Biographical Fiction (Paperback)

Professor Michael Lackey

ISBN 10: 1501318004 / ISBN 13: 9781501318009

Published by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, New York, 2016

About this Item

Paperback. In recent years, the biographical novel has become one of the most dominant literary forms-J.M. Coetzee, Margaret Atwood, Hilary Mantel, Colum McCann, Anne Enright, Joyce Carol Oates, Peter Carey, Russell Banks, and Julia Alvarez are just a few luminaries who have published stellar biographical novels. But why did this genre come into being mainly in the 20th century? Is it ethical to invent stories about an actual historical figure? What is biofiction uniquely capable of signifying? Why are so many prominent writers now authoring such works? And why are they winning such major awards? In Biographical Fiction: A Reader, some of the finest scholars and writers of biofiction clarify what led to the rise of this genre, reflect on its nature and form, and specify what it is uniquely capable of doing. Combining primary and critical material, this accessible reader will be invaluable to students, teachers, and scholars of biofiction. In this anthology, authors and scholars of biofiction reflect on, clarify, and define the nature of this unique genre that skilfully and strategically blends the fictional and the factual. This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9781501318009

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Biographical Fiction (Paperback)
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, New York
• Publication Date: 2016
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1501318004
• ISBN 13: 9781501318009
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

In recent years, the biographical novel has become one of the most dominant literary forms-J.M. Coetzee, Margaret Atwood, Hilary Mantel, Colum McCann, Anne Enright, Joyce Carol Oates, Peter Carey, Russell Banks, and Julia Alvarez are just a few luminaries who have published stellar biographical novels. But why did this genre come into being mainly in the 20th century? Is it ethical to invent stories about an actual historical figure? What is biofiction uniquely capable of signifying? Why are so many prominent writers now authoring such works? And why are they winning such major awards? In Biographical Fiction: A Reader, some of the finest scholars and writers of biofiction clarify what led to the rise of this genre, reflect on its nature and form, and specify what it is uniquely capable of doing. Combining primary and critical material, this accessible reader will be invaluable to students, teachers, and scholars of biofiction.

About the Author

Michael Lackey is Distinguished McKnight University Professor of English at the University of Minnesota Morris, USA. He is series editor of Bloomsbury's Biofiction Studies series and author or editor of 13 books, including of The Modernist God State: A Literary Study of the Nazis' Christian Reich (Bloomsbury, 2012), Truthful Fictions: Conversations with American Biographical Novelists (Bloomsbury, 2014), The American Biographical Novel (Bloomsbury, 2016), and Ireland, the Irish, and the Rise of Biofiction (Bloomsbury, 2021). He is also recipient of the Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship, the Fulbright Distinguished Scholar award, and the Obama Institute Fellowship.