Melvin Burgess, Junk

Leah Phillips (University of Warwick)

Ed. by Dimitra Fimi, University of Glasgow
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.09: English Writing and Culture: Postwar and Contemporary Britain , 1945-present.
Vol. editors: Kerry Myler (Newman University), Jenni Ramone (The Nottingham Trent University)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1996

Places

United Kingdom (Publication/ performance)

Genres and Modes

Novel
Children's Literature
- Young Adult

Resources

Melvin Burgess’s Junk — or Smack in the US — marked a turning point in young adult (YA) fiction in the UK, a field within YA now known as UKYA. The novel’s bleak yet realistic portrayal of two teenager’s descent into heroin addiction offers frank, honest discussions of drugs and drug culture, including squatting, prostitution, and teen pregnancy. First published in 1996 by Andersen Press, Burgess contends that Junk was “an experiment”, both for him and his publishers, pushing the boundaries of “teenage fiction” in the UK, which, at the time, was aimed at younger teens, not those over thirteen/fourteen (Burgess, “Junk (Smack)”). Addressing the …

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2060 words

Citation: Phillips, Leah. "Junk". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 18 July 2018 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=38831, accessed 25 April 2024.]

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