“I think dystopian novels are really about present anxiety, aren’t they?” Chang-rae Lee said in an interview for the Daily Beast’s “How I Write” series. His dystopian novel, On Such a Full Sea, was part of our 2014 book preview.
Modern Anxiety
On Cocktails, Camaraderie, and Chaos
Times drink columnist Rosie Schaap discussed Drinking With Men in the pages of The Observer. Meanwhile, Derek Brown has some advice for bartenders across the country: for the love of all that is holy, stop inventing so many new, wild drinks!
Valeria Luiselli on Writing Through the Pandemic
Valeria Luiselli on the importance of writers documenting this moment in time, at their own pace and within their own capacity.
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Profiling Edward P. Jones
The Washington Post offers a long profile of the still underappreciated Edward P. Jones. We learn he hasn’t put a word of fiction to paper in four years but has been writing in his head. “‘I write a lot in my head,’ he says. ‘I’ve never been driven to write things down.'” (via @keelinmc)
The Housewife Novel
Recommended Reading: On the history of literature about housewives, from Madame Bovary to Dept. of Speculation.
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New Releases!
Tuesday New Release Day! New E.L. Doctorow, new Lorrie Moore, new Nick Cave, new (guest contributor) Michelle Huneven. And new in paperback 2666. Update: There’s also a new six-word memoir collection “by Teens Famous and Obscure” edited by Friend of The Millions Rachel Fershleiser
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TLS Best Books of the Year
The Times Literary Supplement offers “Best Books of 2009” picks from a smattering of contributors, including Julian Barnes and Ali Smith.
‘Tiger’ Wins an Orange
Tea Obreht’s The Tiger’s Wife wins the Orange Prize. Our review.