FACTUAL AND CREATIVE WRITING
Sir,-J. Toft (Listener, February &) is perhaps too sweeping in his criticism, of Guthrie Wilson’s letter. To support his claim that "the average well-written factual book has a wider public than the comparable novel," he méntions, among other books, The Holy Bible. I very much doubt if the Bible could be described as a "factual book." Moreover, the parts of it which have the widest appeal as literature are stories which have become models for poets und novelists. The story of Joseph and hi« brethren, of David and Saul and Adam and Eve have inspired some of the greatest poems and novels, though the original narratives in the Old Testament have remained unsurpassed. Even if the Bible is left out of the argument, I think Guthrie Wilson was right in his contention that creative writing lives longer than factual writing. We can still enjoy novels written in the 18th Century, but I can remember no travel books and only one biographyBoswell’s Johnson-which can compete with Tom Jones. And I think Boswell, no matter how much "fact" he used in his biography, was a creative writer.
GRUB STREET
(Auckland).
Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/periodicals/NZLIST19520222.2.12.7
Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka
New Zealand Listener, Volume 26, Issue 659, 22 February 1952, Page 5
Word count
Tapeke kupu
191FACTUAL AND CREATIVE WRITING New Zealand Listener, Volume 26, Issue 659, 22 February 1952, Page 5
Using this item
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
Material in this publication is protected by copyright.
Are Media Limited has granted permission to the National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa to develop and maintain this content online. You can search, browse, print and download for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from Are Media Limited for any other use.
Copyright in the work University Entrance by Janet Frame (credited as J.F., 22 March 1946, page 18), is owned by the Janet Frame Literary Trust. The National Library has been granted permission to digitise this article and make it available online as part of this digitised version of the New Zealand Listener. You can search, browse, and print this article for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from the Janet Frame Literary Trust for any other use.
Copyright in the Denis Glover serial Hot Water Sailor published in 1959 is owned by Pia Glover. The National Library has been granted permission to digitise this serial and make it available online as part of this digitised version of the Listener. You can search, browse, and print this serial for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from Pia Glover for any other use.
Log in