Talking with Jeffrey Eugenides; a look at the wartime experiences of eight noted writers; the latest from Mount Eerie; fictional mayors; and more.
Books of conflict, of war, of nations uprooted and the aftermath of that uprooting. That’s what was on my mind with this week’s three selections: two novels with decidedly contemporary settings, and one collection of essays wherein the memory of war, and of geographic displacement, is never far below the surface. It’s a weighty selection of subjects, but one to which all three of these do justice.
Jody Rosen gives a lesson in outsider British rock; Masha Hamilton makes a playlist; members of Pussy Riot appear in NYC; Nick Moran reflects on Maxwell’s. That and more can be found in this afternoon’s reading.