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Write Better: A Lifelong Editor on Craft, Art, and Spirituality
by Andrew T. Le PeauWriting is not easy. But it can get better. In this primer on nonfiction writing, Andrew Le Peau offers insights he has learned as a published author and an editor for over forty years, training, guiding, and cheering on hundreds of writers. Here are skills that writers can master—from finding strong openings and closings, to focusing on an audience, to creating a clear structure, to crafting a persuasive message. With wide-ranging examples from fiction and nonfiction, Le Peau also demystifies aspects of art in writing such as creativity, tone, and metaphor. He considers strategies that can move writers toward fresher, more vital, and perhaps more beautiful expressions of the human condition. One aspect of writing that rarely receives attention is who we are as writers and how writing itself changes us. Self-doubt, fear of criticism, downsides of success, questions of authority, and finding our voice are all a part of the exploration of our spirituality as writers found in these pages. Discover how the act of writing can affect our life in God. Whether you're a veteran writer, an occasional practitioner, a publishing professional, or a student just starting to explore such skills, Le Peau's wit and wisdom can speed you on your way.
Write like a Man: Jewish Masculinity and the New York Intellectuals
by Ronnie GrinbergHow virility and Jewishness became hallmarks of postwar New York&’s combative intellectual sceneIn the years following World War II, the New York intellectuals became some of the most renowned critics and writers in the country. Although mostly male and Jewish, this prominent group also included women and non-Jews. Yet all of its members embraced a secular Jewish machismo that became a defining characteristic of the contemporary experience. Write like a Man examines how the New York intellectuals shared a uniquely American conception of Jewish masculinity that prized verbal confrontation, polemical aggression, and an unflinching style of argumentation.Ronnie Grinberg paints illuminating portraits of figures such as Norman Mailer, Hannah Arendt, Lionel and Diana Trilling, Mary McCarthy, Norman Podhoretz, Midge Decter, and Irving Howe. She describes how their construction of Jewish masculinity helped to propel the American Jew from outsider to insider even as they clashed over its meaning in a deeply anxious project of self-definition. Along the way, Grinberg sheds light on their fraught encounters with the most contentious issues and ideas of the day, from student radicalism and the civil rights movement to feminism, Freudianism, and neoconservatism.A spellbinding chronicle of mid-century America, Write like a Man shows how a combative and intellectually grounded vision of Jewish manhood contributed to the masculinization of intellectual life and shaped some of the most important political and cultural debates of the postwar era.
Writers, Editors and Exemplars in Medieval English Texts (The New Middle Ages)
by Sharon M. RowleyThis collection of essays explores the literary legacy of medieval England by examining the writers, editors and exemplars of medieval English texts. In order to better understand the human agency, creativity and forms of sanctity of medieval England, these essays investigate both the production of medieval texts and the people whose hands and minds created, altered and/or published them. The chapters consider the writings of major authors such as Chaucer, Gower and Wyclif in relation to texts, authors and ideals less well-known today, and in light of the translation and interpretive reproduction of the Bible in Middle English. The essays make some texts available for the first time in print, and examine the roles of historical scholars in the construction of medieval English literature and textual cultures. By doing so, this collection investigates what it means to recover, study and represent some of the key medieval English texts that continue to influence us today.
The Writer's I Ching: Wisdom for the Creative Life
by Elaura Niles Jessica MorrellThe writing life is solitary and challenging, and it takes far more than creativity to become a commercial success. The Writer's I Ching uses the ancient Chinese divination system to provide writers with help mastering the business of writing and choosing the most propitious times to take action. Because writing educators created the book, it also teaches the storyteller and non-fiction craft with lessons suitable for both beginners and seasoned professionals.This unique presentation of the I Ching features a complete deck of 64 cards bound into the book itself. The writer poses a question about how to proceed on a specific fiction or non-fiction project, negotiation, or business matter. He draws an I Ching card and turns to the proper page for the interpretation of that card. Many cases of writer's block have been cured and flashes of insight gained through this simple technique. The I Ching dates back to before Christ and counts among its devotees Confucius, Albert Einstein, and Bob Dylan.
Writing and Grammar 7 (3rd Edition)
by June W. Cates Elizabeth Rose Kimberly Y. Stegall Dawn L. WatkinsWriting and grammar for Christian schools.
