Jonathan Franzen, With Mom in Mind, Softens His Edge
The bestselling novelist talks about his latest book, ‘Crossroads,’ and taking a more compassionate stance toward his characters—and himself.
All posts tagged: books
Is It Time to Kill the Book Blurb?
The pre-publication endorsements—“dazzling!” “a masterwork!”—that litter book covers have long been a staple of publishing. Are they of any value or mere relics that deserve to go?
A Unified Theory of Michael Lewis
In ‘The Premonition: A Pandemic Story,’ the bestselling author offers another timely parable that stirs the pot—and again puts the moral of the story in his characters’ hands.
Author Brandon Taylor on His Next Books and First Film Adaptation
A profile of the Booker Prize–shortlisted author of ‘Real Life’ and the forthcoming ‘Filthy Animals.’
In Search of Futures Past
How Marcel Proust’s finances affected his writing.
Emmanuel Macron’s Grand Narrative
Three contemporary French authors illuminate the president’s divisive neoliberal agenda and how a diversionary ‘Europe under attack’ narrative might be the key to his success.
Rethinking Fitzgerald’s Final Days
What I’d Die for You tells us about Fitzgerald’s troubled final years. And how he turned personal tragedy into his best work.
‘The Story of Memory’: A Conversation with Paula Hawkins
Paula Hawkins, author of The Girl on The Train and Into the Water, reflects on two unreliable things: narrators and memory.
France’s Unlikely Literary Rebel
Maylis de Kerangal’s “The Heart” combines the language of science, philosophy, and pop culture to create a novel that defies categorization—and frustrates certain literary élites.
You Can Do Anything if You Just Do it Slowly
The best-selling author Lauren Groff on artistic narcissism, Véra Nabokov, and her winding road to success.
