Novelists

(Paperback)

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Longlisted for the 2014 Frank O'Connor Award
Novelists: the soul of an age, certainly. Brilliant Perhaps. Yet arent they also doddering, petulant, pedantic, knockkneed, skittish, and thunderingly insecureresentful, awkward, annoyingdemanding, deluded, and vexingly indifferent to reality New from short fiction devote C.P. Boyko, Novelists is a comedy of manners (and manuscripts), rivalling Vanity Fair for its satirical wit though not, mercifully, for its length.
PRAISE FOR NOVELISTS
Proudly, gloriously, gleefully old-fashioned in their style and settings, these largely comic stories about the worst traits of artists are more serious than they at first seem: they depict the petty insecurities that fuel every creative act.Russell Smith
If you are a normal person, these stories, with their pitch-perfect satirical humour and their finely tuned sentences, will make you laugh out loud. If you are a writer, first you will squirm with recognition while envying his impressive vocabulary, his nimble grammar, and his startling imagery, and then youll laugh out loud.Diane Schoemperlen
PRAISE FOR C.P. BOYKO
Readers will enjoy the authors versatility, quirky (sometimes uproarious) sense of humor, sardonic view of the world, and fruitful imagination Libraries with any short-fiction readers should buy this book and keep an eye out for the next one.Booklist, starred review
Nothing short of astonishing.The Walrus
Keep your eye on this young Canadian talent.Chatelaine
Stunning Boyko has an unstoppable imagination.The Globe & Mail
Stealthy, seductive A collection that in many ways will provide thought-fodder, not to mention good old-fashioned pleasure, for months. The Montreal Gazette
Fans of satirical fiction will love this impeccably researched and unflinchingly intelligent. The National Post

Reviews

"Uproarious ... Boyko's ensemble of absurd, inexhaustible narcissists comes uncomfortably near to reality."--The Wall Street Journal "These stories are funny and sardonic, satirical, well-written, and keen ... [Boyko's] characters are larger-than-life, very funny, but more authentic than they first seem ... we'll enjoy laughing at them, and laugh at ourselves at the same time."--The San Francisco Book Review "Few writers in this country have a better poker face than C.P. Boyko ... vivid and wickedly funny."--The Globe & Mail "Laughter is Boyko's preferred method in Novelists: He examines the pomposity and naked insecurities of his titular breed through humour, much of it painfully ironic. And Boyko's humour is inseparable from pain ... a highly amusing riposte to the culture of literary awards, eviscerating the petty politicking, log-rolling and absurdity that can result from jockeying for recognition."--The National Post "Mirthful, sly and intermittently caustic."--The Vancouver Sun "Rich, funny ... widely admired."--The Georgia Straight

Author Bio

C.P. Boyko (Blackouts, 2009) has been nominated for the Journey Prize and published in The Walrus, PRISM International, and The New Quarterly. Psychology and Other Stories, his second collection, was shortlisted for the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize in 2013. Born and raised in Saskatchewan, Boyko received degrees in English and Psychology from the University of Calgary. He lives in Victoria.