Sabtu, 01 Juni 2013

Into The Lives Of Urban Fiction Writers

By Rena Hudson


Also known as urban street literature, this genre first developed during the eighties and has gained prominence in the last few years producing a generation of writers who have started a genre on the real life in an city setting. Many urban fiction writers feel they need to express themselves by writing about their real life experiences which include sex, violence and drugs. Some authors who have experienced poverty and drug abuse, choose to illustrate these social issues to the public.

Street literature has become stereotypically associated with the African American community, although, recently, it is also growing amongst other communities around the globe and therefore categories such as French street fiction and Brazilian street fiction exist in this genre. They all have something common as authors in these categories write about the social issues in the inner city which have become a universal problem. Writers of French urban fiction for example, often depict the harsh life as an immigrant in a new country.

Some religious communities have also opened their world before readers in this genre. Christian and Islamic urban fiction has achieved popularity as they represent the religious life and culture in the inner city. Maryam Sullivan, a writer of the Islamic street fiction category exposes the lives of the American Muslim community in the city.

The popularity of hip hop music brought an audience of readers eager to discover the cruel reality in the ghetto. Rappers, who among them were Tupac Shakur used lyrics to paint a grim picture of their real life experiences. Writers who were influenced by hip hop literature turned to writing stories which were often filled with sexual profanity and brutality and thus, the genre of urban literature started expanding.

Various novels belonging to the contemporary urban literature were written by authors who spent time in prison. Writers such as Shannon Holmes and Vickie M. Stringer chose to reflect their real life experiences with drug abuse and crime and start a new path in writing while leaving their criminal past behind. Some of these authors turned their stories into a major success and have managed to build a fan base.

For many authors in this genre, it was hard to receive exposure as they were turned down by various publishing companies who did not find their work fit for the right audience. The publishing industry was unaware that a new genre was emerging and gaining much popularity by its own readers.

Basing them on stereotypes, the publishing industry often views inner city literature as belonging solely to the African American community. As a result, authors who found no other way to distribute their novel, decided to open their own publishing company and self publish their books thus opening a platform for other growing writers in this genre.

With the availability of social networking and the emergence of electronic books, contemporary urban fiction writers found a gateway to support their work and began advertising their novels. This found to be successful as they could get closer contact with their readers. The authors are able to express themselves through their work by conveying the reality of their life in the inner city and by helping others who can relate with their stories.




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