Literary Journalism across the Globe
320 pages, 6 1/8 x 9 1/4
3
Paperback
Release Date:14 Apr 2011
ISBN:9781558498778
Literary Journalism across the Globe
Journalistic Traditions and Transnational Influences
Edited by John S. Bak and Bill Reynolds
University of Massachusetts Press
At the end of the nineteenth century, several countries were developing journalistic traditions similar to what we identify today as literary reportage or literary journalism. Yet throughout most of the twentieth century, in particular after World War I, that tradition was overshadowed and even marginalized by the general perception among democratic states that journalism ought to be either "objective," as in the American tradition, or "polemical," as in the European. Nonetheless, literary journalism would survive and, at times, even thrive. How and why is a story that is unique to each nation.
Though largely considered an Anglo-American phenomenon today, literary journalism has had a long and complex international history, one built on a combination of traditions and influences that are sometimes quite specific to a nation and at other times come from the blending of cultures across borders. These essays examine this phenomenon from various international perspectives, documenting literary journalism's rich and diverse heritage and describing its development within a global context.
In addition to the editors, contributors include David Abrahamson, Peiqin Chen, Clazina Dingemanse, William Dow, Rutger de Graaf, John Hartsock, Nikki Hessell, Maria Lassila-Merisalo, Edvaldo Pereira Lima, Willa McDonald, Jenny McKay, Sonja Merljak Zdovc, Sonia Parratt, Norman Sims, Isabel Soares,and Soenke Zehle.
Though largely considered an Anglo-American phenomenon today, literary journalism has had a long and complex international history, one built on a combination of traditions and influences that are sometimes quite specific to a nation and at other times come from the blending of cultures across borders. These essays examine this phenomenon from various international perspectives, documenting literary journalism's rich and diverse heritage and describing its development within a global context.
In addition to the editors, contributors include David Abrahamson, Peiqin Chen, Clazina Dingemanse, William Dow, Rutger de Graaf, John Hartsock, Nikki Hessell, Maria Lassila-Merisalo, Edvaldo Pereira Lima, Willa McDonald, Jenny McKay, Sonja Merljak Zdovc, Sonia Parratt, Norman Sims, Isabel Soares,and Soenke Zehle.
This book makes a major contribution to literary journalism scholarship, with a pathbreakingly broad international focus and commendable attention to developing a conceptual framework.'—Nancy Roberts, University of Albany, SUNY
'Literary journalism is a unique and difficult to define concept, as many writers come together to provide an intellectual breakdown of what it means and where it is going in the future. Literary Journalism Across the Globe is an excellent and scholarly addition to any literary criticism collection.'—Midwest Book Review
'This intelligently edited collection of sixteen essays provides not only the first scholarly survey of the field of international literary journalism but also a rudimentary map for future scholars to follow, enhance, and refine. . . .Literary Journalism across the Globe is an important book, a significant scholarly contribution to the field of literary journalism studies.'—Literary Journalism Studies
'It is a thoughtful, scholarly examination of the genre that includes essays by some of the US's leading lights in the field. . . . What makes this collection unique is that it looks at the wider aspects of literary journalism in essays that examine theory, history, and the influences and/or uniqueness of the form across the globe. Highly recommended.'—Choice
'The international scope of this book might boggle the minds of readers whose exposure to literary journalism has been limited to the new Journalism of the 1960s and 1970s America and writers such as Tom Wolfe, Truman Capote, Joan Didion, Norman Mailer, Gay Talese, and Hunter Thompson.'—H-Net Reviews
John Bak is professor of American literature at Nancy-Université in France. Bill Reynolds is assistant professor at the School of Journalism, Ryerson University, Toronto.
