Fiction

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

Clown and Metaphysician: On Matei Calinescu’s “The Life and Opinions of Zacharias Lichter”
Thomas Pavel on Matei Calinescu's "The Life and Opinions of Zacharias Lichter," recently rereleased by NYRB Classics.
Thomas PavelMar 20, 2018
- Around the World
- Fiction
Literature as Lifeline: The Exile in “Call Me Zebra”
“Call Me Zebra” is a filthy love note to literature unabashedly luxuriating in its bookishness.
Irina DumitrescuMar 18, 2018
- Fiction
Marrow in the Bones: Translating Döblin’s “Berlin Alexanderplatz”
Sophie Duvernoy on Alfred Döblin’s “Berlin Alexanderplatz,” a masterpiece of German modernism, and its translations into English.
Sophie DuvernoyMar 18, 2018
- Around the World
- Fiction
The Folly of Fighting Fate in “All the Names They Used for God”
In her debut collection “All the Names They Used for God,” Anjali Sachdeva mixes the delicate and the dangerous.
Michael ValinskyMar 17, 2018
- Fiction
Time and Trauma in Anne Raeff’s “Winter Kept Us Warm”
The passage of time is measured by trauma in Anne Raeff’s debut novel “Winter Kept Us Warm.”
Linnie GreeneMar 16, 2018
- Around the World
- Fiction
Time and Freedom in Jason Barker’s “Marx Returns”
Nina Power on time and freedom in “Marx Returns” by Jason Barker.
Nina PowerMar 16, 2018
Subversive Surfaces: “Graffiti Palace” by A. G. Lombardo
John Flynn-York on A. G. Lombardo's debut novel, "Graffiti Place."
John Flynn-YorkMar 13, 2018
- Fiction
The Long, Inescapable Tail of Terrorism
Benjamin Balint revels in the elegant gravity of Wendell Steavenson’s “Paris Metro.”
Benjamin BalintMar 13, 2018
- Around the World
- Fiction
That Somber City: In Search of Saul Bellow’s Montréal
On Saul Bellow and the city of his early childhood.
Daniel FelsenthalMar 12, 2018
- Around the World
- Fiction
A Fabulist Tour of “Awayland”
Ramona Ausubel’s “Awayland” weaves a beautiful tapestry of emotion and whimsy.
Ilana MasadMar 12, 2018
- Around the World
- Fiction
The Unintended Moment: Rachel Lyon’s “Self-Portrait with Boy”
Diana Wagman reviews Rachel Lyon's new book.
Diana WagmanMar 11, 2018
- Fiction
Aches and Joys on the Long Road of Life
Ramsey Mathews finds Jesse Ball’s novel “Census” an odd and poignant read.
Ramsey MathewsMar 6, 2018
- Fiction