British Authors for Essay

[RaeRae]

lol Hey! I'm new, and have a BIG problem... You see, in my senior year in High School, I have to complete a 500 point essay on a British author, but I can't find any that I'm interested in. Technically, any author not in the U.S. is exceptable, but I still can't find anything that I like...
Most of the books I've found have been written in the Old English lingo, and I reeeally don't like those kind of books... too complex, in MY opinion lol.

Does anyone have any good ideas of authors in countires other than the U.S. that are closer to present day/non Old English? lol I love alot of different genres. From Romance to Vampires :P lol

Thanks everyone in advance!

[Apotropaic]

JK Rowling :nod:

[Pensive]

Apotropaic has given a very good suggestion. I agree whole-heartedly that with your conditions (as you don't like old writers much), nothing can be better than JK Rowling!

[SleepyWitch]

huh? are you sure you mean "Old English" as in 500 A.D. to 1100? like anbidias thu haer med tham assum sume hwile? never mind the spelling, i don't have the character set at hand right now...
or did you mean old stuff that's difficult to read?
Dickens is 19th century but comparatively easy to read.. try Great Expectations
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde is a quick read too
David Lodge is cool too, he's still writing...

what's a 500 point essay?

[RaeRae]

Well, an example of my idea on "Old English" is Emily Bronte's story Wuthing Heights. Don't get me wrong, the theme and storyline is great!... but I really don't like the wording. WAY too confusing O_O

EDIT
I think i posted this in the wrong section of the site... I thought i posted this thread in the Book Request forum O_o

[Logos]

The "Book Request" forum is for suggestions of etexts to be added to the site, not homework q's :)

[papayahed]

How about Fielding, the chick that wrote Bridget Jones Diary, that's pretty current.

[Bastet]

hmm... George Orwell (author of novel 1984) is British. In case you want a book a little 'heavier' in concept. Hope it helps :)

[dirtyknife]

Hiya,

If you're looking at Victorian Literature, Thomas Hardy is good (plus there is tons of secondary reading material on Hardy vailable), if you're looking for something more modern then Mark Haddon's 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time' is a good read, also Anthony Burgess 'A Clockwork Orange' (a bit weird at first but you get used to the language), also 'The Railway Man' by Eric Lomax is easy to read and probably the most moving book I'e ever read (it's an autobiography about a British POW in Japan during WW2 so there's a lot of background stuff available on that too!)

Hope this helps

x

[Schokokeks]

Hey,
how about Salman Rushdie? I can strongly recommend some of his short stories, furthermore his English is today's and his life involving bans and threats would surely fill your 500 words.
Good luck!

[Pensive]

I don't think so that Salman Rushdie is a British author? Well, forgive my poor general knowledge, I might be wrong but I have heard that he is living in England now a days but he used to live in India and wrote some of his books in there, so he can't be a British author...

[Schokokeks]

I'm not sure whether now he has been awarded British citizenship, but given that some of his stories treat the common past of Britain and India, I thought he might pass for the essay:


Technically, any author not in the U.S. is exceptable, but I still can't find anything that I like...

[Nightshade]

Well theyre are plenty of british chicklit authors if thats what you want but Im not sure they are really suitable for essays but yeah here are a few
Jill mansell
Chris Manby
Sophie Kinsilla
Victoria Cornby
Sarah Mason
melissa nathan (reworkings of austen classiscs originally but now shes branched off)
ERrr freya North?? not sure really I think so but hummm
who else lets see now
Patric Gale is supposedly slightly mores serious humm same with Maqrgret forster Tony Parsons is supposed to be good and carol fraser
mind you I havent really read many of these I jm just trying to rember books Ive had people say were worth recomending at work.
Ill keep an eye open for you while I'm at work next week if you like although Im not sure how your planning on getting hold of these english books.
but f its essays your after I for one cant think of any modern engliish/british book worth while....you could hunt through prize lists though there is always "Astonishing spashes of colour" and "the curious incedent of the dog in the night time"

[Chinaski]

J K Rowling - behave! Orwell, Huxley, Lawrence - that'll last you for a while; and don't bother with Rowling - fun for kids (and adults to if you really want to) but it is not well written.

[Xamonas Chegwe]

I don't think so that Salman Rushdie is a British author? Well, forgive my poor general knowledge, I might be wrong but I have heard that he is living in England now a days but he used to live in India and wrote some of his books in there, so he can't be a British author...

Though Rushdie was born in India, he is British by nationality - just like Rudyard Kipling and Cliff Richard. Besides, in the original post, authors that are not from the US are requested.

He is also completely recommended by myself as well; as are John Fowles, William Golding, Martin Amis, Ian McEwan, Iain Banks, and too many others to list. All contemporary, all terrific writers.

From other countries, try Gunther Grass, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Italo Calvino, Nikos Kazatzakis.

[noranlerena]

David Lodge / Julian Barnes /

Books

The Black Album
Intimacy

[Bastet]

David Lodge / Julian Barnes /

Books

The Black Album
Intimacy


I had fun reading England England by Julian Barnes ;)

[Chinaski]

Just read Xamanos - Martin Amis' 'London Fields' is a must read. His usual unsympathetic portrayal of the British working classes, but excellent read. His other suggestions are spot on too IMO.