Such an interesting and critical question. Speaking from my own personal bias, my first reaction would be to use Maxine Hong Kingston as a guide. I remember when she and David Ulin addressed the issue in a discussion at the LATFOB one year, and she explained why she came down on the side of nonfiction. (The judges for the National Book Award, and those of the National Book Critics Circle Awards seemed to agree with her choice.) But when you bring up Goldman's Say her Name...matters blur. I have no doubt that you'll find the right answer for your wonderful book before its birth.
Such an interesting and critical question. Speaking from my own personal bias, my first reaction would be to use Maxine Hong Kingston as a guide. I remember when she and David Ulin addressed the issue in a discussion at the LATFOB one year, and she explained why she came down on the side of nonfiction. (The judges for the National Book Award, and those of the National Book Critics Circle Awards seemed to agree with her choice.) But when you bring up Goldman's Say her Name...matters blur. I have no doubt that you'll find the right answer for your wonderful book before its birth.
Good call back to Kingston! She really was one of the first to make this leap. But her early work's core was lore, so her nonfiction was inherently fictional and imaginary. She had a naturally factual frame around fictional speculation. Question is: does the reverse also qualify as nonfiction?
Hi Aimee! I love this sort of genre-bending / questioning form. Speculative Memoir. Speculative Autobiography. Fictional Nonfiction. Fictionalized Biography. Love it all! The last book I read in this "genre" was Moonglow by Chabon. On the dust jacket blurb of my edition is this perfect little sentence that describes this form of storytelling to me:
"A lie that tells the truth, a work of fictional nonfiction, an autobiography wrapped in a novel disguised as a memoir."
Moonglow has SOOO many parallels to my book -- I'm ashamed I didn't know about it. But it's also Chabon, so, undoubtedly completely different! Will read asap. Thanks Lucas!
Such an interesting and critical question. Speaking from my own personal bias, my first reaction would be to use Maxine Hong Kingston as a guide. I remember when she and David Ulin addressed the issue in a discussion at the LATFOB one year, and she explained why she came down on the side of nonfiction. (The judges for the National Book Award, and those of the National Book Critics Circle Awards seemed to agree with her choice.) But when you bring up Goldman's Say her Name...matters blur. I have no doubt that you'll find the right answer for your wonderful book before its birth.
Such an interesting and critical question. Speaking from my own personal bias, my first reaction would be to use Maxine Hong Kingston as a guide. I remember when she and David Ulin addressed the issue in a discussion at the LATFOB one year, and she explained why she came down on the side of nonfiction. (The judges for the National Book Award, and those of the National Book Critics Circle Awards seemed to agree with her choice.) But when you bring up Goldman's Say her Name...matters blur. I have no doubt that you'll find the right answer for your wonderful book before its birth.
Good call back to Kingston! She really was one of the first to make this leap. But her early work's core was lore, so her nonfiction was inherently fictional and imaginary. She had a naturally factual frame around fictional speculation. Question is: does the reverse also qualify as nonfiction?
I love the question. To be continued! xo
Hi Aimee! I love this sort of genre-bending / questioning form. Speculative Memoir. Speculative Autobiography. Fictional Nonfiction. Fictionalized Biography. Love it all! The last book I read in this "genre" was Moonglow by Chabon. On the dust jacket blurb of my edition is this perfect little sentence that describes this form of storytelling to me:
"A lie that tells the truth, a work of fictional nonfiction, an autobiography wrapped in a novel disguised as a memoir."
The marketers did their job there. :)
Can't wait to read what you are cooking up!
Lucas
Moonglow has SOOO many parallels to my book -- I'm ashamed I didn't know about it. But it's also Chabon, so, undoubtedly completely different! Will read asap. Thanks Lucas!
Right you are, John. It's all about the specific nature and extent of the mash!