Writing and Holiness
by Derek KruegerDrawing on comparative literature, ritual and performance studies, and the history of asceticism, Derek Krueger explores how early Christian writers came to view writing as salvific, as worship through the production of art. Exploring the emergence of new and distinctly Christian ideas about authorship in late antiquity, Writing and Holiness probes saints' lives and hymns produced in the Greek East to reveal how the ascetic call to imitate Christ's humility rendered artistic and literary creativity problematic. In claiming authority and power, hagiographers appeared to violate the saintly practices that they sought to promote. Christian writers meditated within their texts on these tensions and ultimately developed a new set of answers to the question "What is an author?"Each of the texts examined here used writing as a technique for the representation of holiness. Some are narrative representations of saints that facilitate veneration; others are collections of accounts of miracles, composed to publicize a shrine. Rather than viewing an author's piety as a barrier to historical inquiry, Krueger argues that consideration of writing as a form of piety opens windows onto new modes of practice. He interprets Christian authors as participants in the religious system they described, as devotees, monastics, and faithful emulators of the saints, and he shows how their literary practice integrated authorship into other Christian practices, such as asceticism, devotion, pilgrimage, liturgy, and sacrifice. In considering the distinctly literary contributions to the formation of Christian piety in late antiquity, Writing and Holiness uncovers Christian literary theories with implications for both Eastern and Western medieval literatures.
Writing and Renunciation in Medieval Japan: The Works of the Poet-Priest Kamo no Chomei (Michigan Monograph Series in Japanese Studies #21)
by Rajyashree PandeyThis is the first monograph-length study in English of Kamo no Chomei, one of the most important literary figures of medieval Japan. Drawing upon a wide range of writings in a variety of genres from the Heian and Kamakura periods, Pandey focuses on the terms kyogen kigo (wild words and fancy phrases), shoji soku nehan (samsara is nirvana), hoben (expedient means), and suki (single-minded devotion to an art). She shows how these terms deployed by writers in an attempt to reconcile literary and artistic activities with a commitment to Buddhism. By locating Chomei within this broad context, the book offers an original reading of his texts, while at the same time casting a light upon intellectual preoccupations that were central to the times. Writing and Renunciation in Medieval Japan is an important contribution to a growing body of work that challenges the rigid distinction between the religious and literary—a distinction that would have made little sense to medieval writers, many of whom were poets as well as priests—and sheds light on the particular ways in which a religio-aesthetic tradition came to be articulated in medieval Japan. Through an examination of records left by Chomei's contemporaries, the book also traces the life of Chomei, particularly his activities as a court poet and the circumstances that led to his taking the tonsure.
Writing and Rewriting the Story of Solomon in Ancient Israel
by Isaac KalimiSolomon's image as a wise king and the founder of Jerusalem Temple has become a fixture of Jewish, Christian, and Islamic literature. Yet, there are essential differences between the portraits of Solomon that are presented in the Hebrew Bible. In this volume, Isaac Kalimi explores these differences, which reflect divergent historical contexts, theological and didactic concepts, stylistic and literary techniques, and compositional methods among the biblical historians. He highlights the uniqueness of each portrayal of Solomon - his character, birth, early life, ascension, and temple-building - through a close comparison of the early and late biblical historiographies. Whereas the authors of Samuel-Kings stay closely to their sources and offer an apology for Solomon's kingship, including its more questionable aspects, the Chronicler freely rewrites his sources in order to present the life of Solomon as he wished it to be. The volume will serve scholars and students seeking to understand biblical texts within their ancient Near Eastern contexts.
Writing as Enlightenment: Buddhist American Literature into the Twenty-first Century (SUNY series in Buddhism and American Culture)
by John Whalen-Bridge Gary StorhoffThis timely book explores how Buddhist-inflected thought has enriched contemporary American literature. Continuing the work begun in The Emergence of Buddhist American Literature, editors John Whalen-Bridge and Gary Storhoff and the volume's contributors turn to the most recent developments, revealing how mid-1970s through early twenty-first-century literature has employed Buddhist texts, principles, and genres. Just as Buddhism underwent indigenization when it moved from India to Tibet, to China, and to Japan, it is now undergoing that process in the United States. While some will find literary creativity in this process, others lament a loss of authenticity. The book begins with a look at the American reception of Zen and at the approaches to Dharma developed by African Americans. The work of consciously Buddhist and Buddhist-influenced writers such as Don DeLillo, Gary Snyder, and Jackson Mac Low is analyzed, and a final section of the volume contains interviews and discussions with contemporary Buddhist writers. These include an interview with Gary Snyder; a discussion with Maxine Hong Kingston and Charles Johnson; and discussions of competing American and Asian values at the Beat- and Buddhist-inspired writing program at Naropa University with poets Joanne Kyger, Reed Bye, Keith Abbott, Andrew Schelling, and Elizabeth Robinson.
