A collection of more than fifty prose pieces by the cultural commentator reviews the literary achievements of her contemporaries, sharing perspectives on subjects ranging from the art of writing fiction to the continuing unequal state of race in America.

An author (a version of Vila-Matas himself) presents a short "history" of a secret society, the Shandies, who are obsessed with the concept of "portable literature." The society is entirely imagined, but in this rollicking, intellectually playful book, its members include writers and artists like Marcel Duchamp, Aleister Crowley, Witold Gombrowicz, Federico García Lorca, Man Ray, and Georgia O{u2019}Keefe. The Shandies meet secretly in apartments,...

"From the longest-running, most trusted book review in America comes a celebration of The New York Times Book Review, including reviews, essays, and interviews, showcasing the best, worst, funniest, strangest, and influential literary coverage since its beginnings in 1896"--

"A brilliant, invigorating account of the great writers on both sides of the Iron Curtain who played the dangerous games of espionage, dissidence and subversion that changed the course of the Cold War. During the Cold War, literature was both sword and noose. Novels, essays and poems could win the hearts and minds of those caught between the competing creeds of capitalism and communism. They could also lead to exile, imprisonment or execution if they...

America's foremost novelist reflects on the themes that preoccupy her work and increasingly dominate national and world politics: race, fear, borders, the mass movement of peoples, the desire for belonging. What is race and why does it matter? What motivates the human tendency to construct Others? Why does the presence of Others make us so afraid?Drawing on her Norton Lectures, Toni Morrison takes up these and other vital questions bearing on identity...

Through letters, contracts, photos, interviews, speeches, reviews, and memorabilia--most of which has never before been made public--a rare personal and professional friendship unfolds between these two oddly shy daredevils, shifting and turning the tide of literature in America. Barney Rosset, more than any other publisher, fiercely advocated for the most daring and influential writers of the 20th century. Through his Grove imprint, whole generations...