Serpent's Tail
Encyclopedia
Serpent's Tail is a British
independent publishing firm founded in 1986 by Pete Ayrton. It is notable for its translated works, particularly European crime fiction
, and is the British publisher of Elfriede Jelinek
and Lionel Shriver
. In January 2007 it was bought out by British publisher Profile Books
.
The press publishes predominantly fiction, leaning towards edgy, left of centre writing. Its non-fiction output tends to focus on popular culture, film and music, and left-field politics. It publishes the current output of authors such as Nicholas Royle
and Stella Duffy
and the back catalogues of Derek Raymond
and Kathy Acker
.
Prizes won by its authors include the Nobel Prize for Literature (Kenzaburō Ōe
, Elfriede Jelinek
and Herta Müller
), the Orange Prize for Fiction (Lionel Shriver
for We Need To Talk About Kevin
) and the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize
(Jonathan Trigell for Boy A
).
In 2001 it published the collected journalism of the late Elizabeth Young
, having previously published her study of American 'blank generation' fiction in 1992 (Shopping in Space).
Serpent's Tail is known for publishing debuts - notables include Colm Toibin
's The South, Michel Houellebecq
's Whatever
and David Peace
's Nineteen Seventy-Four.
under Ira Silverberg
. The imprint specialised, as its name suggests, in risk-taking progressive and transgressive fiction (Kathy Acker
, William S. Burroughs
) and non-fiction (including the collected journalism of Cookie Mueller
).
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
independent publishing firm founded in 1986 by Pete Ayrton. It is notable for its translated works, particularly European crime fiction
Crime fiction
Crime fiction is the literary genre that fictionalizes crimes, their detection, criminals and their motives. It is usually distinguished from mainstream fiction and other genres such as science fiction or historical fiction, but boundaries can be, and indeed are, blurred...
, and is the British publisher of Elfriede Jelinek
Elfriede Jelinek
Elfriede Jelinek is an Austrian playwright and novelist. She was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2004 for her "musical flow of voices and counter-voices in novels and plays that, with extraordinary linguistic zeal, reveal the absurdity of society's clichés and their subjugating power."-...
and Lionel Shriver
Lionel Shriver
-Early life and education:Lionel Shriver was born Margaret Ann Shriver on May 18, 1957 in Gastonia, North Carolina, to a deeply religious family . At age 15, she changed her name from Margaret Ann to Lionel because she did not like the name she had been given, and as a tomboy felt that a...
. In January 2007 it was bought out by British publisher Profile Books
Profile Books
Profile Books is a British independent publishing firm founded in 1996 to publish stimulating non-fiction. It publishes across a wide range of subjects including history, biography, memoir, politics, current affairs, travel and popular science. It also publishes all The Economist Books.In 2003 it...
.
The press publishes predominantly fiction, leaning towards edgy, left of centre writing. Its non-fiction output tends to focus on popular culture, film and music, and left-field politics. It publishes the current output of authors such as Nicholas Royle
Nicholas Royle
Nicholas Royle is an English novelist.Born in Manchester, Royle has written five novels - Counterparts, Saxophone Dreams, The Matter of the Heart, The Director’s Cut and Antwerp. He also claims to have written more than 100 short stories, which have appeared in a variety of anthologies and...
and Stella Duffy
Stella Duffy
Stella Duffy is a writer and performer born in London who spent her childhood in New Zealand before returning to the UK.-Biography:Born to a New Zealander father and an English mother, Duffy is the youngest in a family of seven children. The family moved to New Zealand when Duffy was five, and...
and the back catalogues of Derek Raymond
Derek Raymond
Robert William Arthur Cook , better known since the 1980s by his pen name Derek Raymond, was an English crime writer, credited with being the founder of English noir.-Early life:...
and Kathy Acker
Kathy Acker
Kathy Acker was an American experimental novelist, punk poet, playwright, essayist, postmodernist and sex-positive feminist writer. She was strongly influenced by the Black Mountain School, William S...
.
Prizes won by its authors include the Nobel Prize for Literature (Kenzaburō Ōe
Kenzaburo Oe
is a Japanese author and a major figure in contemporary Japanese literature. His works, strongly influenced by French and American literature and literary theory, deal with political, social and philosophical issues including nuclear weapons, social non-conformism and existentialism.Ōe was awarded...
