The Beverley Literature Festival is in full swing, and at the weekend
I attended a Crime panel discussing Fiction v Reality.
Anya Lipska’s novels give
insights into the London Polish community where she lives; Mari Hannah writes
fiction set in her native Northumbria with research help from Mo Dowdy, a
former DI on the Serious Incident Squad; David Mark, hosting the event, was fifteen
years a journalist, seven as a crime reporter with the Yorkshire Post and sets
his novels in Hull.
Their discussion was lively and
informative, veering from the emotionally serious to the light-hearted as
aspects of their writing were unpicked. Each had faced opposition from
mainstream publishing for their settings, though none could imagine conjuring a
fictional town or city – it would be far too much work – and they agreed that
TV programmes not only glossed over much police procedure but escaped with
anachronisms that would be hounded as fantasy in novels.
The East Riding of Yorkshire's Beverley Literature Festival continues until 11 October. If you're in the area, don't miss it.
No comments :
Post a Comment