walk into a bookstore, buy a little translated novella I know nothing about, and read it in a day.”
Also one of my favorite activities!
Metallic Realms-- "struggling, and largely unpublished, science fiction writers". That's not sci fi Lincoln. That's reality : )
Ha!
Not that I don't love it. Good luck Lincoln
We could also add Carlos Ruiz Zafon’s “Cemetery of Forgotten Books” series.
Yes, I thought this too. But then I thought perhaps they’re more about the books than the writers. Which opens up yet another sub genre- -books about books.
Films about filmmakers are also a whole thing, and in horror (my home territory) we have the 'cursed footage' subgenre, which has in turn come back into novels with stories like Paul Tremblay's fantastic Horror Movie.
Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk is about seventeen writers that attend a writer’s retreat and get locked inside by the host who says they’ll be let out in three months. Debasement ensues.
I revisited it a few months ago and then discovered The Body Scout, which I absolutely loved! I haven’t had that much fun reading fiction in a while. I also listened to the audiobook. The narrator’s performance was incredible. His take on The Mouth was hilarious.
Very excited for Metallic Realms!
“All Stories” by Kevin Wilson, https://electricliterature.com/all-stories-by-kevin-wilson/, is a wonderful and touching story about taking an undergraduate writing class.
Man in the High Castle by Philip K Dick also features a mysterious writer, and Murakami’s 1Q84 as well (one of my favorites of his and one in which a character actually reads Proust!)
Jincy Willett's The Writing Class is one of my all-time favorites of the group of writers novel. Bonus fun for anyone who has ever taught, especially a small group of newbies.
Darconville's Cat by Alexander Theroux deserves a mention as does Mulligan Stew by Gilberto Sorrento.
What about Ben Marcus' story -- "I Can Say Many Nice Things"? These are beginner/hobby writers on a ship--from the POV of their teacher. Really looking forward to Metallic Realms--with its mix of SF and other elements. Why not write about a writers' group?! I tried it once after a particularly traumatizing workshop!
Thank you!
A big 👀 to all these books (including yours).
I was thinking of The Letter Killers Club by Sigizmund Krzhizhanovsky as I read this, but maybe that's the anti-version of the premise, as the storytellers in that one are committed to writing nothing down...? Still I think it fits, somehow.
Ooh, that sounds like a book I need to read.
Wild speculation ahead!
> "Almost all of the literary movement novels I can find are by authors from outside the United States. [...] There are many American novels set in America about being a writer if not exactly about groups of writers, secret societies, and literary movements."
Is this just a function of how the American literary scene works, where you don't have literary movements so much as you have, like, two or three HOT DEBUT NOVELISTS every year, and an MFA ecosystem of writers who silently seethe at their competition for the handful of slots in the winner-take-all system? This isn't the most obvious aspect of "Erasure" but Monk's envy of the kind of millionaire writer feted by Oprah is definitely *a* driver of the plot; I have not read "Yellowface" but I think the dead friend in that novel is explicitly one of those Netflix-deal-and-Obama-summer-reading-list types.
I definitely think you're onto something there. The speculation I've always heard is that Erasure was specifically inspired by Push by Sapphire. But yes, I can imagine there is more of a "every man for himself" feeling in American literature and maybe less of the comradery that perhaps people in other countries feel? Makes me think about how there seem to be more artistic movements and groups in American poetry than American fiction. Perhaps because there is less of a "winner takes all" feeling with million dollar advances and movie deals in poetry and more of a "we're in this together" vibe?
I'd add "Moss" by Joe Pace to the list - semi-serious treatmement of the life of a fiction writer
I realize you're focused on literary fiction, but in the world of commercial women's fiction and its stepsibling romance, writers are very well-represented as main characters. A few of the more famous recent examples: Emily Henry's breakout Beach Read (a romance between two competing / collaborating writers, which has almost become its own subgenre), Ally Carter's The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year (a holiday mystery romance starring two mystery writers), Yulin Khang's How to End a Love Story (upmarket romance starring... more writers, working together in a television writing room).
love this !! would recommend shola von reinhold's lote!!!