Fiction

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

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  When the Hurlyburly’s Done: Roy Scranton’s “War Porn”

  Roy Scranton’s new novel “War Porn” calls into question mindsets rampant on both sides of the Iraq War.

  Sarah HoenickeAug 16, 2016

  • Fiction

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  Teffi Who? The Rediscovery of One of Russia’s Greatest Writers

  Maria Bloshteyn reviews two recent translations of Teffi (1872–1952), a Russian literary superstar who is finally getting her due in the West.

  Maria BloshteynAug 16, 2016

  • Fiction

  • Nonfiction

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  No Blood for Beauty: Phil Metres and Roy Scranton on Torture, Art, and the Literature of Empire

  Philip Metres and Roy Scranton discuss Scranton's novel, "War Porn", and how we remember our roles in war.

  Philip Metres, Roy ScrantonAug 15, 2016

  • Fiction

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  Grandiose American Bullshit

  Seth Blake interviews Shawn Vestal on his new novel, "Daredevils".

  Seth BlakeAug 15, 2016

  • Fiction

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  The Fantastic Worlds of Guy Gavriel Kay

  Christine Fischer Guy interviews Guy Gavriel Kay on the role of fantasy in his novels.

  Christine Fischer GuyAug 14, 2016

  • Fiction

  • SF

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  He Gets Us, He Really Gets Us: Jay McInerney’s “Bright, Precious Days” and the Sighs of the One Percent

  The latest installment in Jay McInerney’s Manhattan Trilogy, a dutifully documented, tender-hearted take on The Way Manhattan’s Elite Live Now.

  Cornel BoncaAug 13, 2016

  • Fiction

• Every Day, a Funeral: Jenny Zhang and Nate Brown in Conversation

  Nate Brown and Jenny Zhang on the role of poet in our society, the two-party system, how every day is a funeral, and poop.

  Jenny Zhang, Nate BrownAug 12, 2016

  • Fiction

  • Poetry

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  A Trickster Imagination

  Helen Oyeyemi’s dazzling technique in “What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours” engages the reader’s mind; the heart is undisturbed.

  Ilana TeitelbaumAug 12, 2016

  • Fiction

  • SF

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  A Stupid Man: Rufi Thorpe on the Influence of Czesław Miłosz and Writing While Female

  Rufi Thorpe explores how Czesław Miłosz, and his understanding of stupidity, influenced her second novel, “Dear Fang, With Love”.

  Rufi ThorpeAug 11, 2016

  • Fiction

  • Poetry

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  Reorienting the Axis: On “When Watched”

  A self-awareness that can't be grasped, a sincere attempt at interpersonal connection even as it fumbles away, drives Leopoldine Core’s "When Watched".

  Brandon WilliamsAug 10, 2016

  • Fiction

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  Make the Wrong Choice: Rereading Conrad’s “Victory”

  On love and Joseph Conrad’s under-read classic, “Victory”.

  Ed SchadAug 8, 2016

  • Fiction

• Make America Austria Again: How Robert Musil Predicted the Rise of Donald Trump

  What can "The Man Without Qualities" teach us about Donald Trump?

  David AuerbachAug 7, 2016

  • Fiction

  • Politics