Fiction

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

Mirth and Melancholy: The Collected Stories of Machado de Assis
A newly translated compendium of Machado de Assis’s short fiction proves him to be an undisputed master of the form.
Morten Høi JensenJul 4, 2018
- Around the World
- Fiction
Fighting for Emotional Liberty in Joanna Walsh’s “Break.up”
Joanna Walsh’s latest work of autofiction uses the ghosts of the immediate past to examine the long game of life.
Melynda FullerJul 2, 2018
- Fiction
Careers of Evil: On the Migration of a Three-Word Phrase from Lautréamont to J. K. Rowling, with Stops at Patti Smith and the Blue Öyster Cult
Howard Rodman on the origins of the phrase “career of evil,” with stops at Patti Smith and the Blue Öyster Cult.
Howard A. RodmanJun 28, 2018
Elegies and Enduring Love in Jim Crace’s “The Melody”
Jim Crace’s “The Melody” sings a haunting refrain of enduring love.
Robert Allen PapinchakJun 27, 2018
- Fiction
Elegant, Tragic, Strange: Eric Beck Rubin’s “School of Velocity”
André van Loon reviews Eric Beck Rubin's debut novel, "School of Velocity."
André van LoonJun 26, 2018
- Fiction
Nearby and Together: Norman Manea on His Friend Philip Roth
Norman Manea pays homage to his late friend Philip Roth.
Norman ManeaJun 23, 2018
- Fiction
The Age of Acceleration: An Interview with Martin Amis
Martin Amis on poetry versus the novel and the vicissitudes of a literary career.
Scott TimbergJun 21, 2018
Breaking Out of Narrative Prison in Debra Jo Immergut’s “The Captives”
Katharine Coldiron admires the structural audacity of Debra Jo Immergut’s prison-bound psychological thriller.
Katharine ColdironJun 20, 2018
- Fiction
Melancholic Mythologies: “Half Gods” and the “Mahabharata”
In “Half Gods,” Akil Kumarasamy renders slow-moving pictures of Sri Lankan grief that unspool over the course of the collection.
Kalyan NadimintiJun 16, 2018
- Around the World
- Fiction
The Cost of War: Parts and Labor
Ahmed Saadawi’s novel “Frankenstein in Baghdad” continues to win prizes for good reason: it is one of the best fictional accounts of the Iraq War yet.
Roger LuckhurstJun 16, 2018
“You Ought to Think About Translating This”: A Conversation with Carl Skoggard
Peter Nowogrodzki interviews Carl Skoggard, translator of Sigfried Kracauer’s novel “Georg.”
Peter NowogrodzkiJun 15, 2018
- Around the World
- Fiction
An Irresponsible Obsession: Tara Isabella Burton’s “Social Creature”
Lauren Sarazen reviews Tara Isabella Burton's Patricia Highsmith–esque novel, "Social Creature."
Lauren SarazenJun 14, 2018
- Fiction