Fiction

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

Class-Motivated Self-Hatred: On Marie NDiaye’s “The Cheffe”
Kamil Ahsan pays compliments to “The Cheffe,” the recently translated novel by Marie NDiaye.
Kamil AhsanDec 29, 2019
- Around the World
- Fiction
Fractured and Fluid Identity: On Igiaba Scego’s “Beyond Babylon”
Kelsey McFaul reviews "Beyond Babylon," a novel by Igiaba Scego, translated from the Italian by Aaron Robertson.
Kelsey McFaulDec 27, 2019
- Around the World
- Fiction
Crème of New York Revisited: On Jonathan Vatner’s “Carnegie Hill”
Heather Altfeld climbs “Carnegie Hill,” the debut novel from Jonathan Vatner.
Heather AltfeldDec 27, 2019
- Fiction
Katherine Mansfield: The Polish Connection
Gerri Kimber and Magda Heydel reconstruct Katherine Mansfield’s Polish connection.
Gerri Kimber, Magda HeydelDec 25, 2019
On Ponies, Players, and Improbability: On Shannon Pufahl’s “On Swift Horses”
Marcie McCauley admires "On Swift Horses," the new novel from Shannon Pufahl.
Marcie McCauleyDec 24, 2019
- Fiction
Dostoyevsky Misprisioned: “The House of the Dead” and American Prison Literature
Ilya Vinitsky follows a spurious Dostoyevsky quote into the American house of the dead.
Ilya VinitskyDec 23, 2019
The Creative Potentials of Unsuccess: On Karolina Pavlova’s “A Double Life”
Vadim Shneyder disentangles “A Double Life,” an important 19th-century novel by Karolina Pavlova, translated by Barbara Heldt.
Vadim ShneyderDec 21, 2019
- Around the World
- Fiction
Catalan Literature in the World: Speaking with Izaskun Arretxe
In her series on Catalan literature, Azareen Van der Vliet Oloomi speaks with Izaskun Arretxe, head of Institut Ramon Llull in Barcelona.
Azareen Van der Vliet OloomiDec 16, 2019
The Two Lives of One Woman: On Guzel Yakhina’s “Zuleikha”
Olga Ware appreciates “Zuleikha,” a novel by Guzel Yakhina, translated from the Russian by Lisa C. Hayden.
Olga WareDec 14, 2019
- Around the World
- Fiction
Representative Foreigners: On Elif Shafak’s “10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World”
Keija Parssinen reviews “10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World,” the Booker–shortlisted novel by Elif Shafak.
Keija ParssinenDec 14, 2019
- Around the World
- Fiction
Amtrak Kerouac
A recovering addict pays tribute to a literary hero at his tomb in Lowell, Massachusetts.
Peter KaldheimDec 12, 2019
- Fiction
Writing Across Borders
Krupa Shandilya charts “The Limits of the World,” the debut novel from Jennifer Acker.
Krupa ShandilyaDec 10, 2019
- Fiction