Faber & Faber

20-22 November 2009

at Faber and Faber
Bloomsbury House
74-77 Great Russell Street
London WC1B 3DA

Course cost: £450 / €505 (inclusive of VAT)

Literary Erotica: How to Write Well About Sex
with Maxim Jakubowski and Stella Duffy

Literary erotica has become a thriving genre, what with the success in recent years of the Catherine Millet's memoirs, Italian author Melissa P., Charlotte Roche’s Wetlands, the writings of Michel Houellebecq, Adam Thirlwell, and many others. It has, of course, a worthy heritage going back to Henry Miller, Anaïs Nin, The Story of O etc ...

More importantly, integrating writing about such a common activity as sex has become a dilemma for all writers: how explicit should one be? Where do you draw the line between eroticism and pornography, exploitation and observation? Why is there such a veil of privacy and self-censorship around an activity that is so integral to everyday life?

The Faber Academy course on erotic writing will try to answer some of these questions, study the history of the genre, and examine the dos and don’ts of writing about sex.

Set over three days at the home of Faber and Faber in the heart of literary Bloomsbury, the course will be conducted by writer and editor Maxim Jakubowski, whose Mammoth Book of Erotica series is now in its 14th year and whose own books have proven controversial. He will teach alongside acclaimed author Stella Duffy.

The course will be selective.

Course Outline

DAY ONE:

AM:  Participatory talk about the history of erotic fiction, from antiquity to modern times, with discussion/debate between speaker and participants

PM:  Workshop on manuscripts participants have submitted ahead of the course

DAY TWO:

AM:  The dos and don’ts of writing about sex

PM:  Guest lecturer Stella Duffy on writing for the lesbian and gay market

DAY THREE:

AM:  How to structure plotting to incorporate the erotic; the perils of autobiography and limits of privacy; from vanilla to BDSM - the sub-genres of erotica writing

PM:  Free-form discussion of previous sessions, final workshopping and readings

Course cost: £450 / €505 (inclusive of VAT)

Course places available: 15

The course includes:

•    3 days intensive tuition by Maxim Jakubowski and Stella Duffy (10am-5pm)

•    A complimentary Moleskine® Notebook

•    A daily artisan lunch

•    Regular coffee breaks

•    A handy course pack including London recommendations

•    A special discount off Faber books purchased at www.faber.co.uk

Disclaimer

The subject matter of course sessions is subject to change due to the level of experience and interests of the group. The content of the programme is determined at the discretion of the Course Tutors and the Faber Academy.

About Faber

Faber and Faber is the last of the great independent publishing houses in London. We were established in 1929 by Geoffrey Faber and our first editor was T. S. Eliot. Among our list of authors we are proud to publish five Booker Prize winners and eleven Nobel Laureates. We are particularly well-known for our unrivalled list of modern poets and playwrights, as well as for publishing writers of prize-winning fiction and general non-fiction.

To Make a Booking

Contact Patrick on either patrickk@faber.co.uk or telephone +44 (0) 20 7927 3822.

Alternatively, write to:

Patrick Keogh
Faber and Faber Ltd
74-77 Great Russell Street
London WC1B 3DA