Life and Letters
A Poet’s Faith
Nearly two decades ago, Christian Wiman was diagnosed with a rare cancer and told he probably had about five years to live. In a new book, he makes the case against despair.
A Friend Died, Her Novel Unfinished. Could I Realize Her Vision?
Attempting to complete a beloved colleague’s work meant trying to see with her eyes and reckoning anew with her absence.
What Kate DiCamillo Understands About Children
Her books for young readers have sold more than forty-four million copies. They are full of yearning, loneliness, ambivalence, and worry.
How the Writer and Critic Jacqueline Rose Puts the World on the Couch
Enlisting Freud and feminism, she reveals the hidden currents in poetry and politics alike.
On Killing Charles Dickens
I did everything I could to avoid writing my historical novel. When I finally started “The Fraud,” one principle was clear: no Dickens.
Did This Writer Actually Know Tennessee Williams?
James Grissom says that he met the playwright and his famous muses, and quoted them extensively in his work. Not everyone believes him.
The Novelist Whose Inventions Went Too Far
After the Afro-Cuban writer H. G. Carrillo died, his husband learned that almost everything the writer had shared about his life was made up—including his Cuban identity.
Is Mick Herron the Best Spy Novelist of His Generation?
In his “Slough House” thrillers, the screwups save the day—and there’s a very fine line between comedy and catastrophe.
Annie Ernaux Turns Memory Into Art
Many authors write about their lives. Over nearly fifty years, the Nobel laureate has discovered new ways to do it.
The Shock and Aftershocks of “The Waste Land”
T. S. Eliot’s masterpiece is a hundred years old, but it has never stopped sounding new.