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P=Poetry, N=Nonfiction, F=Fiction
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PFN – The Griffith Review Seeking Submissions. Theme: “The Leisure Principle”
Griffith Review 81: The Leisure Principle
In his 1930 essay ‘Economic Possibilities for Our Grandchildren’, John Maynard Keynes spelt out a vision of the impending utopia. Work, he said, will become a thing of the past. ‘For the first time since creation,’ he predicted, ‘man will be faced with his real, his permanent problem – how to occupy the leisure which science…will have won for him.’
So where did this vision of future past go? Like baco-foil suits and meals of protein pills, it proved to be a concept that withered on the vine. Instead of an excess of free time to be enjoyed at leisure, a radically different regime now dominates the developed nations: the leisure principle.
The leisure principle is one of work hard to play hard, a rigorous pursuit of monetarised hedonism: YOLO, live your best life, have a good time all the time. It has rendered the world a pleasure garden – for those who can afford it – of interminable excess and consumption without end.
Griffith Review 81: The Leisure Principle sets out to scrutinise the terms and conditions of this contemporary compact. From the ecstasy of the digital to the monied spectacle that is sport, the gamification of everyday life to the flourishing hierarchy of influencers, new codes and disciplines have emerged from this regimentation of recreation.
We’re looking for fiction and non-fiction that addresses the question of how we came to cede so much, and at such a price, just to amuse ourselves to death. Are we learning anything as we pay more to play more? And what’s going to happen when the party finally ends?
Things for you to note:
* We’re looking for non-fiction and fiction that responds to the theme.
* We’d prefer pieces that are no longer than 4,000 words (they can, of course, be much shorter than this).
* Attention poets! We’ll be opening a separate poetry call-out – keep an eye on our social media and newsletter for more details soon.
* We’ll let you know the outcome of your submission within eight weeks of the call-out closing date.
Submissions close at 11:59 pm AEST, 9 April 2023 and should be made via Submittable.