Critical Mass

Today we're kicking off a series about New Orleans writers. It's hard to judge how many writers have been displaced, dislocated and disoriented by Katrina and aftermath. There are many

From “Updike: America's Man of Letters.” “Can one imagine a lively argument among three readers about artisitc superiority when the first's notion of a great work is Toni Morrison's Beloved, while for the

As part of our efforts to uncover The Rest of the Best, we've been contacting the judges to ask what they voted for and why. Here's Curtis Sittenfeld: “I voted for “White Noise,” which

As part of our efforts to uncover The Rest of the Best, we've been contacting the judges to ask what they voted for, and why. Here's Rick Moody: “I was excited to

Thirty-one years ago, in the introduction to “Picked Up Pieces,” his second collection of assorted prose, John Updike laid down his own six rules for reviewing. They are still the

As part of our efforts to uncover The Rest of The Best, we've been contacting the judges to ask what they voted for, and why. Here's Andrew Sean Greer: “One thing to

As part of our efforts to uncover The Rest of The Best, we've been contacting the judges to ask what they voted for, and why. Here's Thomas Mallon: “Sure, you can reveal

As part of our efforts to uncover The Rest of The Best, we've been contacting the judges to ask what they voted for, and why. Here's Madison Smartt Bell: “I was happy

As part of our efforts to uncover The Rest of The Best, we've been contacting the judges to ask what they voted for, and why. Here's Mary Karr, who we

As part of our efforts to uncover The Rest of The Best, we've been contacting the judges to ask what they voted for, and why. Here's Roxana Robinson: “The request floored me