The Art of Opposition: On Hope, Resilience and Creative Expression Beyond the Mainstream
Jul 2026 · Faber & Faber
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About this ebook
'What a triumph ... One of Britain's most gifted and inspiring writers' - Sarah Hall
'Every artist needs to read this book, there's something for the soul on every single page' Derek Owusu
Both as a novelist and as a screenwriter, Courttia Newland has found himself, through circumstance or choice, in a place of opposition to the commercial mainstream. Now, he reflects on what it means to be an artist operating in the margins and shares his experiences and observations for those facing similar hurdles and choices.
Newland covers key aspects of creating beyond the mainstream, including centring your own voice; which voices are allowed full freedom of artistic expression and which are not; the importance of reading outside of the white Western canon; and how success shapes the work of historically excluded creatives. Alongside his own observations and experiences, he explores the work of - and in some instances interviews - other oppositional artists, including Percival Everett, Lou Mensah, Iain Banks, Jean Binta Breeze and others. The result is a startling provocation, and a galvanising vindication of refusing to conform.
'Every artist needs to read this book, there's something for the soul on every single page' Derek Owusu
Both as a novelist and as a screenwriter, Courttia Newland has found himself, through circumstance or choice, in a place of opposition to the commercial mainstream. Now, he reflects on what it means to be an artist operating in the margins and shares his experiences and observations for those facing similar hurdles and choices.
Newland covers key aspects of creating beyond the mainstream, including centring your own voice; which voices are allowed full freedom of artistic expression and which are not; the importance of reading outside of the white Western canon; and how success shapes the work of historically excluded creatives. Alongside his own observations and experiences, he explores the work of - and in some instances interviews - other oppositional artists, including Percival Everett, Lou Mensah, Iain Banks, Jean Binta Breeze and others. The result is a startling provocation, and a galvanising vindication of refusing to conform.
'What a triumph ... One of Britain's most gifted and inspiring writers' - Sarah Hall
'Every artist needs to read this book, there's something for the soul on every single page' Derek Owusu
Both as a novelist and as a screenwriter, Courttia Newland has found himself, through circumstance or cho...
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About the author
Courttia Newland is the author of nine books, including The Scholar and Cosmogramma. His work has appeared in many anthologies and been broadcast on BBC Radio 4. Newland is the editor of the seminal IC3: The Penguin Book of New Black Writing in Britain, spanning poetry, short fiction, memoir and essays. As a screenwriter he has co-written for the BBC series Small Axe and The Woman in the Wall. His latest novel, A River Called Time, was shortlisted for the Arthur C. Clarke Award Science Fiction Book of the Year in 2022.
Courttia Newland is the author of nine books, including The Scholar and Cosmogramma. His work has appeared in many anthologies and been broadcast on BBC Radio 4. Newland is the editor of the seminal IC3: The Penguin Book of New Black Writing in Britain, spanning poetry, short fiction, memoir and ...
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