literary hack
- noun
- Offensive
:
escritor de pacotilla
- Many readers were disappointed by the novel, calling it a typical work of a literary hack who prioritized sales over substance.
Examples
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Despite his popularity, the author was seen as a literary hack by those who valued original and meaningful storytelling.
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Not about writers, mind you—he declined to critique his contemporaries, and though there are critics and journalists among his characters (and a couple of literary hacks), I can think of only one story about what we call a "creative" writer.
Academic text (2003) -
The magazine was criticized for featuring articles written by literary hacks rather than true literary talent.
Synonyms
77
7.5
A person who does dull, routine work, especially writing
2
8.2
A writer, often a journalist, who people think is not very skilled
1
7.5
A writer who makes low quality books or articles only for money
A writer who makes many bad articles for little pay
Antonyms
How Skilled
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'literary' (relating to literature) + 'hack' (a person who does low-quality or routine work) straightforwardly yields 'a writer who produces mediocre work.' This ADJ+NOUN pattern and the transparent senses of both constituents make the expression readily understandable to a B1 learner who knows the two words.
Etymology
Literary hack uses hack, an old word for a hired worker who did dull, quick jobs just to earn money. So a literary hack is a writer who produces many low-quality pieces mainly 'for money', not for art.