Last October marked the release of a new volume in The Cambridge Edition of the Letters of Ernest Hemingway. Spanning three years in the writer’s early twenties, the letters in the volume track events including his first bullfight, the birth of his son Jack and the publication of his first collection of stories and poems. In The New York Review of Books, Edward Mendelson reads through the new volume. This might also be a good time to read our own Michael Bourne on A Farewell to Arms.
Long and Deep
The Fisher Queen
"The Disney character I most strongly identify with is the Beast before he learns how not to emotionally attack everyone around him, so." Over at The Toast, Mallory Ortberg tells us why she is the perfect candidate for the job of Fisher King. T.S. Eliot would be proud. Or likely horrified.
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You Are Invited
All Millions readers are invited to join us at McNally Jackson bookstore in New York to celebrate the release of The Late American Novel: Writers on the Future of Books. I'll be joined by my co-editor Jeff Martin, as well as Reif Larsen and Millions staff writers Garth Risk Hallberg and Emily St. John Mandel. It's shaping up to be a fun night; hope to see you there!
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Trigger warning: Breakups ahead
Kim Addonizio's latest collection of short stories, The Palace of Illusions, is due out this month. Here is a sneak peek, the story, "Another Breakup Song,” featuring a distinctly Raymond Carver-esque vibe.
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The Posterity Problem
Measuring a writer's success is tricky. An author might make The New York Times Bestseller List now but only be a footnote in an encyclopedia a century later. At The Guardian, D.J. Taylor wonders what contributes to a writer's posterity and concludes a pushy publisher or sponsor is often a writer's best asset. Pair with: Our essay on how John Updike fans attempt to maintain his reputation.
Everyone Sucks in Some Ways
Is it worth rediscovering Mary McCarthy? All the evidence points to yes.
End Games
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