Fiction

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

The Forced Conversion of Varlam Shalamov
Anastasiya Osipova argues that the translators of “Kolyma Stories” by Varlam Shalamov have often obscured the author’s literary and political intent.
Anastasiya OsipovaJul 11, 2019
Oppositional Thinking, Pure Sensation, and a Good Journal: The Artistic Toolkit of Richard Ford
Three Montana State University graduate students analyze the artistic toolkit of Wallace Stegner Chair lecturer Richard Ford.
Debby Greene, Evan Kelly, Jaime JacobsenJul 11, 2019
- Fiction
Filled with a New Kind of Truth: A Conversation with Samanta Schweblin
Matthew Janney talks to Samanta Schweblin about her recent short story collection, "Mouthful of Birds," longlisted for the Man Booker International Prize.
Matthew JanneyJul 10, 2019
- Around the World
- Fiction
Leanne Shapton’s Hyper-Modern Ghost Stories
Sharon Steel reads “Guest Book: Ghost Stories” by Leann Shapton.
Sharon SteelJul 9, 2019
- Fiction
- Poetry
Animated Beasts and Animistic Voices: Agnès Desarthe’s “Hunting Party”
Abby Walthausen rides with “Hunting Party” by Agnès Desarthe, translated from the French by Christiana Hills.
Abby WalthausenJul 5, 2019
- Around the World
- Fiction
Particle Physics: On Nell Freudenberger’s “Lost and Wanted”
Freudenberger is excellent in her account of female friendships: the intensity with which they form in youth and the reshaping they undergo in middle age.
Dehn GilmoreJul 3, 2019
- Fiction
A Nightmare of History: On Sergei Lebedev’s “The Goose Fritz”
Leeore Schnairsohn chases down “The Goose Fritz” by Sergei Lebedev, translated from the Russian by Antonina W. Bouis.
Leeore SchnairsohnJun 30, 2019
- Around the World
- Fiction
Literature Versus Utopia: An Ancient Quarrel
Why do we prefer heroic suffering to utopian contentment?
John FarrellJun 30, 2019
Sacred Horror and the Border Imagination: On Fernando A. Flores’s “Tears of the Trufflepig”
"Tears of the Trufflepig" is a narcocorrido for the Island of Dr. Moreau. It’s Roberto Bolaño and Gloria Anzaldúa dropping acid and staring into the sun.
J. David GonzalezJun 25, 2019
- Fiction
The Pain and Pleasure of Creating Worlds in Ayşegül Savaş’s “Walking on the Ceiling”
Lori Brister appreciates Ayşegül Savaş’s “Walking on the Ceiling,” a lyrical debut novel “heavily marked by grief.”
Lori BristerJun 25, 2019
- Around the World
- Fiction
The Beauty of Men: Ocean Vuong’s “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous”
"On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous," the debut novel from poet Ocean Vuong, demands a different way of looking and valuing what is seen.
Min Hyoung SongJun 24, 2019
- Fiction
Failing Better: A Conversation with Ocean Vuong
Viet Thanh Nguyen talks with Ocean Vuong about the urgency of poetry, family inheritance, and the refugee experience.
Viet Thanh NguyenJun 24, 2019
- Fiction
- Poetry