Literary Journalism Across the Globe: Journalistic Traditions and Transnational Influences

At the end of the nineteenth century, several countries were developing journalistic traditions similar to what we identify today as literary reportage or literary journalism. Yet throughout most of the twentieth century, in particular after World War I, that tradition was overshadowed and even marginalized by the general perception among democratic states that journalism ought to be either objective, as in the American tradition, or polemical, as in the European. Nonetheless, literary journalism would survive and, at times, even thrive. How and why is a story that is unique to each nation.

Though largely considered an Anglo-American phenomenon today, literary journalism has had a long and complex international history, one built on a combination of traditions and influences that are sometimes quite specific to a nation and at other times come from the blending of cultures across borders. These essays examine this phenomenon from various international perspectives, documenting literary journalism's rich and diverse heritage and describing its development within a global context.

In addition to the editors, contributors include David Abrahamson, Peiqin Chen, Clazina Dingemanse, William Dow, Rutger de Graaf, John Hartsock, Nikki Hessell, Maria Lassila-Merisalo, Edvaldo Pereira Lima, Willa McDonald, Jenny McKay, Sonja Merljak Zdovc, Sonia Parratt, Norman Sims, Isabel Soares, and Soenke Zehle.

Author: John S. Bak
Publisher: University of Massachusetts Press
Published: 04/14/2011
Pages: 320
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.05lbs
Size: 9.20h x 6.00w x 0.80d
ISBN: 9781558498778


Review Citation(s):
Choice 01/01/2012

About the Author
John Bak is professor of American literature at Nancy-Université in France. Bill Reynolds is assistant professor at the School of Journalism, Ryerson University, Toronto.


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