September 2, 1973: J.R.R. Tolkien Dies September 2, 1973: J.R.R. Tolkien Dies
“One is puzzled to know why the author should have supposed he was writing for adults.… There is little in The Lord of the Rings over the head of a seven-year-old child.”
Sep 2, 2015 / 150th Anniversary / Richard Kreitner
Welcome to Earth: Cuba’s ‘Special Period’ Gets the Sci-Fi Treatment Welcome to Earth: Cuba’s ‘Special Period’ Gets the Sci-Fi Treatment
The funny, scathing, and heart-wrenching universe of A Planet for Rent.
Aug 27, 2015 / Books & the Arts / André Naffis-Sahely
Samuel R. Delany Speaks Samuel R. Delany Speaks
The award-winning novelist discusses the intersection of race, sexual identity, and science fiction.
Aug 24, 2015 / Dispatch / Cecilia D’Anastasio
How a Harper Lee Novel Unfit to Print Was Turned Into Found Money How a Harper Lee Novel Unfit to Print Was Turned Into Found Money
The decision to publish was purely a marketing decision. It turned out to be a shrewd one.
Aug 18, 2015 / Richard Lingeman
August 18, 1958: Vladimir Nabokov’s ‘Lolita’ Is Published in the US August 18, 1958: Vladimir Nabokov’s ‘Lolita’ Is Published in the US
“Lolita by high art transmutes persons, motives and actions which in ordinary life are considered indecent, into objects of delight, compassion and contemplation.”
Aug 18, 2015 / 150th Anniversary / Richard Kreitner
House of the Dispossessed House of the Dispossessed
Angela Flournoy's The Turner House is a story of the living and the lost.
Aug 13, 2015 / Books & the Arts / Hannah Gold
July 31, 1965: J.K. Rowling is Born July 31, 1965: J.K. Rowling is Born
“As the rest of the wizarding world teeters on the brink of catastrophe, what Harry really wants to know is: Did Dumbledore love me or what?”
Jul 31, 2015 / 150th Anniversary / Richard Kreitner
So Long, E.L. Doctorow, It’s Been Good to Know Yuh So Long, E.L. Doctorow, It’s Been Good to Know Yuh
You were a friend, a supporter of The Nation, and one of America’s great novelists.
Jul 30, 2015 / Editorial / Victor Navasky
The Virtues of Difficult Fiction The Virtues of Difficult Fiction
If novels aren’t worthy challenges, we have no reason to linger in their pages.
Jul 30, 2015 / Books & the Arts / Joanna Scott
Paul Beatty’s Savage Satire Paul Beatty’s Savage Satire
The Sellout takes aim at black middle-class foibles and fantasies.
Jul 30, 2015 / Books & the Arts / Jesse McCarthy