Not an Open Letter
The self-made jury has handed down its decision: For his previous life in the Waffen SS, Günter Grass--and his work--should receive the maximum penalty.
Books
A collection of 305 issues
Reviews of Books Written by My Ex-Girlfriends
Whether I acted as catalyst or played the well-meaning muse, one thing’s for sure: My writerly exes are a prolific bunch. But are they any good?
Stephen Wright's Literary Landscape
UFO freaks, plant-loving vets, and science-minded slave owners people Stephen Wright's novels. Maybe a little off the wall? Maybe not. We talk with the writer about his books and their reflections of the human condition.
The Word You Dare Not Spell
Whatever Kaavya Viswanathan’s legacy, she has inspired us to take pleasure in others’ misfortune. And as there happens to be a word that means just that—schadenfreude—many writers have been more than happy to remind us of it.
BetweenTheLines.com
Tired of having your work rejected by editors left and right? The Frustrated Amateur Writers Network may be just what you need to jump-start your writing career. They won't be able to get you published--but they can help you feel better about it.
Some of This Is Made Up
Sharing your name with a celebrity can be frustrating, especially when the two of you pursue the same occupation.
The Seven Veils of Self-Importance
The bets are in, the brackets are filled out, and the judges have sharpened their knives. Welcome to the 2006 Tournament of Books, sponsored by Powells.com.
The Beginning of Spring
In 1998 Penelope Fitzgerald won the NBCC Award for The Blue Flower. Since then, many of my friends have read that book as their introduction to her and been confused, or worse, underwhelmed. I always recommend starting with The Beginning of Spring, the story of Englishman Frank Reid, proprietor of
Literature Is Freedom
In 2003 when Susan Sontag won the Friedenspreis des Deutschen Buchhandels, the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade, her acceptance speech--delivered in Frankfurt at a ceremony boycotted by the U.S. ambassador--was entitled "Literature is Freedom." Almost no American media noted her award or cited
Arthur and George
Arthur and George by Julian Barnes is a potboiler, a thoughtful thriller, a shirttails-grabbing day-ruining page-turner, a piece of very good fiction, a careful portrait of two men's very different lives entwined, a magnifying glass applied to faith and justice, another happy pill for Sherlockians