Embracing Uncertainty

In a public lecture as part of the Creative Writing course at ENGEROM, author Kirsten Tranter will discuss what it means to embrace uncertainty and be the keeper of mysteries when writing. 

Abstract

“Write what you know” is a common directive for beginning writers. What if we let go of this idea and instead aim to write about what we don’t know about what we know? Embracing uncertainty can be challenging, but also inspiring and liberating. What if we imagine that the job of fiction is not to answer complex human problems or existential mysteries, but to render them in specific detail? We will explore Nicole Krauss' haunting story 'The Young Painters' and other pieces of fiction that in some way are alive to mystery, that dramatize the search for meaning, and use uncertainty as a dramatic, compelling device. 

Bio

Kirsten Tranter has published fiction, criticism, and journalism, and taught literary studies and creative writing at institutions including the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Technology, Sydney. Tranter's first novel, The Legacy, was published to international acclaim in 2010, and selected as a Kirkus Reviews Best Debut Novel of the year. The Legacy was also shortlisted for the ABIA Literary Fiction award, the ALS Gold Medal, the Indie Debut Fiction award, and longlisted for the Miles Franklin award. Tranter's second novel, A Common Loss was released in 2012, and her latest novel Hold (2016) was longlisted for the Miles Franklin award and the Voss Literary Award. Tranter is also the co-founder of The Stella Prize for Australian women’s writing, established in 2011.