logo
Contemporary fiction is getting boring

Contemporary fiction is getting boring

New European14-04-2025

Before this, I raced through John O'Hara's Appointment in Samarra, which details the last days of Julian English, and the minutiae of life in small-town Pennsylvania in the 1920s. It doesn't sound thrilling but it was; there was a real rhythm to it, and each character was remarkably full of life.
I have, over the past few years, become quite obsessed with reading fantasy books. My most recent outing was Maud Martha, by Gwendolyn Brooks. Over around 150 short, snappy but beautiful pages, the author goes through the life of a Black woman in America, from the early 20th century until after the war. The prose is gorgeous, and each vignette is both engrossing and deeply poetic.
At the end of last year I picked up Utz, by Bruce Chatwin, and found it to be both charming and quite amazingly quirky. Why should I care about the trials and tribulations of an odd little Czechoslovakian man whose obsession in life is to collect Meissen porcelain? Well, why shouldn't I?
Now, you may be reading this and thinking: huh. There's a problem here. She doesn't know what 'fantasy' means, does she? Where are the dragons, the knights, the people with superpowers, all of it? And I will take your point, kindly, but argue that I absolutely meant what I wrote.
These books are fantasy to me, not because of what's in them, but because of what isn't. Maud Martha's life goes on and on and she has to deal with the world changing around her, but she never has to use a mobile phone. Julian English has 99 problems but, bless him, an overly full inbox isn'never know: it hadn't even been invented when the book was being written.
What these novels have in common is that they feel entirely removed from the life I lead. Reading them is like going on holiday to a distant, foreign land, both because they take me to eras and countries I've never experienced but, crucially, because the lack of technology in them means that I get to truly switch off. It is no exaggeration to say that they have changed my life.
I didn't even plan for any of it to happen. It was a happy accident. A few years ago, I finally managed to get back into reading fiction after around a decade of trying and failing to reconnect with the bookworm I'd been as a child. It was brilliant, but presented me with an unforeseen problem: how to afford all these books I now yearned to read?
The one trick I'd found to truly get back into books – here I am, passing it on for free! – was to guiltlessly give up on any novel I didn't find enjoyable after even just a dozen pages. Trying to push through just annoyed me too much, and would put me off books again for months at a time. It wasn't worth it.
Again, though, there was that one issue I started facing. How was I, a person of reasonable but hardly remarkable means, supposed to afford to buy 60, 70 books a year? I have a busy life. I go out a lot, exercise a lot, and require foreign sun several times a year. I just didn't have all this money to spare.
The solution I found was to start spending a lot of time in second-hand bookshops. There, I could buy endless novels for two or three quid a go, and remorselessly get rid of the ones I just couldn't get into. Over time, a pattern started developing: instead of searching for new releases, I began looking for increasingly obscure books.
Zeitgeisty, recent releases didn't really attract me anymore, but I started living for odd, forgotten, sometimes out-of-print novels which would surprise me. It's how I found Sandor Marai's Embers, which turned out to be a Hungarian classic, and John Rechy's City of Night, which I now regard as life-changing.
Freed from this obsession with keeping up with contemporary literature, I opened a door to an entire century's worth of works, from across the globe. It's one of the best things that's happened to me, and I feel much richer for having stepped into that new, old world. It's also made me question the choices of today's publishing industry.
Is it really true that people want to read novels where characters spend their time at their desks or glued to their phones? Do readers really want to escape by learning about people who act and sound the same as them? Maybe they do! But I worry that they're missing out. My foray into second-hand reading has brought me to charming, tiny little books and to very long ones with countless extraneous tangents.
It's shown me complex, unknowable characters and transported me to worlds which couldn't be more foreign from my own. Isn't that what reading ought to be about? Oh, and if you're after one more recommendation: I'm currently devouring The Queen Necklace, written by Antal Szerb in 1943. It's a riot. No, really, it is. Trust me.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

‘I bought 5 Nobody's Child dresses for an event and one got so many compliments'
‘I bought 5 Nobody's Child dresses for an event and one got so many compliments'

Daily Mirror

time7 hours ago

  • Daily Mirror

‘I bought 5 Nobody's Child dresses for an event and one got so many compliments'

With a formal awards ceremony in the calendar, I turned to one of my favourite high street fashion brands to see if I could find the perfect dress without breaking the bank Dressing for formal events such as weddings, graduations and evening 'dos can be tricky – you want to meet the dress code yet still be fairly comfortable, and ideally don't want to spend a fortune on an outfit you're unlikely to wear very often. And so when I was invited to a work awards ceremony and found myself with nothing to wear, I immediately clicked onto the Nobody's Child website – a favourite of mine for pretty and flattering dresses for all occasions. I bought five different styles to try on – including one with pockets and a £69 surprise hit – and the one I ended up wearing was a surprise last-minute addition to my basket; it was worth it though, as it received so many compliments from other guests that evening... Red Nova Midi Dress £85 here This colour was a real curveball for me, as I never wear red, and rarely stray from black, however I was really pleasantly surprised by how much I like this colour on me. The dress was super comfortable and gets bonus points for having pockets. I didn't keep it in the end as I felt like it was more of an everyday dress than an evening one, but it has encouraged me to be a bit braver with colour. If you're looking for an alternative, New Look's Red Puff Sleeve Midi Dress is £29.99. Black Ruffle Tiered Cassidy Midi Dress £89 here This is the one that I thought would be my favourite it reminds me of an old favourite Reformation dress I own, but it actually didn't suit me as much as I though when it was on; again, it was too casual for the occasion, and the waistband sat too high on me – under my bust rather than on my waist. It was very light and breezy for summer though, and again, loved the pockets! New Look does another alternative to this here too, the Black Multiway Tiered Midi Dress, priced at £55.99. Black Balloon Sleeve Zola Mini Dress £99 here Something slightly different from the others, but I really loved this one. I loved the flattering balloon sleeves, and how cute it looked with chunky heels. There were two reasons why I didn't pick it, however: one, I thought the hem was a bit short for a work event, and two, I'd be getting ready by myself in a hotel room, and would have no one to tie up the bow on the back for me. This would be great for Christmas parties, though. Topshop clean trapeze mini dress in black, £55, is a similar shape. Black Tiered Clara Midi Dress £69 here I thought I would hate this one as I dislike anything that clings or skims the body, but this was a surprise hit. It's way more flattering and slimming than I thought, plus you can wear a bra with it (unlike most of these other options), and it folds up very small in a suitcase (like this £39 Next dress). It was a close contender, pipped only to the post by... Black Puff Sleeve Zora Midi Dress £130 here ...the Zora dress, which was the one I wore, and which got me so many compliments. I loved the flattering shape, the statement sleeves and the little flash of skin from the slash neck and low back (you can probably still get away with wearing a bra though). Although more expensive than the others, I felt so comfortable in this, and know I'll get loads of wear out of it.

