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On the Art of Fact in Fiction
by Andrea Barrett
The celebrated National Book Award–winning writer's intimate exploration of how fact is transformed into fiction.
In this thoughtful collection of essays, Andrea Barrett draws from her experiences writing some of the most acclaimed historical fiction of our time to explore the mysteries and delights of the genre. Inspiration found in the past, she argues, can illuminate fiction, just as dust scatters light and makes the unseen visible. Delving into some of the largest questions in the genre―How does a writer find meaningful subject matter beyond the confines of their life? How are scraps of history transformed into a fully formed narrative?―Barrett explores how she came to create some of her beloved works and explores lessons gleaned from the work of such masters of historical fiction as Toni Morrison, Leo Tolstoy, Hilary Mantel, and Colm Tóibín. Candid and elegant, Dust and Light is the perfect book for anyone who loves reading fiction set in the past, as well as for anyone aspiring to write it.
"Evocative essays on the challenges of writing and reading historical fiction, memoir, and literary biography." —Kirkus Reviews
"Seeking to better understand the process by which fiction can buttress the gaps left by historical fact, Barrett has written the new go-to guide for lovers and writers both of stories anchored in the past." —LitHub, Most Anticipated Books of 2025
This information about Dust and Light was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Andrea Barrett is the author of Natural History, the National Book Award–winning Ship Fever, and Pulitzer Prize finalist Servants of the Map, among other works of fiction. The recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship and a Guggenheim Award, she lives in the Adirondacks.
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