Fiction

"Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities. Truth isn't." — Mark Twain

The Form of the Small Life: Karl Ove Knausgaard’s “My Struggle: Book Six”
Paul Delany reviews the final book of Karl Ove Knausgaard's "My Struggle" series.
Paul DelanySep 20, 2018
- Around the World
- Fiction
Confessions of a Left-Conservative: Norman Mailer in the Library of America
An essential writer in his quintessential decade.
Jonathan KirshnerSep 19, 2018
- Fiction
- Memoir & Essay
All the Thrills Without the Terror: On “Crossing Borders: Stories and Essays about Translation”
Veronica Scott Esposito interprets “Crossing Borders: Stories and Essays about Translation,” edited by Lynne Sharon Schwartz.
Veronica EspositoSep 18, 2018
On Outgrowing David Foster Wallace
"Why does David Foster Wallace read differently to me now? Why am I ashamed of him? Maybe his work is limited in ways I didn’t see before." A DFW guy writes
Julius TarantoSep 15, 2018
- Fiction
Peter Stamm, Master of Emptiness
GD Dess probes the meaning of emptiness in the novels of Peter Stamm.
GD DessSep 14, 2018
- Around the World
- Fiction
Suffering Visible: The Ravages of Postcolonial Capitalism in Tsitsi Dangarembga’s “This Mournable Body”
In her sly, layered novel “This Mournable Body,” Tsitsi Dangarembga forces the reader’s perspective toward both violence and its humane alternatives.
Michael FriedrichSep 14, 2018
- Around the World
- Fiction
Motherhood and Migration: An Interview with Vanessa Hua on “A River of Stars”
Melody Schreiber talks toe Vanessa Hua about her debut novel, "A River of Stars."
Melody SchreiberSep 13, 2018
- Fiction
Alive in a Magic Democracy: On “The Real Lolita”
Francesca Capossela puts “The Real Lolita” by Sarah Weinman in dialogue with “Lolita” by Vladimir Nabokov.
Francesca CaposselaSep 12, 2018
The Dust on a Butterfly’s Wing: On Sarah Weinman’s Investigation of “The Real Lolita”
Désirée Zamorano reviews “The Real Lolita” by Sarah Weinman.
Désirée ZamoranoSep 12, 2018
How to Write a Love Story
Scarlett PeckhamSep 11, 2018
- Fiction
David Foster Wallace in the #MeToo Era: A Conversation with Clare Hayes-Brady
Steve Paulson interviews Clare Hayes-Brady, author of “The Unspeakable Failures of David Foster Wallace," about the late author's legacy in the #MeToo era.
Steve PaulsonSep 10, 2018
- Fiction
- Literary Criticism
Satire and Subversion in Ishmael Reed’s “Conjugating Hindi”
Anita Felicelli on the firebrand Ishmael Reed’s latest novel, “Conjugating Hindi,” which is out now from Dalkey Archive Press.
Anita FelicelliSep 8, 2018
- Fiction