Writing Backwards

Finalist, 2025 SHARP Book History Book Prize, Society for the Study of the History of Authorship, Reading, and Publishing Contemporary fiction has never been less contemporary. Midcentury writers tended to set their works in their own moment, but for the last several decades critical acclaim and attention have fixated on historical fiction. This shift is particularly dramatic for writers of color. Even as the literary canon has become more diverse, cultural institutions have celebrated Black, As