Fiction

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

The Self That No One Chooses: A Q-and-A with Chris Dennis on “Here Is What You Do: Stories”
Katya Apekina speaks with Chris Dennis, author of “Here Is What You Do.”
Katya ApekinaAug 18, 2019
- Fiction
The Passing of Time: On Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa’s and Luchino Visconti’s “The Leopard”
Melissa Holbrook Pierson is overwhelmed by two great works named “The Leopard.”
Melissa Holbrook PiersonAug 16, 2019
Toward a Useful Melancholy: On Howard Norman’s Ghost Stories
Mark Athitakis assesses one of our most intelligent novelists of melancholy, Howard Norman.
Mark AthitakisAug 16, 2019
- Fiction
Sally Rooney: The Dark Side
Sally Rooney is trying to tell us something. Politics are in the forefront, but I’m guessing there is a dark secret lurking in the background.
GD DessAug 14, 2019
What Is Not Said: On Natalia Ginzburg’s “The Dry Heart” and “Happiness, as Such”
Victoria Baena examines two recently reissued novels by Natalia Ginzburg: "The Dry Heart" and "Happiness, as Such."
Victoria BaenaAug 13, 2019
- Around the World
- Fiction
Trading in the Emotional Economy: On Elvia Wilk’s “Oval”
Elvia Wilk's new novel, "Oval," is a blistering diagnosis of how today’s social structures have shaped us.
Michael FriedrichAug 9, 2019
- Fiction
Wonderful Chaos: On “Home Remedies: Stories” by Xuan Juliana Wang
Carol Muske-Dukes tries out “Home Remedies” by Xuan Juliana Wang.
Carol Muske-DukesAug 7, 2019
- Fiction
- SF
“Dungeons & Dragons” and Baseball; or, Robert Coover Fights the Robot Umps
Ryan Lackey considers baseball, robots, and collaborative storytelling.
Ryan LackeyAug 4, 2019
- Fiction
Hearing a Way Forward: On Caitlin Horrocks’s “The Vexations”
Rachel Duboff considers “The Vexations” by Caitlin Horrocks.
Rachel DuboffAug 4, 2019
- Fiction
Iran Under Pressure, Again: What a 50-Year-Old Persian Classic Tells Us About the Country’s Predicament Today
Joobin Bekhrad finds new geopolitical relevance in Simin Daneshvar’s classic Iranian novel “Savushun,” first published in 1969.
Joobin BekhradAug 2, 2019
The Children of No-Man’s Land: On Valeria Luiselli’s “Lost Children Archive” and the Problem of Representing the Migrant Story
Jess Cotton takes up Valeria Luiselli’s “Lost Children Archive” and the challenge of representing the migrant experience.
Jess CottonAug 2, 2019
Melville and the Media: A Conversation with Bernhard Siegert, Markus Krajewski, and Harun Maye
Bryan Norton talks to German scholars Bernhard Siegert, Markus Krajewski, and Harun Maye, authors of an ongoing commentary to Herman Melville’s “Moby-Dick.”
Bryan NortonAug 1, 2019