The emergence of steampunk as a distinct literary, aesthetic, and cultural movement represents one of the most sophisticated exercises in retro-futuristic speculation within the broader canon of speculative fiction. Defined by its synthesis of nineteenth-century industrial machinery with anachronistic technological advancements, the genre functions as an “uchronia” — an alternative timeline where the trajectory ofContinue reading “The Enduring Engine: Tracing the Intellectual Legacy of Verne and Wells in Steampunk Culture”
Tag Archives: books
The Dissident Mode: Chris Kraus and the Invention of Autotheory
The literary and intellectual trajectory of Chris Kraus represents a significant shift in the landscape of contemporary letters, marking the point at which the traditional boundaries of art criticism, philosophy, and personal narrative dissolved into a new, hybrid form of expression. Born in 1955 in the Bronx and raised in New Zealand, Kraus’s early careerContinue reading “The Dissident Mode: Chris Kraus and the Invention of Autotheory”
Literary Merit in the Digital Age: A 2026 Writing Competition Review
The contemporary publishing industry is currently navigating a period of profound structural disruption, characterised by a fundamental shift in how literary talent is identified, validated, and brought to market. Historically, the transition from manuscript to published work was governed by a rigid hierarchy of gatekeepers, including literary agents, acquisitions editors, and marketing executives. However, theContinue reading “Literary Merit in the Digital Age: A 2026 Writing Competition Review”
The BookTok Revolution
For any writer working in the United Kingdom today, the landscape of the publishing industry can feel as though it has shifted beneath our feet. We have moved from a world where a book’s success was determined by a handful of literary critics and a six-week window on a front-of-store table to a vibrant, chaotic,Continue reading “The BookTok Revolution”
A Christmas Carol: How Charles Dickens Changed the World with Fiction
As writers, we see A Christmas Carol as the definition of the festive season. Everyone has adapted this cosy fireside myth from The Muppets to the Royal Shakespeare Company. However, to view Charles Dickens’s novella merely as a holiday ghost story is to ignore the feverish, desperate, and highly technical process of its creation. ForContinue reading “A Christmas Carol: How Charles Dickens Changed the World with Fiction”
Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Message, and the Physical Courage of Writing
For any collective of writers, whether aspiring novelists, seasoned journalists, or poets navigating the quiet solitude of the draft, the figure of Ta-Nehisi Coates stands as a singular, provocative study in the power of the written word. He is not merely a commentator on the American condition; he is a craftsman who has systematically dismantledContinue reading “Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Message, and the Physical Courage of Writing”
Helen Garner and the Narrative Construction of Self in ‘How to End a Story’
Helen Garner, born in 1942, is widely recognised as one of Australia’s most significant contemporary literary figures. Her career spans multiple genres, including those of novelist, short-story writer, journalist, and screenwriter. Educated at the University of Melbourne, her literary debut, Monkey Grip (1977), was explosive, immediately establishing her as an original and often controversial voiceContinue reading “Helen Garner and the Narrative Construction of Self in ‘How to End a Story’”
The Booker Prize Winner 2025 – David Szalay
The Architecture of Ambition: David Szalay’s Booker Win with Flesh The announcement of David Szalay as the winner of the 2025 Booker Prize for his novel, Flesh, was more than the handing over of an award; it is the validation for one of contemporary literature’s most distinctive and ambitious aesthetic projects. Szalay has long beenContinue reading “The Booker Prize Winner 2025 – David Szalay”
The Booker Prize Short List – Andrew Miller
This is the sixth and last post in which we examine the six writers shortlisted for the 2025 Booker Prize, with the winner to be announced on Monday, 10 November. Andrew Miller, The Art of Undecidability, and the Cold Crucible of The Land in Winter Andrew Miller is one of those rare literary figures whoseContinue reading “The Booker Prize Short List – Andrew Miller”
The Booker Prize Short List – Ben Markovits
This is the fifth of six posts in which we examine the six writers shortlisted for the 2025 Booker Prize, with the winner to be announced on Monday, 10 November. The Architecture of Quiet Confidence: Analysing the Craft of Ben Markovits Ben Markovits’ twelfth novel, The Rest of Our Lives, shortlisted for the 2025 BookerContinue reading “The Booker Prize Short List – Ben Markovits”
The Original Writers Group 