The Writing Desk
by Rachel HauckFrom the New York Times bestselling author of The Wedding Dress comes a new captivating novel of secrets, romance, and two women bound together across time by a shared dream.Tenley Roth’s first book was a runaway bestseller. Now that her second book is due, she’s locked in fear. Can she repeat her earlier success or is she a fraud who has run out of inspiration?With pressure mounting from her publisher, Tenley is weighted with writer’s block. But when her estranged mother calls asking Tenley to help her through chemotherapy, she packs up for Florida where she meets handsome furniture designer Jonas Sullivan and discovers the story her heart’s been missing.A century earlier, another woman wrote at the same desk with hopes and fears of her own. Born during the Gilded Age, Birdie Shehorn is the daughter of the old money Knickerbockers. Under the strict control of her mother, her every move is decided ahead of time, even whom she’ll marry. But Birdie has dreams she doesn’t know how to realize. She wants to tell stories, write novels, make an impact on the world. When she discovers her mother has taken extreme measures to manipulate her future, she must choose between submission and security or forging a brand new way all on her own.Tenley and Birdie are from two very different worlds, but fate has bound them together in a way time cannot erase.
Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within (Shambhala Pocket Classics Ser.)
by Julia Cameron Natalie GoldbergFor more than thirty years Natalie Goldberg has been challenging and cheering on writers with her books and workshops. In her groundbreaking first book, she brings together Zen meditation and writing in a new way. Writing practice, as she calls it, is no different from other forms of Zen practice--"it is backed by two thousand years of studying the mind."This thirtieth-anniversary edition includes new forewords by Julia Cameron and Bill Addison. It also includes a new preface in which Goldberg reflects on the enduring quality of the teachings here. She writes, "What have I learned about writing over these thirty years? I've written fourteen books, and it's the practice here in Bones that is the foundation, sustaining and building my writing voice, that keeps me honest, teaches me how to endure the hard times and how to drop below discursive thinking, to taste the real meat of our minds and the life around us."
Writing Down Your Soul: How to Activate and Listen to the Extraordinary Voice Within
by Janet ConnerWrite to Explore Your Deep Spiritual Soul“…if you think this book is not for you because you are a writer and don’t need another writing book, think again!” —Sherry Richert Belul, author of Say it Now #1 Best Seller in New Age & Spirituality, Graphology, Parapsychology, Handwriting Analysis, Creativity, and Journaling “I am a writer. Today I write.” These are the opening lines in the Writing Blessing that author Janet Conner has spoken daily since 2007.Journal-writing and divine dialogue. Janet Conner is a writer, poet, and spiritual field guide, but first and always a deep spiritual soul explorer. Since she discovered how to activate a divine Voice by slipping into the theta brain wave state (border between the conscious and the subconscious) while writing, Janet has dedicated herself to exploring and sharing what it means to live at the vibrant intersection of the visible and the invisible.Your healing inner voice. After hitting rock bottom while escaping domestic abuse, Janet’s inner voice told her to start writing. As she wrote, she gained clarity and strength, and felt an incredible connection to the divine. Today, research scientists are providing peeks into consciousness and how it works. Their findings give clues about what is happening in our bodies, minds, and spirits as we roll pen across paper. Writing Down Your Soul explores this research and instructs how to access the power and beauty of our deepest selves.Life-changing power of writing. Of all the ways to get in touch with God, why take the time to write? One reason: it works. It works amazingly well. If you want to engage in a vibrant conversation with the wisdom that dwells just below your conscious awareness, write. Write every day, at approximately the same time, with passion, honesty, and the intention of speaking with and listening to the voice within.You liked Expressive Writing, Opening Up by Writing It Down, or Writing as a Path to Awakening? You’ll love Writing Down Your Soul!
