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FIND OUT MORE. Literature 340 • Poetry 343 • Writing 339

348 Arts and Entertainment

Writers

Writers express themselves in words. There are many

different kinds of writers – for instance, journalists

who report for newspapers, and technical writers who

explain how machines work. However, many of the

best-known authors write fiction and are valued for

the way they tell stories and how they use language.

DO WRITERS GO OUT OF FASHION?

Different writers are appreciated at different times. In

the 18th century, writers copied the style of the Greeks

and Romans. The early 19th-century Romantic writers,

such as the English poet John Keats (1795–1821),

valued nature and personal experience. They later

gave way to the Realists, such as the French writer

Victor Hugo (1802–1885), who wrote about politics

and the daily struggles of ordinary people.

IS WRITING FOR CHILDREN DIFFERENT?

Children’s writers feature children as main characters,

and write from the point of view of a child. Children’s

stories often appeal to the imagination and have a lot

of humour. Children’s authors choose subjects that are

part of a child’s world, such as school, as in the Harry

Potter series by J K Rowling (1965–); or the family, as

in Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (1832–1888).

However, many themes of children’s writing appeal

to all ages, such as love, friendship, and adventure.

WHAT MAKES A GOOD WRITER?

A good writer has a style of writing that grips your

attention, whether in a long novel or a short poem.

Style includes creation of characters, use of dialogue

(conversation), descriptive language, and how a piece

of work is structured. Some writers experiment with

language, such as Irish author James Joyce who

invented a highly individual form of English in

his novel Finnegans Wake (1939).

WHAT IS A NARRATOR?

In fiction, the narrator is the person who tells the

story. This can be the author or one of the characters.

First-person narration is when the narrator speaks

from the “I” point of view about events in which he or

she has been personally involved.

WHY DO SOME WRITERS BECOME FAMOUS?

Some writers are famous because they sell lots of

books. Some cause controversy (public debate). Others

win prizes, such as the Nobel Prize for Literature, or

have a successful film made of their book. Writers are

also promoted in schools, colleges, and universities.

1 J K ROWLING

English writer J K Rowling was a struggling author when she wrote her

first Harry Potter novel, published in 1997. Today she has sold hundreds

of millions of books globally and is a multimillionaire and celebrity.

1 ARUNDHATI ROY

This Indian writer (1961–) won the British Booker Prize in 1997 with her

first novel, The God of Small Things. Key literary prizes are the Nobel Prize

for Literature, the Pulitzer Prize, and the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize.

1 WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

Shakespeare (1564–1616) was an

English playwright and poet. His

work deals with human nature so

convincingly that it is understood

around the world. Although his

plays are around 400 years old,

they are still produced today.

1 ERNEST HEMINGWAY

The American author Ernest Hemingway (1899–1961) is famous for his

novels and short stories. His economical style (expressing many ideas

in a few words) has made him a widely admired and imitated writer.

Manuscript was

typed on a typewriter

Handwritten manuscript

Editing is when a writer reads

back over what they have written

and makes changes to improve it

Ink sketch, one of many

that Hugo produced

4 VICTOR HUGO’S DESK

The French writer made sketches

and notes that were the basis of

his manuscripts (the final text).

This manuscript records a journey

on the river Rhine, Germany. It

shows how he edited his work

before publication.

writers