There’s something incandescent about a young writer. Perhaps it’s their intimate communion with the literary canon—or their ability to condense contemporary life into narrative archetypes that will ultimately yield a new one. Certainly, we owe our ever-growing reading lists to their willingness to sustain their work even when the demands often eclipse the rewards.
These days, young writers face a gauntlet of pressures laid out for them by a deeply distracted culture and a bedraggled publishing industry that once served to undergird a lifelong career. Advances are shrinking. Tours are a thing of the past. The urgency of an adaptation-worthy manuscript is bearing down harder than ever and an online following is practically a prerequisite.
It is into this turbulent landscape that CULTURED is releasing its first-ever Young Writers list. Developed in collaboration with Montblanc, the beloved companion of all serious writers, the list spotlights a group of rising talents. To compile it, our team asked 30 authors and publishing houses to share which young authors they are most excited about, and narrowed their suggestions down to 10 of the most promising. This September, one of the writers will be awarded an unrestricted cash prize to support their work, part of Montblanc’s longstanding commitment to literature and writing in an ever more digital world.
Here, 10 authors—all 30 and under, all releasing new books in the next year—give us 10 reasons to be hopeful, and 10 forthcoming titles to add to our reading lists.
in your life?
