Novelists

Longlisted for the 2014 Frank O'Connor Award

Novelists: the soul of an age, certainly. Brilliant? Perhaps. Yet aren’t they also doddering, petulant, pedantic, knockkneed, skittish, and thunderingly insecure-resentful, awkward, annoying-demanding, deluded, and vexingly indifferent to reality? New from short fiction devotée 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 you’ll laugh out loud.”-Diane Schoemperlen

PRAISE FOR C.P. BOYKO

“Readers will enjoy the author’s 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