Writing Fiction [in High School]: Bringing Your Stories To Life!
by Sharon WatsonDoes your teen love to write stories? Does he or she want to be a positive Christian influence in the world through fiction? WRITING FICTION [IN HIGH SCHOOL] is written to the student in a conversational tone and requires only minimal parental/teacher guidance. It's packed with literally hundreds of age-appropriate, real-fiction examples from classics, best-sellers, and movies so students can learn how to write their own intriguing short stories or novels. Your students will study and practice essential elements of story writing: an empathetic protagonist, effective dialog, voice, characterization, scenes, plots, the hero's journey, and much more. In addition, they'll discuss important ideas about fiction in their groups formed from class members, co-op classes, or friends. WRITING FICTION [IN HIGH SCHOOL] refers to The Last Book in the Universe by Rodman Philbrick (sold separately) in many of its chapters. Sharon Watson recommends purchasing that book and using it with the textbook so students can more easily see how a complete novel and its elements work. An optional manuscript track is included in the course; this way, students who have written a short story or novel manuscript can work on it. Prerequisites: none. Be sure to grab WRITING FICTION [IN HIGH SCHOOL] : TEACHER'S GUIDE, a practical guide that contains an answer key, along with books or movies needed for each chapter. WRITING FICTION [IN HIGH SCHOOL] is written by Sharon Watson, author of the popular middle school composition curriculum JUMP IN, and is specially designed for your homeschool, private school, or Christian teen. THE NEW VERSION IS COMPATIBLE WITH THE ORIGINAL VERSION.
Writing for Life and Ministry: A Practical Guide to the Writing Process for Teachers and Preachers
by Brandon J O'BrienIs Your Biggest Ministry Obstacle Writer&’s Block?As an active member in ministry, writing is usually inevitable. Perhaps you approach these opportunities with excitement—or maybe you procrastinate to avoid the task altogether, your pages remaining forever blank. No matter how you feel about writing, approaching a project can be overwhelming. Knowing what to say can be as confusing as knowing where to begin.Perhaps for you, the first step in the writing process is simply to demystify the writing process, to realize that you are capable of accomplishing your projects. If so, then Writing for Life and Ministry is for you. Seasoned writer and writing coach Brandon J. O&’Brien examines the obstacles that often inhibit ministry leaders from thriving as writers. Most importantly, he simplifies the writing process, so it is both accessible and flexible to fit your style.Don&’t let the craft of writing keep you from flourishing in your ministries. With this resource, you&’ll learn how to plan, draft, and revise. The included exercises will enable you to hone your craft and develop your skills. Best of all, you&’ll be ready to tackle that writing project you&’ve been putting off with confidence.
Writing for Life and Ministry: A Practical Guide to the Writing Process for Teachers and Preachers
by Brandon J O'BrienIs Your Biggest Ministry Obstacle Writer&’s Block?As an active member in ministry, writing is usually inevitable. Perhaps you approach these opportunities with excitement—or maybe you procrastinate to avoid the task altogether, your pages remaining forever blank. No matter how you feel about writing, approaching a project can be overwhelming. Knowing what to say can be as confusing as knowing where to begin.Perhaps for you, the first step in the writing process is simply to demystify the writing process, to realize that you are capable of accomplishing your projects. If so, then Writing for Life and Ministry is for you. Seasoned writer and writing coach Brandon J. O&’Brien examines the obstacles that often inhibit ministry leaders from thriving as writers. Most importantly, he simplifies the writing process, so it is both accessible and flexible to fit your style.Don&’t let the craft of writing keep you from flourishing in your ministries. With this resource, you&’ll learn how to plan, draft, and revise. The included exercises will enable you to hone your craft and develop your skills. Best of all, you&’ll be ready to tackle that writing project you&’ve been putting off with confidence.
Writing Friendship: A Reciprocal Ethnography (Palgrave Studies in Literary Anthropology)
by Paloma Gay y Blasco Liria HernándezThis book tells the remarkable story of the friendship between Liria Hernández, a Roma woman from Madrid, and Paloma Gay y Blasco, a non-Roma anthropologist. In this unique reciprocal experiment, the former informant returns the gaze to write about the anthropologist, her life and her environment. Through finely crafted and deeply moving text, Hernández and Gay y Blasco suggest new ways of doing and writing anthropology. The dialogue between Hernández and Gay y Blasco provides a courageous account of the entanglements and rewards of anthropological research. Drawing on letters, conversations, and fieldnotes gathered over twenty-five years, each of the authors talks about herself, the other, and the impact of anthropology on their two lives. They examine their intertwined trajectories as Spanish women and reflect on the challenges of devising their own reciprocal genre. Blending ethnography, life story and memoir, they undermine the dichotomy between author and subject around which scholarship still revolves.
