Fiction

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

Monsters of Translation: On Arno Schmidt and Sasha Sokolov
Josh Billings wrestles with translations of the “untranslatable” novels of Arno Schmidt and Sasha Sokolov.
Josh BillingsDec 26, 2016
- Around the World
- Fiction
The Divine Power of the Cauliflower: An Interview with Nicola Barker
Nicola Barker, author of "The Cauliflower," talks faith, play, and the novel.
Ann Louise BardachDec 24, 2016
- Fiction
Thus Bad Begins and Worse Remains Behind: Javier Marías
Donald Breckenridge on Javier Marías's "Thus Bad Begins."
Donald BreckenridgeDec 23, 2016
- Fiction
Rereading John Fante’s “Ask the Dust”
Rob Sternberg on the pleasures of rereading John Fante.
Rob SternbergDec 22, 2016
- Fiction
A Less Ordinary Desperation
Libby Flores on Taylor Larsen's "Stranger, Father, Beloved."
Libby FloresDec 18, 2016
- Fiction
The Land Down Under
Jean Hey reviews David Francis’s novel "Wedding Bush Road."
Jean HeyDec 17, 2016
- Fiction
After The Dams: On Amy Hassinger’s Novel and the Dakota Pipeline
The novel explores dam building, pipelines, and their repercussions on indigenous people.
Mary WarnerDec 14, 2016
- Fiction
- Politics
Always One More Time: On Walter Benjamin’s “One-Way Street” and “The Storyteller”
Michael Blum takes a fresh look at the shorter work of Walter Benjamin.
Michael BlumDec 13, 2016
- Fiction
- Philosophy & Religion
Mexico’s Enduring Contrasts: An Interview with Nicholas Mainieri
Andrea Penman-Lomeli interviews New Orleans-based author Nicholas Mainieri about his novel “The Infinite,” which is set along the US-Mexico border.
Andrea Penman-LomeliDec 10, 2016
- Fiction
Of Truth and Schmaltziness: Michael Chabon’s “Moonglow”
Menachem ponders the Chabonian mode of “Moonglow” by Michael Chabon.
Menachem KaiserDec 8, 2016
- Fiction
A Surreal Argentine Western in César Aira’s “Ema the Captive”
César Aira's "Ema the Captive" is a surreal Western in the spirit of Cormac McCarthy’s "Blood Meridian" that causes you to lose your sense of proportion.
Nathan Scott McNamaraDec 5, 2016
- Fiction
Idra Novey, Hannah Sanghee Park, Gregory Pardlo, and Mark Richard Talk to Olivia Clare About Multiple Genres
What does it mean to move among multiple genres as a writer?
Olivia ClareDec 4, 2016