Cult Writers: 50 Nonconformist Novelists You Need to Know

Whether revolutionary in their craft, pioneers of literary movements or aggravators of the Establishment: cult writers come in all shapes and guises. Some gain instant fame, others instant notoriety. More still remain anonymous until a change in fashion propels them into the limelight.

Cult Writers handpicks 50 notable figures from the modern world of literature and explores how they use language as a form of provocation. From Irvine Welsh's gritty Edinburgh streets to Ken Kesey's drug-fuelled madness; from feminist trailblazers Sylvia Plath and Angela Carter, to science fiction heavyweights J.G. Ballard and Philip K. Dick, each is special in their ability to inspire, antagonize and delight.