In our morning reading: an interview with Kim Stanley Robinson, reviews of books by Lance Olsen and Claude McKay, and more.
Morning Bites: Lance Olsen, Brandon Taylor Fiction, Ishmael Reed Revisited, Lidia Yuknavitch, and More
In our morning reading: thoughts on books by Lance Olsen and Steph Post, new fiction from Brandon Taylor, and more.
Lance Olsen and John Domini Talk About Cities as Fictions, Political Daymares, and Never Being at Home
Lance Olsen and John Domini have followed each other’s work for years, sharing an attraction to the edges of the fictional enterprise, to experiment and risk. Olsen has many works of fiction and non-fiction, and his awards include the Guggenheim. Domini too has published widely, in all genres, and won an NEA Fellowship. Both have spent extended time abroad, Olsen in Germany, Domini in Italy. Not till now, however, did they share new titles with similar core concern— namely, a European city going through a radical change. In Domini’s case, in his novel The Color Inside a Melon, this was contemporary Naples, over a single hectic week. Olsen’s latest, My Red Heaven, considers a June day in Berlin, in 1927.
Afternoon Bites: Johannes Anyuru, Sylvia Townsend Warner Revisited, Virginie Despentes, Lance Olsen’s Playlist, and More
In our afternoon reading: reviews of books by Johannes Anyuru and Virginie Despentes, a playlist from Lance Olsen, and more.
Chocolate : The Heat of Our Thoughts — An Excerpt From Lance Olsen’s “My Red Heaven”
Lance Olsen’s new novel My Red Heaven follows a host of characters in Berlin over the course of one day in 1927. At times, Olsen’s prose tells of artistic breakthroughs; at others, such as the excerpt featured here, he gradually takes the reader into a more nightmarish space. In the midst of Modernism’s rise, Olsen pays homage to Modernist writing, even as he pushes onwards into haunting historical vistas. My Red Heaven will be released by Dzanc Books on January 21st.
Vol.1 Brooklyn’s January 2020 Book Preview
New year, new books. January offers plenty of new titles to choose from, ranging from unsettling dystopias to thought-provoking works of nonfiction to boldly experimental literary works. Some of the books we’re most excited to read this month are from old favorites of ours; others are from writers whose work we’re eager to read for the first time. Here’s a selection of some of the January books we’re looking forward to.
Afternoon Bites: Jayson Greene Nonfiction, Victor LaValle on Blake Crouch’s Latest, Ryan Chapman, and More
In our afternoon reading: new writing by Jayson Greene, reviews of books by Blake Crouch and Ryan Chapman, and more.
Afternoon Bites: Chris Forsyth, Bryan Washington Interviewed, Revisiting Gertrude Stein, Troy James Weaver Fiction, and More
In our afternoon reading: a review of Chris Forsyth’s new album, an interview with Bryan Washington, and more.