An accessible new reference book on English language fiction that will inspire and enlighten all readers of fiction. With over 1,100 authors and 34 essays on different genres, this guide has an emphasis on twentieth-century fiction and popular classics, but also includes autobiographical fiction and some fiction in translation.
The guide is divided into two main sections. The first describes 34 different subjects and genres in fiction, including Crime, Adventure, Romance, Classics, Humour, Science fiction, and Magical realism. It also covers fiction with connections to places such as France, India, Ireland, and the Caribbean. Each entry is a personal essay by an expert in the field and includes their top twelve recommended titles.
The second part contains alphabetically arranged entries for over 1,100 authors. From Jane Austen to John Grisham, Terry Pratchett to Michael Ondaatje, Barbara Trapido to Irvine Welsh, and Gustave Flaubert to Carlos Fuentes, there are authors to suite everyone's taste. The entries aim to provide a flavour of each writer's work, and give recommendations of which of their books to read. At the end of each entry there are suggestions for further reading, leading you to other writers whose work may be comparable, or that provide an interesting contrast.
This great new guide offers a snapshot of fiction in English at the beginning of the twenty-first century.