Fiction

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

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.
Alex Wermer-ColanJul 13, 2018
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.
Alice StephensJul 12, 2018
- Fiction
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.
Erica JohnsonJul 12, 2018
- Fiction
Reclaiming Africa’s Stolen Histories Through Fiction
African historical fiction comes of age.
Lizzy AttreeJul 11, 2018
- Around the World
- Fiction
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.”
Amy BradyJul 10, 2018
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.
Bryan KaretnykJul 10, 2018
- Around the World
- Fiction
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.
Sidney PerkowitzJul 9, 2018
Maria Hummel Dissects Violence in Art with “Still Lives”
Despite its missteps, Hummel’s art-world thriller “Still Lives” is a compelling read.
Bradley BabendirJul 7, 2018
- Fiction
Writer’s Brains: The Lasting Worth of Alfred Hayes
Alex Harvey surveys the career of Alfred Hayes, a 20th-century American poet, novelist, and screenwriter.
Alex HarveyJul 6, 2018
A Voice from the Caucasus: On Alisa Ganieva’s “Bride and Groom”
Yelena Furman reads “Bride and Groom,” a novel by the Dagestani author Alisa Ganieva, translated from the Russian by Carol Apollonio.
Yelena FurmanJul 5, 2018
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