Protest: Stories of Resistance: 1 (History-into-Fiction) - Hardcover

Sara Maitland; Frank Cottrell Boyce; Stuart Evers; Kit De Waal; David Constantine; Francesca Rhydderch; Jacob Ross; Martyn Bedford; Michelle Green; Kate Clanchy; Alexei Sayle; Laura Hird; Courttia Newland; Juliet Jacques; Maggie Gee; Matthew Holness; Sandra Alland

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1905583737 ISBN 13: 9781905583737

Publisher: Comma Press, 2017

Synopsis

Whatever happened to British protest?

For a nation that brought the world Chartism, the Suffragettes, the Tolpuddle Martyrs, and so many other grassroots social movements, Britain rarely celebrates its long, great tradition of people power.

In this timely and evocative collection, twenty authors have assembled to re-imagine key moments of British protest, from the Peasants Revolt of 1381 to the anti-Iraq War demo of 2003. Written in close consultation with historians, sociologists and eyewitnesses - who also contribute afterwords - these stories follow fictional characters caught up in real-life struggles, offering a street-level perspective on the noble art of resistance.

In the age of fake news and post-truth politics this book fights fiction with (well researched, historically accurate) fiction.

About this title

Review:

'When right-wing populism is seemingly sweeping the west this whistle-stop tour demonstrates the power of people and provides a glimmer of hope and inspiration.' --Big Issue North

'It would be heartening to see more works of historical fiction inspired by Comma Press' approach, serving both to educate and entertain by giving voice once again to people who struggled to make their voices heard in challenging circumstances.' --Disclaimer Magazine

'As the book enters the 20th Century, the chapters become infused with an awareness of the inequalities and discrimination of our age, becoming a call to action. The variety of storytelling ensures that the protests don't feel indistinct or hopeless, yet the injustices described feel depressingly familiar...' --The New Statesman

About the Author:

Sandra Alland is an Edinburgh-based Scottish-Canadian writer, interdisciplinary artist, small press publisher, performer, filmmaker and curator. Martyn Bedford is a British author. He writes novels for adults and teenagers and teaches creative writing. Kate Clanchy works as a teacher, journalist and freelance writer. David Constantine worked for thirty years as a university teacher of German language and literature. Frank Cottrell-Boyce is known for his children's fiction and for his collaborations with film director Michael Winterbottom. Kit de Waal's debut novel, My Name is Leon, is a Times and international bestseller, and shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award, the Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year and the Desmond Elliott Prize. Stuart Evers's first book, Ten Stories About Smoking, was published by Picador in 2011 and won The London Book Award. Sara Maitland is a British writer and feminist. An accomplished novelist, she is also known for her short stories. Joanna Quinn is studying for a PhD in Creative Writing at Goldsmiths, University of London. Francesca Rhydderch's debut novel, The Rice Paper Diaries, was longlisted for the Authors' Club Best First Novel Award and won the Wales Book of the Year Fiction Prize 2014. Jacob Ross is a novelist, short story writer, editor and creative writing tutor and winner of the inaugural Jhalak Prize. Matthew Holness was the creator and star of two Channel 4 comedy shows - Garth Marenghi's Darkplace and Man to Man With Dean Learner. Juliet Jacques is a writer, journalist and critic based in London and her book Trans: A Memoir was runner-up in Polari LGBT Literary Salon s First Book Award for 2016. Maggie Gee Maggie Gee is the author of 14 books including The White Family, My Cleaner and My Driver and she is a Professor of Creative Writing at Bath Spa University. Liverpool-born author Alexei Sayle is a comedian (with numerous TV appearances to his credit, including The Young Ones and Comic Strip in the 80s), novelist and a short story writer. Holly Pester is a poet, writer and researcher. Courttia Newland is the author of seven books. His latest, The Gospel According to Cane, was published in 2013. Laura Hird is a Scottish novelist and short story writer. Martyn Bedford is the award-winning author of five novels for adults and two for young adults and he is currently a senior lecturer in creative writing at Leeds Trinity University. Michelle Green is a British-Canadian writer and spoken word artist. Her debut short story collection, Jebel Marra (Comma Press, 2015) was nominated for a number of national and international awards, and she is now working on her second collection, an audio and digital short story map of Hayling Island. Andy Hedgecock is a freelance writer, researcher and trainer. Andy was co-editor (fiction) of Interzone, Britain s longest-running British sf magazine, from 2006 to 2016.

About this edition

• Publisher: Comma Press
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 1905583737
• ISBN 13: 9781905583737
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 464
• Editor: Ra Page