Creative nonfiction is one of my favorite genres and a personal favorite to write, though I don't claim to have any authority on the matter. To be honest, though, I hadn't actually heard of the term until somewhat recently. Creative nonfiction has been around for quite some time, though it has recently been getting an extra special amount of social attention as of the past few years. I've had several people ask me what the hell it is. It's a good question! Creative nonfiction is, as the name might suggest, a factual account which employs literary styles and techniques. The most accurate description that I have found to make sense of this comes from Barbara Lounsberry in The Art of Fact (1), and states, "Verifiable subject matter and exhaustive research guarantee the nonfiction side of literary nonfiction; the narrative form and structure disclose the writer’s artistry; and finally, its polished language reveals that the goal all along has been literature."
So, creative nonfiction is essentially a story which must be derived from fact but employs literary techniques so as to be read like fiction. The most popular books of this genre are most likely memoirs, which have gone through phases of popularity in the past ten years or so. My absolute favorite author in the world happens to primarily write creative nonfiction and is no doubt partially responsible for the boom in memoir popularity, as he has gained a truly inordinate amount of attention for an author. Perhaps unsurprisingly, if you've glanced at my list of favorite books, I am speaking about David Sedaris, and I would recommend all of his books to anyone. When I think about creative nonfiction at its finest, perhaps I do a disservice to all of the authors who came before him when I acknowledge Sedaris first and foremost, but over the years, his books have won a place in my heart which I can now label "creative nonfiction," and which I look forward to expanding.
1. Lounsberry, Barbara. The Art of Fact. Conn: Greenwood Press, 1990. Wikipedia. Web. 18 May 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_nonfiction#cite_note-Louxiii-2>
Nik, right now I'm working on a creative nonfiction memoir myself that interacts with not only the literary style but also an academic style in the sense that I bring in scholars to back up different ideas and thoughts within the narrative. I find this kind of difficult because when I write creatively, I tend to use an entirely different voice than my academic voice. My academic articles, for example, uses a much different style of writing. So my attempted to unite the two has been a bumpy road.
ReplyDeleteVery, very interesting! I had never heard of the actual term but can identify the genre. I have probably read a few of that type. I have read bits and pieces of Me Talk Pretty One Day and had a good reception of Sedaris' writing! Your blog article provokes thought and educates the non-wriers out there! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the new fact! I never really new what creative nonfiction was and I don't believe that i have ever read any creative nonfiction books. After reading you blog I plan to invest in reading a creative nonfiction book!
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