Comments on: The feeling that (literary) life is elsewhere http://nickholdstock.com/2009/01/27/the-feeling-that-literary-life-is-elsewhere/ Edinburgh-based writer Sun, 28 Feb 2010 20:47:05 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: nickholdstock http://nickholdstock.com/2009/01/27/the-feeling-that-literary-life-is-elsewhere/#comment-15 nickholdstock Tue, 27 Jan 2009 17:05:41 +0000 http://nickholdstock.com/?p=162#comment-15 I remembering Eggers' essay annoying me greatly, mainly because he was right. The extent to which McSweeneys has helped us "to love the short story" is quite another matter... I remembering Eggers’ essay annoying me greatly, mainly because he was right. The extent to which McSweeneys has helped us “to love the short story” is quite another matter…

]]> By: Ally http://nickholdstock.com/2009/01/27/the-feeling-that-literary-life-is-elsewhere/#comment-14 Ally Tue, 27 Jan 2009 15:11:26 +0000 http://nickholdstock.com/?p=162#comment-14 I also lament the shortage of quality literary magazines in Scotland and the UK. For an international comparison, it's worth checking out Dave Eggers' introductory essay to Best of McSweeney's Vol. 1. He discusses the state of the short story in the USA. He boasts about its ruddy state of health, and I feel he's right to do so. It puts Britain's literary 'scene' in perspective - we're a country that pretends to punch above its weight in many spheres, but on this front we do worse than many US states. These states have populations lower than ours but still produce middling and decent literary journals that make a good 'living' out of disseminating short fiction and poetry. The UK has, what, only two or three short story-carrying titles that are high profile (on a high street bookshelf). Compare that to a magazine stand in NYC. Umberto Eco highlights the healthy short story/literary culture in the USA in a recent interview too (Paris Review 185). The US has rewarded short story writing for decades longer than us. It's time Scotland (or Britain) did some catching up. (sorry no links to articles cited - can't find them online) I also lament the shortage of quality literary magazines in Scotland and the UK. For an international comparison, it’s worth checking out Dave Eggers’ introductory essay to Best of McSweeney’s Vol. 1. He discusses the state of the short story in the USA. He boasts about its ruddy state of health, and I feel he’s right to do so. It puts Britain’s literary ’scene’ in perspective – we’re a country that pretends to punch above its weight in many spheres, but on this front we do worse than many US states. These states have populations lower than ours but still produce middling and decent literary journals that make a good ‘living’ out of disseminating short fiction and poetry.

The UK has, what, only two or three short story-carrying titles that are high profile (on a high street bookshelf). Compare that to a magazine stand in NYC.

Umberto Eco highlights the healthy short story/literary culture in the USA in a recent interview too (Paris Review 185). The US has rewarded short story writing for decades longer than us. It’s time Scotland (or Britain) did some catching up.

(sorry no links to articles cited – can’t find them online)

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