Bulwer–Lytton Fiction Contest
The Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest (BLFC) is a tongue-in-cheek contest that takes place annually and is sponsored by the English Department of San Jose State University in San Jose, California. Entrants are invited "to compose the opening sentence to the worst of all possible novels" – that is, deliberately bad. According to the official rules, the prize for winning the contest is "a pittance",[1] or $250.[2]
The contest was started in 1982 by Professor Scott E. Rice of the English Department at San Jose State University and is named for English novelist and playwright Edward George Bulwer-Lytton, author of the much-quoted first line "It was a dark and stormy night". This opening, from the 1830 novel Paul Clifford, continues floridly:
- "It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents, except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness."
The first year of the competition attracted just three entries, but it went public the next year, received media attention, and attracted 10,000 entries.[3] There are now several subcategories, such as detective fiction, romance novels, Western novels, and purple prose. Sentences that are notable but not quite bad enough to merit the Grand Prize or a category prize are awarded Dishonorable Mentions.
[edit] Winning entrants
| Year | Author |
|---|---|
| 2011 | Sue Fondrie Appleton, Wisconsin |
| 2010 | Molly Ringle Seattle, Washington |
| 2009 | David McKenzie Federal Way, Washington |
| 2008 | Garrison Spik Washington, D.C. |
| 2007 | Jim Gleeson Madison, Wisconsin |
| 2006 | Jim Guigli Carmichael, California |
| 2005 | Dan McKay Fargo, North Dakota |
| 2004 | Dave Zobel Manhattan Beach, California |
| 2003 | Mariann Simms Wetumpka, Alabama |
| 2001 | Sera Kirk Vancouver, British Columbia |
| 2000 | Gary Dahl Los Gatos, California |
| 1999 | Dr. David Chuter Kingston, Surrey, England |
| 1998 | Bob Perry Milton, Massachusetts |
| 1997 | Artie Kalemeris Fairfax, Virginia |
| 1996 | Janice Estey Aspen, Colorado |
| 1995 | John L. Ashman Houston, Texas |
| 1994 | Larry Brill Austin, Texas |
| 1993 | Wm. W. "Buddy" Ocheltree Port Townsend, Washington |
| 1992 | Laurel Fortuner Montendre, France |
| 1991 | Judy Frazier Lathrop, Missouri |
| 1990 | Linda Vernon Newark, California |
| 1989 | Ray C. Gainey Indianapolis, Indiana |
| 1988 | Rachel E. Sheeley Williamsburg, Indiana |
| 1987 | Sheila B. Richter Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| 1986 | Patricia E. Presutti Lewiston, New York |
| 1985 | Martha Simpson Glastonbury, Connecticut |
| 1984 | Steven Garman Pensacola, Florida |
| 1983 | Gail Cain San Francisco, California |
[edit] Collections
Six books collecting the best BLFC entries have been published:
- It Was a Dark and Stormy Night (1984), ISBN 0-14-007556-9
- Son of "It Was a Dark and Stormy Night" (1986), ISBN 0-14-008839-3
- Bride of Dark and Stormy (1988), ISBN 0-14-010304-X
- It Was a Dark & Stormy Night: The Final Conflict (1992), ISBN 0-14-015791-3
- Dark and Stormy Rides Again (1996), ISBN 0-14-025490-0
- It Was a Dark and Stormy Night (2007), ISBN 978-1-905548-60-6
An audio cassette of the winning entries in the BLFC was also released:
- It Was a Dark and Stormy Night (1997), audio cassette, ISBN 1-57270-045-9.
[edit] See also
- Purple prose
- Lyttle Lytton Contest, a derivative favoring extremely short first sentences
- Bad Sex in Fiction Award run by Literary Review magazine
- Bookseller/Diagram Prize for Oddest Title of the Year
[edit] Notes
- ^ Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest: Rules (page down)
- ^ Hesse, Monica (August 15, 2008). "Purple Prose? His Is Truly Bruising". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/14/AR2008081403452_pf.html. Retrieved 30 June 2010.
- ^ History of the BLFC (page down)
[edit] External links
- Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest web site
- Lyttony of Grand Prize Winners
- "From Worst to First: Literary Award Marks the Pits of Prose" Chronicle of Higher Education News blog (2007)