Khaby Lame detained by ICE: TikTok star has left the US
Khaby Lame detained by ICE: TikTok star has left the US

The Herald Scotland

time16 hours ago

  • The Herald Scotland

Khaby Lame detained by ICE: TikTok star has left the US

Born in Senegal, Lame is now a citizen of Italy, where he has spent the majority of his life. Entering the U.S. on April 30, Lame "overstayed the terms of his visa," according to ICE, and was granted voluntary departure once detained. Online, young female OnlyFans stars make their lives look aspirational. Is it problematic? Why is Khaby Lame famous? The 25-year-old content creator has one of the most recognizable faces on the internet. Rising to fame during the pandemic, after being laid off from his factory job in Italy in March of 2020, Lame's signature video style involves him following along as another creator demonstrates a complicated life hack, then completing the task himself with ease, often wordlessly, and shooting a knowing look at the camera. Using the hashtag "learnfromkhaby" on many of his videos, Lame's fame is more akin to the internet stardom of yore, in which an exasperated look or a quick humorous bit, stripped of any high production value or product placement, could take off on Vine. Lame attended the 2025 Met Gala in May, celebrating the theme of Black dandyism in style with a bespoke gray zoot suit-style ensemble. Beyond internet stardom, he is also an ambassador for men's clothing house Boss, Blockchain platform Binance and Unicef, a humanitarian aid organization. The biggest moments from the 2025 Met Gala: Rihanna, Diana Ross, more red carpet highlights Lame's detainment comes amid a larger immigration crackdown spearheaded by President Donald Trump. Following through on a campaign promise for mass deportations, under Trump's advisement, ICE launched raids across the country, from classrooms to workplaces to airports. The move has been met with some resistance among the general public and the courts, who argue that some of the deportations have robbed people of due process and that, in the case of separated families, they embody a cruelty discordant with America's values.

Return of the Mack star Mark Morrison's team hit out as battery charge dropped
Return of the Mack star Mark Morrison's team hit out as battery charge dropped

Daily Mirror

timea day ago

  • Daily Mirror

Return of the Mack star Mark Morrison's team hit out as battery charge dropped

Mark Morrison, whose song Return of the Mack topped the UK charts in 1996, was taken into custody on Saturday but denied that any battery occurred at Le Bar à Vin in Palm Beach, Florida A battery charge against British singer Mark Morrison - best known for his 1996 hit Return of the Mack - has been dropped. The musician, 51, was taken into custody on Saturday after an alleged altercation at Le Bar à Vin in Palm Beach, Florida. However, the star's lawyers have today confirmed he was at the restaurant to talk to the manager and attempt to collect payment on behalf of a local singer who had performed at the venue. ‌ Although the "conversation escalated", Mr Morrison's lawyers said no physical altercation happened and now police have been able to dismiss the battery charge. In a statement, King Legal Group said: "The decision to nolle prosse (formally decline prosecution) ends what should never have been a criminal matter in the first place. ‌ "Mr Morrison has consistently and unequivocally denied that any battery occurred. There was no physical altercation—only a demand for fairness and accountability. The evidence never supported criminal intent or conduct." The legal team explained how Mr Morrison, whose track Return of the Mack spent two weeks as UK number one in April 1996, values standing up for what he believes in. However, they suggested race may have played a role in how the singer was treated. "While we are relieved the State has dismissed the charge, the underlying context cannot be ignored. The refusal to pay — coupled with how quickly the situation was criminalised — raises legitimate concerns about whether race played a role in how Mr Morrison was treated. It's not lost on us that advocating for fair pay, especially as a Black man in a position of leadership, can be met with suspicion instead of dialogue," the statement added. "Mr Morrison has spent years supporting local artists and standing up for what's right. That won't change. He is grateful for those who stood by him, and he remains committed to uplifting the artistic community in Palm Beach County and beyond. Towards that end, and in furtherance of Mr Morrison's commitment to his community, he is donating the $1000.00 (£730) bond used to secure his appearance, to Little Smiles, a local children's charity." Mr Morrison posed for a mugshot in a blue jumpsuit before he was released on Sunday morning. The musician has had a long history of both musical success and legal troubles. He burst onto the music scene in the mid-90s, enjoyed significant success with Return of the Mack. The song became an anthem of its time, widely regarded as one of the defining tracks of the 1990s R&B movement. Its success propelled Mr Morrison into the spotlight, and he quickly became one of the genre's most promising stars.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store