Lad Lit

[Geoff]

I have come across a genre, or sub-genre, known as Lad Lit. I assume this is the brother of Chick Lit? After trawling through internet book sites, it appears that the subject matter is soldier's at war, cars, etc. However, according to Wikipedia it also includes writers like Tony Parsons and Nick Hornby. Do any of my fellow Litopia Sages have an opinion on this, or are writing within this genre? I ask because I may have inadvertently written a Lad Lit novel, without knowing it.

 

[Paul Whybrow]

I've seen Irvine Welsh's novels referred to as Lad Lit. The term is allied with the lads' mags boom of the 1990s, which might be responsible for some rather average writing by Hornby, and more especially Parsons, becoming bestsellers. Any story that heavily features casual sex, drugs, booze, sport and cars is going to be given that label. I reckon that much of the snootiness about the genre is to do with the language the characters use.

Personally, I avoid lad-lit and chick-lit, feeling uncomfortable about reading such a skewed point-of-view...and I feel the same about the films that I choose to watch. I recently started reading Lisa McInerney's highly praised and award-winning first novel The Glorious Heresies, but swiftly tired of its squalid nastiness. It struck me that she was trying to write in as mean and foul-mouthed a way as Irvine Welsh.

Why do you think that you've written a Lad Lit novel?

 

[Geoff]

Thanks Paul. My, very draft, novel centres around a cocky, very assured, Jack-the-Lad character who's life spirals downwards when his wife leaves him. However, although he is arrogant, narcissistic and full of self-centred belief, he is neither foul-mouthed, nor car and casual sex orientated. The 'Lad' connection I thought might be made because of to his reliance on his male friends for guidance and the poor advice he receives from them. Perhaps I should re-invent him as gobby, Millwall-following, Subaru-owning Chav with limited language skills. After all, if it worked for Parsons and Hornby ...

 

[Katie-Ellen]

There is nothing limited however, about the f word.

Though they can't spell 'versatile.'

 

[NickP]

I enjoyed Fever Pitch and High Fidelity - are they any good? Well that depends upon how you define good, I suppose. Not read any Tony Parsons though.

Sort of male Bridget Jones?