{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/7a01c9e5-3627-4113-bb75-a1162bceb72d/66a2c0abf8044f8b2997957d?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"Culture chat: How ‘A Court of Thorns and Roses’ broke the romance lit taboo","description":"<p>Romance is fiction’s top-selling genre. And ‘romantasy’, where romance meets fantasy, has become a literary phenomenon. That’s thanks to the novel we’re discussing today, <em>A Court of Thorns and Roses</em>, and its writer,<em> </em>Sarah J Maas. Also known as ACOTAR, this is the first novel in Maas’ five-book series. It tells the story of a human girl who is taken captive in a faerie kingdom, and falls in love with one of its aristocratic lords. Maas’s books have sold more than 38mn copies worldwide — spawning memes, tattoos and immersive fan clubs. What is its appeal, and why has ‘romantasy’ exploded in recent years?&nbsp;</p><p>-------</p><p>Want to take our survey for a chance to win a pair of Bose QuietComfort 35 wireless headphones? <a href=\"https://www.feedback.ft.com/c/r/podcast_survey_2024?Podcast_Title=Life%20and%20Art%20from%20FT%20Weekend\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Here’s the link</a>, and here are the <a href=\"https://www.feedback.ft.com/c/r/PodcastSurvey2024_CompetitionTerms\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">terms and conditions</a>.</p><p>We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @<a href=\"https://instagram.com/lilahrap\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">lilahrap</a>. We’re on X @<a href=\"https://twitter.com/lifeandartpod\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">lifeandartpod</a> and on email at <a href=\"mailto:lifeandart@ft.com\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">lifeandart@ft.com</a>. And please share this episode with your friends!</p><p>-------</p><p><strong>Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):&nbsp;</strong></p><p>– Madison Darbyshire’s piece, ‘Hot stuff: why readers fall in love with romance novels’ is here: <a href=\"https://on.ft.com/3YiLEQ1\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://on.ft.com/3YiLEQ1</a>&nbsp;</p><p>– A profile of Sara J Maas, by Anna Nicolaou: <a href=\"https://on.ft.com/4deUD9h\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://on.ft.com/4deUD9h</a>&nbsp;</p><p>– For more summer reads, check out Laura Battle’s selection of the best summer fiction books <a href=\"https://on.ft.com/3ynCdEl\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>.&nbsp;</p><p>– Laura is on X <a href=\"https://x.com/battlelaura?lang=en\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">@battlelaura</a>. Madison is <a href=\"https://x.com/madarbyshire?lang=en\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">@MADarbyshire</a>.&nbsp;</p><p>-------</p><p>Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: <a href=\"https://ft.com/lifeandart\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">http://ft.com/lifeandart</a></p><p><br></p><p><a href=\"https://www.ft.com/content/fd9a7d3f-d2ed-4ed6-bcd3-e5684bc2b5bc\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com</strong></a></p>","author_name":"Financial Times"}