He is the greatest artist the South has produced.... Indeed, through his many novels and short stories, Faulkner fights out the moral problem which was repressed after the nineteenth century [yet] for all his concern with the South, Faulkner was actually seeking out the nature of man. Thus we must turn to him for that continuity of moral purpose which made for greatness of our classics.” —Ralph Ellison
“No man ever put more of his heart and soul into the written word than did William Faulkner. If you want to know all you can about that heart and soul, the fiction where he put it is still right there.” —Eudora Welty
Daniel Mason’s North Woods follows one house in the woods of New England as it passes through families (with inhabitants both human and not) and endures natural and human history. Mason joins us to talk about how he connected with his setting, writing a novel covering a large timespan, playing with form and more. The […]
“Does one ever move on from someone they love dying?” Lorrie Moore’s I Am Homeless If This Is Not My Home is a story of love, family, life and death, written with the unmistakable wit and humor her readers cherish. Moore talks with us about her distinct authorial voice, balancing humor and grief, the difference […]
“…So much of American media is, As long as we have each other, it doesn’t matter what happens, we’re going to be fine. I don’t always think that’s true. Circumstances can really tear families apart. But, you know, I’m not going to write Succession.” Weike Wang follows up her acclaimed debut novel, Chemistry, with the […]
Writers are strange folks. This is known. They labor privately on flights of fancy with zero guarantee of financial (or any other kind) of success. Even the ones that attain the ultimate confirmation of their vision—publication—may see very little reward for their efforts. So it’s no surprise that plenty of authors are a little eccentric, and […]
Some books are pure fun, their thrills basic and comprehensible, like a hot dog. Some are more complicated, subtle, and challenging, like a fine wine. It’s perfectly natural sometimes to choose a simple read over something that will require a highlighter and some serious Google skills, but if you’ve been avoiding some challenging authors, now’s […]