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I don’t usually recommend literature that has been in print for several years, but since this is the Fiction Issue, I’m going to make an exception. Here are some noteworthy pieces that can be found online in the form of e-text:
James Joyce’s The Dead - (Biliomania.com)Now to what you expected to find here…
Alice Mattison’s We Two Grown-Ups - (The New York Times)
Donald Barthelme’s The Balloon - (Bailiwick)
Theodore Roethke’s My Papa’s Waltz - (RedFrog)
Lorrie Moore’s Willing - (The New York Times)
Elizabeth Bishop’s The Armadillo: includes audio - (The Academy of American Poets)
So many books come out each year, and it's difficult for readers to know what to expect at bookstores next, much less what's any good. Here are my picks from the list of upcoming fall and winter releases. Please keep in mind that book release dates are nebulous. These books may already be on your shelves, or they may not be out until February. Enjoy!
Ansay, A. Manette: Midnight Champagne (William Morrow & Co.). Latest novel from the author of Sister and Vinegar Hill.
Broyard, Bliss: My Father Dancing (Knopf). Stories from the daughter of the late New York Times literary critic Anatole Broyard. "A dazzingly brilliant debut by a writer who is clearly destined for a long and important literary career." – Robert Olen Butler
Chenoweth, Avery:Wingtips (John Hopkins Press). A lyric and incisive first collection of stories.
Keegan, John: The First World War (Knopf). Another brilliant book from the award-winning author of The Second World War. Wonderfully readable scholarly description of the first Great War. Non-fiction.
Livesey, Margot: The Missing World (Knopf). I haven’t read it yet, but after reading Criminals, I wouldn’t miss Livesey’s next novel for the world.
Michaels, Anne: Poems (Knopf). Her first collection of poetry to be published in the States. Michael Ondaatje has commented about her poetry: "These are poems that go way beyond games or fashion or politics… they represent the human being entire."
Olds, Sharon: Blood, Tin, Straw (Knopf). Her latest collection of poems.
Phillips, Dale Ray: My People’s Waltz (WW Norton). Debut collection from this Southerner – one of my favorites of the year. "Intense, fresh, ragged life." – Barry Hannah. Read the first story in the NYT."
Slavin, Julia: The Woman Who Cut Off Her Leg at the Maidstone Club (Henry Holt & Company, Inc.). Her characters grow teeth all over their bodies or swallow the lawn boy. As Slavin twists reality she reveals raw, emotional truth. Reminiscent of Kafka or Tim O’Brien. Most inventive book of the year. Read the collection's first story.
Updike, John: More Matter (Knopf). His 50th book. Contains essays, criticism, addresses, and more – all written over the last eight years.
Warner, Alan: The Sopranos (Farrar, Straus, & Giroux). Possibly this Scottish icon’s best yet. See his interview in the Spring 1999 issue of Bomb Magazine or read the first chapter in April 4th’s NY Times : Books Online.
Wiesel, Elie: And the Sea Is Never Full (Knopf). The concluding volume of the Nobel Peace Prize winner’s "passionate and revealing memoirs."
Tell us what you think. Email
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Camille Renshaw is the Senior Editor for Pif Magazine. She currently resides in Boston, MA.