Writing from Left to Right: My Journey from Liberal to Conservative
by Michael Novak"In heavy seas, to stay on course it is indispensable to lean hard left at times, then hard right. The important thing is to have the courage to follow your intellect. Wherever the evidence leads. To the left or to the right." -Michael Novak Engagingly, writing as if to old friends and foes, Michael Novak shows how Providence (not deliberate choice) placed him in the middle of many crucial events of his time: a month in wartime Vietnam, the student riots of the 1960s, the Reagan revolution, the collapse of the Berlin Wall, Bill Clinton's welfare reform, and the struggles for human rights in Iraq and Afghanistan. He also spent fascinating days, sometimes longer, with inspiring leaders like Sargent Shriver, Bobby Kennedy, George McGovern, Jack Kemp, Václav Havel, President Reagan, Lady Thatcher, and Pope John Paul II, who helped shape--and reshape--his political views. Yet through it all, as Novak's sharply etched memoir shows, his focus on helping the poor and defending universal human rights remained constant; he gradually came to see building small businesses and envy-free democracies as the only realistic way to build free societies. Without economic growth from the bottom up, democracies are not stable. Without protections for liberties of conscience and economic creativity, democracies will fail. Free societies need three liberties in one: economic liberty, political liberty, and liberty of spirit. Novak's writing throughout is warm, fast paced, and often very beautiful. His narrative power is memorable.
Writing God's Obituary
by Anthony B. PinnA former African American minister reveals his unusual journey from faith to atheism. Anthony Pinn preached his first sermon at age twelve. At eighteen he became one of the youngest ordained ministers in his denomination. He then quickly moved up the ministerial ranks. Eventually he graduated from Columbia University and then received a Master of Divinity in theology and a PhD in religion from Harvard University. All the while, Pinn was wrestling with a growing skepticism. As his intellectual horizons expanded, he became less and less confident in the theism of his upbringing. At the same time, he became aware that his church could offer only anemic responses to the acute social needs of the community. In his mid-twenties, he finally decided to leave the ministry and committed the rest of his life to academia. He went on to become a distinguished scholar of African American humanism and religious history. The once fully committed believer evolved into an equally committed nonbeliever convinced that a secular approach to life offers the best hope of solving humanity's problems.From the Trade Paperback edition.
Writing & Grammar 9
by Elizabeth Rose Dawn L. Watkins Denise L. Patton Dana Gibby GagePeople study language for a variety of reasons. Some study in order to secure a job that pays better; some study to make good grades or to impress others with their vocabulary and knowledge. Some may actually study grammar and mechanics for the fun of it! You might ask yourself whether those reasons are good ones. Why should a Christian study the English language? Christians should study language and any other subject seriously because of Who God is. Just think about the fact that the God of the universe used language to bring the world into existence (Gen. 1:3)! God created every man and woman in His own image, and He called mankind to exercise dominion over the earth. Exercising dominion is accomplished in part through man's use of language (Gen. 1:28; 2:19-20). Perhaps the most exciting aspect of English study is the part language plays in God's plan to redeem the world to Himself (John 1:1-18). Part of that plan could be for Christians to use language for redemptive purposes. One example of such a redemptive purpose might be writing a play that confronts an audience with a distinctively Christian way to handle conflict. Blogging from a biblical worldview about issues facing the culture would be another example.
Writing History, Constructing Religion
by James G. Crossley Christian KarnerWriting History, Constructing Religion presents a much-needed interdisciplinary exploration of the significance of debates among historians, scholars of religion and cultural theorists over the 'nature' of history to the study of religion. The distinguished authors discuss issues related to definitions of history, postmodernism, critical theory, and the impact on the study and analysis of religious traditions; exploring the application of writing 'history from below', discussions of 'truth' and 'objectivity' as opposed to power and ideology, crises of representation, and the place of theory in the 'historicized' study of religion(s). Addressing conceptual debates in a wide range of historical and empirical contexts, the authors critically engage with issues including religious nationalism, Nazism, Islam and the West, secularism, religion in post-Communist Russia, ethnicity and post modernity. This book constitutes a significant step towards the self-reflexive and interdisciplinary study of religions in history.