, Elfriede Jelinek
Elfriede Jelinek
Elfriede Jelinek is an Austrian playwright and novelist. She was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2004 for her "musical flow of voices and counter-voices in novels and plays that, with extraordinary linguistic zeal, reveal the absurdity of society's clichés and their subjugating power."-...
and Herta Müller
Herta Müller
Herta Müller is a Romanian-born German novelist, poet and essayist noted for her works depicting the effects of violence, cruelty and terror, usually in the setting of Communist Romania under the repressive Nicolae Ceauşescu regime which she experienced herself...
), the Orange Prize for Fiction (Lionel Shriver
Lionel Shriver
-Early life and education:Lionel Shriver was born Margaret Ann Shriver on May 18, 1957 in Gastonia, North Carolina, to a deeply religious family . At age 15, she changed her name from Margaret Ann to Lionel because she did not like the name she had been given, and as a tomboy felt that a...
for We Need To Talk About Kevin
We Need to Talk About Kevin
We Need to Talk About Kevin is a 2003 novel by Lionel Shriver, published by Serpent's Tail, about a fictional school massacre. It is written from the perspective of the killer's mother, Eva Khatchadourian, and documents her attempt to come to terms with her son Kevin and the murders he committed...
) and the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize
John Llewellyn Rhys Prize
The John Llewellyn Rhys Prize is a literary prize awarded annually for the best work of literature by an author from the Commonwealth aged 35 or under, written in English and published in the United Kingdom...
(Jonathan Trigell for Boy A
Boy A
Boy A is the title of a 2004 novel by British writer Jonathan Trigell.-Premise:The book is the story of a child criminal released into society as an adult, taking its title from the court practice of concealing the identity of child defendants....
).
In 2001 it published the collected journalism of the late Elizabeth Young
Elizabeth Young
Elizabeth Jesse Young was a London-based literary critic and author, who wrote principally on cult writers for a range of British newspapers and magazines. In particular she championed transgressive fiction, for which she received some criticism in the press, not least for her defence of A. M...
, having previously published her study of American 'blank generation' fiction in 1992 (Shopping in Space).
Serpent's Tail is known for publishing debuts - notables include Colm Toibin
Colm Tóibín
Colm Tóibín is a multi-award-winning Irish novelist, short story writer, essayist, playwright, journalist, critic, and, most recently, poet.Tóibín is Leonard Milberg Lecturer in Irish Letters at Princeton University in New Jersey and succeeded Martin Amis as professor of creative writing at the...
's The South, Michel Houellebecq
Michel Houellebecq
Michel Houellebecq , born Michel Thomas, 26 February 1958—or 1956 —on the French island of Réunion, is a controversial and award-winning French author, filmmaker and poet. To admirers he is a writer in the tradition of literary provocation that reaches back to the Marquis de Sade and Baudelaire;...
's Whatever
Extension du domaine de la lutte
Extension du domaine de la lutte is the debut novel of French writer, Michel Houellebecq, which was published in 1994 in France and in 1998 in the UK by Serpent's Tail, and released in 1999 as a film .-Plot introduction:It is a...
and David Peace
David Peace
David Peace is an English author. Known for his novels GB84, The Damned Utd, and Red Riding Quartet, Peace was named one of the Best of Young British Novelists by Granta in their 2003 list...
's Nineteen Seventy-Four.
High Risk Books
From 1993-1997, Serpent's Tail had a New York firm titled High Risk BooksHigh Risk Books
High Risk Books was founded in New York City in 1993, as an imprint of Serpent's Tail Press of London. Started by Ira Silverberg and Amy Scholder, who was then an editor at City Lights Books in San Francisco. High Risk Books was dedicated to publishing innovative, provocative, and progressive...
under Ira Silverberg
Ira Silverberg
Ira Silverberg is an influential literary agent and editor in the New York publishing business. Silverberg worked as a literary agent at Donadio & Ashworth, as Editor-in-Chief at Grove/Atlantic Press, and as editorial and publishing director at Serpent's Tail's U.S. projects, High Risk Books and...
. The imprint specialised, as its name suggests, in risk-taking progressive and transgressive fiction (Kathy Acker
Kathy Acker
Kathy Acker was an American experimental novelist, punk poet, playwright, essayist, postmodernist and sex-positive feminist writer. She was strongly influenced by the Black Mountain School, William S...
, William S. Burroughs
William S. Burroughs
William Seward Burroughs II was an American novelist, poet, essayist and spoken word performer. A primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodernist author, he is considered to be "one of the most politically trenchant, culturally influential, and innovative artists of the 20th...
) and non-fiction (including the collected journalism of Cookie Mueller
Cookie Mueller
Dorothy Karen "Cookie" Mueller was an underground American actress, writer and Dreamlander, who starred in many of filmmaker John Waters' early films, including Multiple Maniacs,...
).