Against Storytelling - Amit Chaudhuri - Literary Activism Essays on Contemporary Fiction

A profound, unmissable, and brilliantly iconoclastic intervention into contemporary literary culture. Edited by the award-winning novelist, poet, and essayist Amit Chaudhuri, Against Storytelling is a unique and daring collection of essays that aggressively deconstructs the omnipresent marketing mantra of our time: "We are all storytellers."

When did the act of writing become entirely synonymous with the corporate buzzword of "storytelling"? Far from being an ancient, timeless truth, this provocative volume argues that this ideological shift goes back no further than the 1980s. It emerged directly alongside the dawning of a new kind of global epic novel, the unprecedented geopolitical supremacy of the English language, and the global era of aggressive economic liberalization. Who decided that "storytelling" should become a lazy shorthand for cultures outside the West? And is it possible that the absolute finest, most worthwhile aspects of human writing, philosophy, and creativity actually occur entirely on the fringes and outskirts of the traditional plot?

The essays collected in this essential anthology were originally delivered as brilliant, sharp-witted talks at the revolutionary Literary Activism symposium. Featuring an exceptional, international ensemble of novelists, poets, academics, filmmakers, and translators—including Anjum Hasan, Arvind Krishna Mehrotra, Charles Bernstein, Geoffrey O’Brien, Gurvinder Singh, Jeremy Harding, Jean-Frédéric Chevallier, and Tiffany Atkinson—this book serves as an urgent manifesto. It forces us to rethink the capitalist assumptions underlying modern publishing, challenging readers and creators alike to look beyond the rigid constraints of linear narrative and rediscover the true, untamed wilderness of literary art.

Why This Incisive Literary Manifesto Belongs on Your Shelf:

• Challenging Literary Activism: A groundbreaking collection that interrogates the mainstream publishing industry's hyper-fixation on linear "plots" over language, style, and philosophy.

• Elite International Contributors: Brings together towering voices in contemporary literature, poetry, and translation to offer a multi-faceted critique of modern culture.

• Masterfully Edited by Amit Chaudhuri: Curated by one of India’s most formally inventive and critically acclaimed intellectuals, ensuring deep academic and creative value.