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What follows is an extract from an email which David sent to my disappointed author, turned down on the basis of being 'neither literary nor commercial'. He has a novel suggestion: for the world that loves categories, let's invent a new one.
"Unfortunately, in so many areas of life, it often appears that the modern world isn't much interested in substance, only attractive packaging (and cheapness). However, I think that is only appearance - it will continue to draw the mass of people, but I suspect that, as in the area of food, change is under way and that increasing numbers are seeking something of real substance. It'll probably take a bit longer to work through to food for the mind and spirit, and it may well never be mass market, but I think it will be a growing one.
The only thing that will really satisfy you as a writer is to be true to yourself - to that indefinable something that you connected with in the portrait in the National Gallery, and the love and intrigue that it generated. If you're happy that you are doing justice to that in your writing then be unshakeable ('And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise'). Least of all rewrite out of commercial considerations - unless writing commercially is your true vision.
Frankly, if I were a writer, I'd be quite disheartened if ***** wrote to me "Do you want to write commercial fiction or literary fiction?" How come 'either or', as if these are the only two types of fiction that can be? In fairness, ***** is just reflecting current publisher thinking - but this thinking is basically an accountant's view, and after that it's a marketing team's view, and at the end of the queue there might be a whisper from an editor.
If we must think in genres then I'd like to propose a new one, 'true fiction'. . . This is neither clever packaging of nothing much at all, nor graceful literary pyrotechnics, but fiction which is lit by an inner light and perception, and is true to and manifests that. Not that there haven't been such works, they just haven't been given a genre till now."
2 comments:
I very much like the idea of this genre because fiction is easy and truth is extremely difficult to write. Fiction which embodies and possible partially hides truth is extremely attractive because in my view truth is almost impossible to write in its bareness. even the great scriptures need a deal of unravelling by wise commentators. The idea is to hint at that which lies beyond the worlds of pleasure and righteousness. That needs expression in as many ways as possible. Another purpose is to whet appetites and inspire questions and curiosity.
Comment from Richard Gary, posted by Linda
My own view is that you can’t write ‘truth’, but that you can be true to yourself, or your perception or vision when writing. It may be subliminal, but that comes through in the writing. One of best books I know in the ‘true fiction’ genre is Laurens van der Post’s ‘A Story like the Wind’ – barely a philosophical word in it, but the whole book is irradiated by the sunlight of consciousness and one is transported to ‘be’ that consciousness whilst reading it. That last is a cack-handed way of putting it, and not very advaita-ish, but I think you’ll know what I mean. The book’s a work of fiction, but the impression one gets is that it’s utterly real, utterly honest, utterly alive. I think we’re actually saying the same thing?
Reply from David, posted by Linda
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