CREATIVE NONFICTION

'Creative nonfiction' should not be confused with "literary journalism" and "narrative journalism." Creative nonfiction is a type of writing which uses literary skills in the writing of nonfiction. A work of creative nonfiction, if well written, contains accurate and well-researched information and also holds the interest of the reader. Creative nonfiction is contrasted with "research nonfiction" which may contain accurate information, but may not be particularly well written and may not hold the attention of the reader very well. Literary journalism is, first and foremost, journalism, i.e., writing done from reporting, which excludes much other nonfiction like the essay. Literary journalism is a style of writing that combines the storytelling elements of fiction with the truth-telling elements of traditional journalism.
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Narrative nonfiction is a type of creative nonfiction which tells a story, for example, ''Black Hawk Down'' by Mark Bowden. ''Black Hawk Down'' began as a series of newspaper and Internet articles. Its availability as an Internet series gave the author the benefit of extensive feedback from viewers. Bob Woodward of ''The Washington Post'' is also noted for his skills at narrative nonfiction, in books like ''All the President's Men'' and ''Bush at War''.
There has been a recent movement among younger writers in the craft to adopt a more liberal meaning of the term "creative nonfiction". Some writers consider certain forms, most notably poetry, to be an acceptable form of creative nonfiction in certain cases. For example, works by L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E poets - such as Lyn Hejinian's ''My Life'', based in the structures of memoir while formally being linkages of separate poems - may be considered by some as creative nonfiction, or the total opposite by others. While these debates may not be resolved anytime soon, they do indicate that creative nonfiction is a growing and developing genre.

Contents

Noted practitioners of creative nonfiction

Ethics and creative nonfiction

External links

Audio/video links

Noted practitioners of creative nonfiction

Noted practitioners of creative nonfiction include

★ Norman Mailer: ''The Executioner's Song'' is considered one of the finest examples of the genre and also Mailer's best work, which won him his second Pulitzer Prize. ''Armies of the Night''

★ Truman Capote: ''In Cold Blood'', Capote's reporting on the murder of a family in Kansas, was hailed as an invention of a new genre--creative nonfiction or nonfiction novel.

★ Eduardo Galeano: ''Memory of Fire'', ''Days and Nights of Love and War''

★ Bill Bryson: writer of humorous travelogues

★ Philip K. Dick: ''VALIS'' Dick is noted mainly as a Science Fiction author but ''VALIS'', chronicling a psychic or - possibly - psychotic episode is also an Autobiographical novel.

★ Annie Dillard:

★ Davis Miller: ''The Tao of Muhammad Ali'' is the best known of a series of meditative and autobiographical works drawing heavily on fictional techniques.

★ Joyce Carol Oates: ''On Boxing'', which includes a portrait of Mike Tyson.

★ Robert Pirsig: ''Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance'' Autobiographical novel exploring issues of philosophy.

★ George Plimpton: ''Paper Lion''

★ Chuck Palahniuk: ''

★ Sebastian Junger: ''The Perfect Storm'' details the fate of the swordfishing boat the Andrea Gail & its crew when they are swept into a storm of gigantic proportions.

★ John McPhee: An author whose works reflect his eclectic interests including geology, transportation, various prominent figures like Bill Bradley and David Brower, and more.

★ Tom Wolfe: ''Radical Chic and Mau-Mauing the Flak Catchers'', ''The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test'', ''The Right Stuff''

★ Richard Rodriguez: a writer often specializing in issues of sensitivity - race, ethnicity, and sexuality.


★ Joan Didion: ''Slouching Towards Bethleham'', ''The White Album'', ''Salvador''

★ Gay Talese: "Frank Sinatra Has A Cold", one of the finest examples of journalistic nonfiction.

★ Susan Orlean: ''The Orchid Thief''

★ Chuck Klosterman: '' and ''

★ Hunter S. Thompson: ''Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas'', ''Fear & Loathing on the Campaign Trail'', ''

★ Dinty W. Moore: editor of Brevity [1] and author of "The Accidental Buddhist."

★ Derrick Jensen: ''Endgame'', ''A Language Older Than Words''

Ethics and creative nonfiction

In recent years, there have been a rash of incidents within the United States that have tarnished the reputation of creative nonfiction in terms of its (perceived) loose rein on journalistic ethics and standards, or its glorification of interpretation. The most recent example of these incidents is the James Frey controversy in regards to his memoir ''A Million Little Pieces''. In his memoir, Frey claimed to certain experiences, which later were revealed to be fabrications.
The genre of creative nonfiction has often come under attack from pundits who believe that the genre is laden with the types of falsifications that were revealed in Frey's work. Often, however, this is not the case, as creative nonfiction writers often work for institutions with high journalistic integrity before, during, or after their work in the genre. It is not uncommon for many prominent creative nonfiction works to even be published directly, or be adaptations of one's own work for industriously ethical publications like ''The New Yorker'' (for example, Truman Capote's ''In Cold Blood'', or Susan Orlean's ''The Orchid Thief''). However, the issue of ethics is an important one that creative nonfiction must continue to address as it grows.

External links

★ ''Creative Nonfiction'', a journal devoted exclusively to the genre

★ Fourth Genre, a journal devoted to explorations in nonfiction

★ Sightline Books, the Iowa Series in Literary Nonfiction

★ What is creative non-fiction? Phil Druker, University of Idaho

★ Lettre Ulysses Award for the Art of Reportage

★ Sixbillion.org, an online magazine of narrative journalism

★ Bruce Dobler's Creative Nonfiction Compendium, Bruce Dobler, University of Pittsburgh

★ Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction, Canada

★ Brevity Magazine

Audio/video links

★ Audio CSPAN - Interview with Lee Gutkind gives a definition of the genre

★ Audio CSPAN - Interview with Lee Gutkind gives examples of authors who write in the genre