Fruit Without Taste: On Marguerite Duras’s “The Easy Life”Apoorva Tadepalli reviews Marguerite Duras’s “The Easy Life.”...APOORVA TADEPALLIAROUND THE WORLDFICTIONLITERARY FICTION
Good Evening, We Are from Ukraine: The Subversive Radicalism of a Viral Wartime SloganMaria Sonevytsky explores how a simple phrase became a slogan invoked by Ukrainian politicians, soldiers, intellectuals, and keyboard warriors....MARIA SONEVYTSKYAROUND THE WORLDPOLITICSMUSIC
Somewhat Nebulous Contours: On Sasha Senderovich’s “How the Soviet Jew Was Made”Yelena Furman reviews Sasha Senderovich’s “How the Soviet Jew Was Made.”...YELENA FURMANAROUND THE WORLDNONFICTIONLITERARY CRITICISMHISTORY
C. L. R. James: Renaissance RevolutionaryAlan Warhaftig recalls his encounters with C. L. R. James, one of the finest public intellectuals of the 20th century....ALAN WARHAFTIGAROUND THE WORLDNONFICTIONFICTIONPOLITICS
Don’t Be Afraid of Going Wrong: Conversations with C. L. R. JamesAlan Warhaftig talks with C. L. R. James about revolutionary politics, the ethics of cricket, and his novel “Minty Alley.”...ALAN WARHAFTIGAROUND THE WORLDNONFICTIONFICTIONPOLITICS
Enduring Divides: On Eve Fairbanks’s “The Inheritors”Jean Hey considers Eve Fairbanks’s “The Inheritors: An Intimate Portrait of South Africa’s Racial Reckoning.”...JEAN HEYAROUND THE WORLDPOLITICSHISTORY
A Second, Silent Language: A Conversation with Jon FosseRemo Verdickt and Emiel Roothooft speak with Norwegian author Jon Fosse about his novel collection “Septology I-VII.”...REMO VERDICKT, EMIEL ROOTHOOFTAROUND THE WORLDFICTIONMEMOIR & ESSAY
Transpacific Connections and Competitions: On Ying Zhu’s “Hollywood in China” and Daryl Joji Maeda’s “Like Water”Aynne Kokas reviews two recent books about the intersection of China and Hollywood: Ying Zhu’s “Hollywood in China: Behind the Scenes of the World’s Largest Movie Market” and Daryl Joji Maeda’s “Like Water: A Cultural History of Bruce Lee.”...AYNNE KOKASAROUND THE WORLDFILMBIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY
What Is the Secret of Chernivtsi?: A Conversation with Ihor PomerantsevKate Tsurkan speaks with Ihor Pomerantsev about the literary vitality of Ukraine and the value of poetry during wartime....KATE TSURKANAROUND THE WORLDPOETRY
Whatever Weapon: On Gender and Italian LiteratureJanna Brancolini discusses the dynamic relationship between restrictive Italian gender roles, Italy’s biggest literary prize, and the nation's history of women writers, who have rarely won it....JANNA BRANCOLINIAROUND THE WORLDFICTIONHISTORYLITERARY FICTIONGENDER & SEXUALITY
Persecution Mania: On Alisa Ganieva’s “Offended Sensibilities”Cory Oldweiler reviews Alisa Ganieva’s 2018 novel “Offended Sensibilities,” translated from the Russian by Carol Apollonio....CORY OLDWEILERAROUND THE WORLDFICTION
War Is a Structure: On Jamil Jan Kochai’s “The Haunting of Hajji Hotak and Other Stories”Najwa Mayer reviews Jamil Jan Kochai’s new collection “The Haunting of Hajji Hotak and Other Stories.”...NAJWA MAYERAROUND THE WORLDFICTION
Desire for a Proper Life: On Cho Nam-joo’s “Saha”Sheila McClear reviews South Korean author Cho Nam-joo’s new novel “Saha,” translated by Jamie Chang....SHEILA MCCLEARAROUND THE WORLDFICTION
The Masks of Xi Jinping: On Alfred L. Chan’s “Xi Jinping” and Joseph Torigian’s “Prestige, Manipulation, and Coercion”Who is Xi Jinping and what comes after? Martin Laflamme reviews Alfred L. Chan’s biography of Xi Jinping and Joseph Torigian’s study of power struggles in the Soviet Union and the PRC....MARTIN LAFLAMMEAROUND THE WORLDNONFICTIONPOLITICSBIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY
A Romanian Daedalus’ Surrealist Labyrinth: On Mircea Cărtărescu’s “Solenoid”Ben Hooyman reviews Mircea Cărtărescu’s “Solenoid.”...BEN HOOYMANAROUND THE WORLDLITERARY FICTION
A Garden in This Wretched World: On László Krasznahorkai’s “A Mountain to the North, a Lake to the South, Paths to the West, a River to the East”Cory Oldweiler reviews Ottilie Mulzet’s new translation of László Krasznahorkai’s “A Mountain to the North, a Lake to the South, Paths to the West, a River to the East.”...CORY OLDWEILERAROUND THE WORLDFICTION
The Archival Abyss of Pinochet’s Chile: On Nona Fernández’s “Space Invaders”Josh Weeks reviews Chilean author Nona Fernández’s novel “Space Invaders,” translated by Natasha Wimmer....JOSH WEEKSAROUND THE WORLDFICTIONPOLITICSHISTORY
Nada Que Ver: On Julián Cardona and Alice Leora Briggs’s “Abecedario de Juárez”José Luis Benavides reviews “Abecedario de Juárez: An Illustrated Lexicon” by Julián Cardona and Alice Leora Briggs, with translations by Alice L. Driver....JOSÉ LUIS BENAVIDESAROUND THE WORLDNONFICTIONART & ARCHITECTUREHISTORYCULTURAL STUDIES
Brand America: 100 Years of PENsEsther Allen reports on the state of PEN America....ESTHER ALLENAROUND THE WORLDPOLITICSHISTORY
Going Coastal: On Some Recent Books About the Ecology and History of BeachesDaniela Blei explores the paradoxes constituted by “the beach” — an allegedly natural place of leisure and fun since the Industrial Revolution, and now the site of our species’ myopia....DANIELA BLEIAROUND THE WORLDNONFICTIONSCIENCE & TECHNOLOGYHISTORY
A Third Space: On Karen Cheung’s “The Impossible City”Jimin Kang reviews Karen Cheung’s “The Impossible City: A Hong Kong Memoir.”...JIMIN KANGAROUND THE WORLDMEMOIR & ESSAY
iPhone TV: A Conversation with Kim Jee-woonMichael Szalay asks Kim Jee-woon about his new Apple TV+ series, “Dr. Brain.”...MICHAEL SZALAYAROUND THE WORLDTELEVISIONFILM
Possibly Related Characters: On Li Zi Shu’s “The Age of Goodbyes”Jenny Wu reviews Li Zi Shu’s “The Age of Goodbyes,” translated by YZ Chin....JENNY WUAROUND THE WORLDFICTIONLITERARY FICTION
A Day in RadomskoA report on Louise Steinman’s book launch in Poland and the larger project of Polish-Jewish reconciliation....LOUISE STEINMAN, LAURIE WINERAROUND THE WORLDMEMOIR & ESSAYHISTORY