Writing Home: A Quaker Immigrant on the Ohio Frontier; the Letters of Emma Botham Alderson
by Emma AldersonWriting Home offers readers a firsthand account of the life of Emma Alderson, an otherwise unexceptional English immigrant on the Ohio frontier in mid-nineteenth-century America, who documented the five years preceding her death with astonishing detail and insight. Her convictions as a Quaker offer unique perspectives on racism, slavery, and abolition; the impending war with Mexico; presidential elections; various religious and utopian movements; and the practices of everyday life in a young country. Introductions and notes situate the letters in relation to their critical, biographical, literary, and historical contexts. Editor Donald Ulin discusses the relationship between Alderson’s letters and her sister Mary Howitt’s Our Cousins in Ohio (1849), a remarkable instance of transatlantic literary collaboration. Writing Home offers an unparalleled opportunity for studying immigrant correspondence due to Alderson’s unusually well-documented literary and religious affiliations. The notes and introductions provide background on nearly all the places, individuals, and events mentioned in the letters. Published by Bucknell University Press. Distributed worldwide by Rutgers University Press.
Writing in the Margins: Connecting with God on the Pages of Your Bible
by Lisa Nichols HickmanNo other time-honored spiritual practice is as immediate, raw, and engaged with Scripture as writing--responding to God--in the margins of the Bible. Composers like Bach to theologians like Barth, botanists and saints--all have written their thoughts directly in their Bibles. In doing so they engaged their fullest selves with our most significant text. Some people have lived with Scripture all their lives and yet feel estranged from it. This book inspires a new encounter with "the living Word"--and jump-starts a deep, creative, and hands-on approach to reading Scripture. As you sit, with pencil, pen, crayon, or marker in hand and Bible in lap, at whatever edges of life you are living within, now that invitation is yours. The creative practice of writing in the margins creates a divine conversation that transforms and guides. Meet God in the margins. Let God shape your character from the living interaction on the pages of your Bible. Writing in the Margins is a book about making connections on the pages of your Bible--and introduces a devotional and scriptural path of engagement that is life-changing.
Writing In the Sand: Jesus And The Soul Of The Gospels
by Thomas MooreIn his latest book, Writing in the Sand, Thomas Moore finds striking new meaning in the rich stories and imagery of the Gospels, recasting Jesus not as a teacher of morals and beliefs but as a spiritual visionary with a radical vision for humanity. This highly original take on the Gospels offers a fresh, new way of imagining human life and society. It presents Jesus not as the founder of a religion but as a world reformer offering a spiritual path to everyone, from every background. It offers a personal spirituality fit for the twenty-first century, where the individual bears responsibility for meaning and for a creative, convivial way of life. In his examination of the original Greek texts, Moore dismisses the cautionary voice of tradition and explores the deeper significance of language, stressing the origins of words and the many levels of meaning in stories and imagery. Through his study, Moore shows that the teachings of Jesus are challenging in a far different way than the moralism often associated with them. Based on being open to life, deepening your understanding, and giving up all defensiveness around your convictions, the Gospels can be the source of a new kind of certainty and stability that cannot be codified and enshrined in a list of rules. Writing in the Sand presents the essence of Jesus’ teachings and offers a way of understanding them intelligently and devotedly in the twenty-first century.
Writing Indians and Jews
by Anna GuttmanWriting Indians and Jews examines discursive practices surrounding the representation of Jews and Jewishness in Indian literature in English. These investigations make an important contribution to the study of contemporary South Asian and diasporic literature, and understandings of anti-Semitism, religious fundamentalism, and globalization.
Writing Islam from a South Asian Muslim Perspective: Rushdie, Hamid, Aslam, Shamsie
by Madeline ClementsThis book explores whether the post-9/11 novels of Rushdie, Hamid, Aslam and Shamsie can be read as part of an attempt to revise modern ‘knowledge’ of the Islamic world, using globally-distributed English-language literature to reframe Muslims’ potential to connect with others. Focussing on novels including Shalimar the Clown, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, The Wasted Vigil, and Burnt Shadows, the author combines aesthetic, historical, political and spiritual considerations with analyses of the popular discourses and critical discussions surrounding the novels; and scrutinises how the writers have been appropriated as authentic spokespeople by dominant political and cultural forces. Finally, she explores how, as writers of Indian and Pakistani origin, Rushdie, Hamid, Aslam and Shamsie negotiate their identities, and the tensions of being seen to act as Muslim representatives, in relation to the complex international and geopolitical context in which they write.