Irrational Authoritarianism: Ismail Kadare’s “The Traitor’s Niche”
Ani Kokobobo on an allegory of modern authoritarianism set in the Ottoman Empire....
Braving Every Storm: Lauren Groff’s “Florida”
Joseph Peschel finds the stories in Lauren Groff’s “Florida” as beautifully crafted as any fiction she has written....
Literature Is the Minefield of the Imagination: An Interview with Gabriela Alemán
Dick Cluster interviews Gabriela Alemán, the author of “Poso Wells.”...
Reconsidering Russia with “A Terrible Country” Novelist Keith Gessen
“A Terrible Country” novelist Keith Gessen discusses the heartbreak of dementia, the limits of historical context, and the truth about Putin’s Russia....
Fear of the Deeps: On Alain Guiraudie’s “Now the Night Begins”
Alain Guiraudie’s novel is perhaps more disturbing than his films, but Alex Wermer-Colan finds the queer cross-generational love story at its center....
Self-Centered or Savior?: Transracial Adoption in “That Kind of Mother”
Alice Stephens finds Rumaan Alam’s “That Kind of Mother” a thoughtful look at the good, the bad, and the ugly of transracial adoption....
Writing an Outpost of the British Empire: Caryl Phillips and Jean Rhys
What Phillips really captures in “A View of the Empire at Sunset” is not so much Jean Rhys’s voice, but her eerie way of being in the world....
Reclaiming Africa’s Stolen Histories Through Fiction
African historical fiction comes of age....
The Art and Activism of the Anthropocene, Part III: A Conversation with Helen Phillips, Amitav Ghosh, and Nathan Kensinger
Amy Brady of “Guernica” magazine presents the third conversation in the series “The Art and Activism of the Anthropocene.”...
The Truest Testament: On the Life and Art of Yuri Felsen
Bryan Karetnyk tells the tragic tale of Yuri Felsen, a Russian émigré author whose English-language debut is long overdue....
Frankenstein Turns 200 and Becomes Required Reading for Scientists
"Frankenstein: Annotated for Scientists, Engineers, and Creators of All Kinds" can remind scientists and engineers to proceed with caution....
Maria Hummel Dissects Violence in Art with “Still Lives”
Despite its missteps, Hummel’s art-world thriller “Still Lives” is a compelling read....
