Nicholas Taylor-Collins is an English literature academic and writer. Whilst his primary research is in modern and contemporary Irish literature, he has also written a book on ‘hyper-contemporary’ literature. Judge for Yourself: Reading hyper-contemporary literature and book-prize shortlists was published with Routledge in 2020.
Judge for Yourself puts the challenge of judging and evaluating brand-new writing in the hands of the reader. It invites readers to consider how to read new writing that has not (yet) gathered a critical consensus: this is called ‘hyper-contemporary literature’. It introduces readers to key, current topics of critical discussions in the academy: fourth-wave feminism, queer studies, postcolonialism, and class. It also explores how book reviews can help—and hinder!—us in reading new literature. Judge for Yourself is an ideal companion to undergraduates studying literature, or for the bibliophile and book-club grandee.
The blog is a partner to Judge for Yourself. In the spirit of empowering the reader, you are invited to submit your own blogs on hyper-contemporary writing. If you’re interested, please contact Nicholas.
Nicholas is Treasurer of the British Association of Irish Studies, on the Executive as a Europe representative of the International Association for Studies in Irish Literatures, and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.
