In the 1980s, something strange happened to the British literary scene: it became extremely glamorous. Out went the traditional pipe-smoking men of letters, and in came a cool new generation of authors and publishers. Suddenly writers were to be found not only in newspaper books sections, but on the front pages too.
So what brought about this unexpected change? Someone in a good position to know is John Walsh who, as a literary editor, interviewer, critic and—let’s face it—bon viveur, had a ringside seat to the new world of razzamatazz.
In , he convincingly argues that there were several factors at work. First, there was the sheer quality of the writers. In 1983, magazine chose its 20 Best Young British Novelists. The list—led off alphabetically by Martin Amis, Pat Barker and Julian Barnes—was full of names still dominant today. Then came the televising of the Booker Prize, which transformed it into a major media event—and in turn meant that serious literature began to attract serious money. For the first time, too, authors became popular live performers, with the rise of in-store readings and, above all, literary festivals.
