On the nature of an ordinary bug : a new perspective on non-fiction research

Abstract

During a lecture in 1999, Geert Mak, a well-known Dutch writer of non-fiction, complained that in the complex relationship between fiction and literature, there are two common misconceptions. The first is that all written works of fiction are literature. The second seems to be even more prevalent; it states that all literary texts are fiction. Hence, this leads to the question: what is the status of non-fiction, fact-based literature, literary reportage, and creative non-fiction?