Flaminia Ferina's picture
Flaminia Ferina from Umbria is reading stuff November 19, 2013 - 4:46am

It's called Masterpiece and it premiered last Sunday. Primetime Italian public TV.

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/nov/16/x-factor-novel-writers-talent-show-italy

http://www.csmonitor.com/Books/chapter-and-verse/2013/1115/New-Italian-TV-show-is-American-Idol-for-authors

Is it the end of literature? Would you participate? Are we all doomed? Care to discuss? 

Tim Johnson's picture
Tim Johnson from Rockville, MD is reading Notes From a Necrophobe by T.C. Armstrong November 19, 2013 - 8:43am

I'd check it out. I think anything that brings attention to literature is a good thing. I generally believe pop culture is an asset to all art forms. People get interested. They pick it up. They learn what they like. And then some of them dive deeper and try to develop their skills in those crafts.

That's what happened to me anyway.

SConley's picture
SConley from Texas is reading Coin Locker Babies November 19, 2013 - 9:18am

I'd do this if it came to America. It could be interesting.

L.W. Flouisa's picture
L.W. Flouisa from Tennessee is reading More Murakami November 19, 2013 - 9:33am

I'm not to worried of course. I feel about it the same way, someone would try to elect me for that Stacy and Clinton Show.

I'm skeptical of anything with a television attached to it, that isn't reviewing a bad movie and being allowed to take your time to take notes on why you don't like it.

And I'm skeptical of anything where its timed, its thematic, and someone is watching you while you write. I'm sorry but that would bust and halt whatever concentration I have at the moment. I would probably simply stop writing.

Flaminia Ferina's picture
Flaminia Ferina from Umbria is reading stuff November 19, 2013 - 11:35am

So, I have watched the podcast and it's not bad. The jury is competent and some time is given to the meaning of the whole writing-a-book thing, not just to the selected authors' personalities which are quite peculiar.

A lot of people here is skeptical too, but there's a shitload of talking about it too. So I agree with Tim on the attention thing. Of course you get the usual talent show circus, but this time it's about novels.

I wouldn't participate in it cause I don't particularly love tv spotlights, I'm only glad the discussion is brought in front of a wider public and I hope it will help spreading some love for books cause I love book-loving folks.

Renfield's picture
Renfield from Hell is reading 20th Century Ghosts November 19, 2013 - 12:10pm

As long as they can find something cinematically interesting in dudes sitting around reading and writing, then I'm cool with it. I love trash TV.

A few years ago I watched online this Canadian mini-series they did based around the 3 Day Novel contest. It was cheesy as hell.

FoxyLenz's picture
FoxyLenz from Shangri -L.I is reading Mists of Avalon November 19, 2013 - 3:42pm

I just feel the pressure mounting.....

L.W. Flouisa's picture
L.W. Flouisa from Tennessee is reading More Murakami November 19, 2013 - 5:33pm

My primary issue is, I have to look to see if people are reading over my shoulder as it is. Techno music and classical is as much external noise as I can handle.

From a wider public audience, I can see this working. But novels have to be revised, often revised again and again. I couldn't imagine something written in thirty minutes includes revision. There is often that thing where I let my own life themes inform my writing. I wouldn't get that with a theme of any sort.

Michael J. Riser's picture
Michael J. Riser from CA, TX, Japan, back to CA is reading The Tyrant - Michael Cisco, The Devil Takes You Home - Gabino Iglesias November 19, 2013 - 11:31pm

Interesting idea. I wouldn't watch it, but I don't watch TV, so that sort of stands to reason.

Flaminia Ferina's picture
Flaminia Ferina from Umbria is reading stuff November 20, 2013 - 11:54am

As a matter of fact, it does look like a cinematic rendition of writers posting stuff on a social network. Or a forum. We don't revise so much when we do that, yet we ought to show the authorly touch.

When the talent show writers are asked to throw out a piece in 30 minutes, they can hardly pull off anything better than whatever we normally write when we publish our thoughts, say, here by these here threads.
Or can they?
There lies the core challenge, I guess.