Call for Contributions to Essay Collection on The Audiobook

This essay collection will consider the significance of the audiobook. The growing popularity of audiobooks over the last several decades means that literary critics may no longer be able to turn a deaf ear to the ways in which oral delivery influences the reception of literature. The essays gathered here will explore the extent to which the audiobook not only enables us to hear literature but to hear it in new ways. While audiobooks are responsible for only a fraction of the total book publishing market, their use is among the minority of reading practices found to be increasing as the number of overall readers continues to decline. Recent advances in digital audio technology in particular make this an opportune moment to reflect on the evolution of our reading practices. All critical perspectives on the history and culture of the audiobook are welcome. Some questions that might be considered: In what ways do audiobooks adapt printed texts? What skills in “close listening” are necessary for their reception? How is audio technology influencing our understanding of narrative?

Prospective contributors should submit a proposal (500-700 words) and one-page cv to Matthew Rubery (rubery_at_post.harvard.edu) by 1 May 2009. The deadline for submission of completed essays by selected contributors will be 1 May 2010.

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Dr. Matthew Rubery
School of English
University of Leeds
Leeds LS2 9JT
UK

Web: http://www.leeds.ac.uk/english/staff/pages/staffindex.php?file=rube