Are Books Still 'Different'?

Abstract

The famous 1962 precedent at the Restrictive Practices Court of the United Kingdom, 'Books are different,' is still the reasoning behind many cultural policies around the world, building on longstanding assumptions surrounding 'the book'. As this suggests, the 'difference' of the book as a unique form of cultural (rather than economic) production has acquired a powerful status. But are books still different? In (somewhat provocatively) asking this question from a network-oriented and interdisciplinary perspective (book studies/literary studies), this Element inquires into the notion of 'difference' in relation to books. Challenging common notions of 'bibliodiversity,' it reconsiders the lack of diversity in the publishing industry. It also engages with the diversifying potentials of the digital literary sphere, offering a case study of Bernardine Evaristo's industry activities and activism, the Element concludes with thoughts on bookishness, affect and networked practice. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

El podcasting y la nueva ficción sonora en español: hacia una agenda de investigación intermedial

“…De forma reciente, la ficción especulativa en español está comenzando a captar la atención de la crítica especializada en torno al concepto de los "imaginarios apocalípticos en el mundo hispánico" (Fabry, 2010). Imoberdorf (2022), por su parte, habla de "la nueva apocalíptica hispánica", en donde ubica a los discursos de ficción producidos al menos desde el 2010 que están en diálogo más directo con "la esfera literaria digital actual" (Koegler y Norrick Rühl, 2023).…”