David Mitchell Conference 2009, University of St Andrews, 3-4 Sept., Call for Papers, Deadline 6 April

CFP: David Mitchell, 3rd-4th September 2009, University of St Andrews

Keynote: David Mitchell

David Mitchell is one of Britain’s foremost contemporary writers, author
of four novels with a fifth forthcoming: his first novel, Ghostwritten
(1999), won the Mail on Sunday/John Llewellyn Rhys Prize and was
shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award; his second, number9dream
(2001), was shortlisted for the 2002 Man Booker Prize for Fiction; his
third novel, Cloud Atlas (2004), was shortlisted for the 2004 Man Booker
Prize for Fiction and nominated for the Arthur C. Clarke Award; and his
fourth novel, Black Swan Green (2006) was shortlisted for the Costa
Novel Award and the Quill Book Award (USA). In 2003, David Mitchell was
amongst one of twenty writers named by Granta magazine as ‘Best of Young
British Novelists’. Popular with literary prizes and the reading public
alike, Mitchell has also recently become the subject of academic
attention, with his novels appearing on university contemporary fiction
reading lists, papers being presented on his work at academic
conferences, and doctoral work proceeding at a number of institutions.
This activity indicates that a significant critical body of writing on
Mitchell is in the process of development. In the light of this, this
conference aims to bring those scholars working on David Mitchell’s
writing together in intellectual dialogue and exchange. This will
consolidate and advance the critical work currently underway on his
writing, leading to the first edited collection of essays on his work.
The organisers are issuing a call for papers on any topic related to
David Mitchell’s writing. Topics might include, but are not limited to,
David Mitchell’s writing and:

- genre, science fiction, autobiographical fiction
- film, music
- narratology
- pastiche
- intertextual connections
- inter and intra-cultural relations, Japan, East-West cultural interchange
- history and historical representations
- postmodernity
- myth
- childhood, memory and nostalgia
- politics and terrorism
- the British publishing industry

The conference welcomes papers from any discipline, a variety of
theoretical perspectives and those which engage with media beyond that
of the written text. Submissions are welcome from both research students
and academics. Please submit online (http://www.gylphi.co.uk/mitchell/)
or send a title and 300 word abstract for a 20 minute
paper along with your name, affiliation and 100 word professional
biography to mitchell.conference@gylphi.co.uk by 6th April 2009.

Conference Organiser: Dr Sarah Dillon, School of English, University of
St Andrews
Conference Sponsor: Gylphi Arts and Humanities Publisher
Conference website: http://www.gylphi.co.uk/mitchell/