Clive James, who died on Sunday at 80, mined such a rich vein of wit in his writing — poems, memoirs, translations, novels, song lyrics,…
Home »
Harold Bloom, a Prolific Giant and Perhaps the Last of a Kind
Harold Bloom, the imperious and convivial scholar and literary critic, the last colossus in terms of his ardor and prodigious memory, a self-described “tired, sad,…
Annette Kolodny, Feminist Critic and Scholar, Dies at 78
Annette Kolodny, a literary and cultural critic who was a pioneer in the field of ecofeminism, drawing parallels between the subjugation of the environment and…
Ann Patchett Will Eventually Discuss Her Book
NASHVILLE — Although the purpose of this conversation is to promote her new novel, “The Dutch House,” Ann Patchett is in no great hurry to…
When Climate Change Is Stranger Than Fiction
How do you capture the realities of climate change in a novel — not just its causes and symptoms, but the ever-changing, ever-weirder ways it…
How Susan Sontag Influenced Patti Smith’s Reading Life
“She advised me to read more German authors,” says the writer and singer, whose latest memoir is “Year of the Monkey.” What books are on…
In Praise of Samuel R. Delany
“In the long country cut with rain, somehow there was nowhere to begin.” So reflects the nameless character, known only as “the Kid,” as he…
What Boris Johnson’s Forgotten Novel Says About the U.K.’s Likely Leader
LONDON — In 2004, years before he was poised to become Britain’s next prime minister, Boris Johnson published “Seventy-Two Virgins.” His novel, which has sold…
By the Book: Greg Iles
The author, most recently, of the novel “Cemetery Road,” finds electronic books easier on his eyes these days: “I still love the scent and feel…
Robert Macfarlane and the Dark Side of Nature Writing
CAMBRIDGE, England — Robert Macfarlane was partway up a mountain in Scotland when a fellow climber decided to lighten the mood by reciting some William…