After Realism: 24 Stories for the 21st Century is the first anthology to represent the generation of millennial writers now making their mark. Diverse, sophisticated, and ambitious in scope, the short stories in this ground-breaking book are an essential starting point for anyone interested in daring alternatives to the realist tradition that dominated 20th century English-language fiction. After Realism offers twenty-five distinctive talents who are pushing against the boundaries of the “real” in aesthetically and politically charged ways—forging their styles from influences that range from myth to autofiction, sci-fi to fairy tale, documentary to surrealism. Even those who continue to work in the realist tradition are doing so critically, with an eye to renovation. The selection is accompanied by comprehensive and provocative essay by editor André Forget that explains the themes, tendencies and concerns of this group. In bearing witness to an extraordinary flowering of contemporary fiction, After Realism will supply a new standard for Canadian writing.
With stories by Jean Marc Ah-Sen, Ryan Avanzado, Carleigh Baker, Tom Thor Buchanan, Paige Cooper, Marcus Creaghan, Paola Ferrante, Camilla Grudova, David Huebert, Jessica Johns, Cody Klippenstein, Michael LaPointe, Julie Mannell, Sofia Mostaghimi, Téa Mutonji, Fawn Parker, Casey Plett, Rudrapriya Rathore, Naben Ruthnum, Eliza Robertson, Cason Sharpe, John Elizabeth Stintzi, Gavin Thomson, and Christiane Vadnais.
Reviews
“What the stories in AFTER REALISM display in aggregate is a willingness to stretch form and subject to their limits, adapting or rejecting traditional techniques and approaches at will. As a whole, the volume provides a provocative snapshot of the forces dragging CanLit — kicking and screaming — into the 21st century.” – Steven Beattie, Toronto Star