Publisher's Synopsis
The nine non-fiction pieces illustrate the myriad dimensions the genre is comprised of today. From memoir to biography, from hybrid to lyric, the work of the 2023 Biography and Creative Non-Fiction cohort forms a beautiful cross-section of the field's furthest frontiers, representing the ever-expanding breadth of the discipline. From reflections on mental illness to recollections on travel, from intricately revived family histories to journeys through previously unknown territories, these works are powerfully gripping in their intelligence and striking in their vulnerability. To engage with them is to be transported to the depths of the heart and returned to the world a changed person-in the way that only the very best non-fiction can do. With forewords by Sharlene Teo and Stephanie Bishop and introductions by Andrew Cowan and Helen Smith, this anthology offers a luminous showcase of new writing talent.
In turn surreal, moving and wickedly funny, the fiction in this anthology represents the best work from the 2023 graduates of UEA's Prose Fiction MA. To read this work is to be transported across time, genre, geography and experience. Delve into speculative visions of London, Dublin and Namibia; explore the complicated histories of New York, Kashmir and interwar Europe. Hear from star-crossed lovers and dysfunctional families, washed-up musicians and record crate diggers, jog through magical woodland in the eucalyptus air, augment your emotions at an underground rave, or play the villain in someone else's story. Meanwhile, a chimpanzee has an existential crisis; twins dabble in cannibalism; a friendly cult welcomes you to Washington. Or celebrate Eid al-Fitr, protest climate change on the Dartford Crossing, and ponder: who did kill Dickie?
