Arts Fuse Editor
A brilliant Dutch novel that explores the connections to the disconnected. The Twin By Gerbrand Bakker Translated from the Dutch by David Colmer. Archipelago Books, 343 pages. Reviewed by Tommy Wallach It isn’t easy to write a compelling novel about loneliness, for the simple reason that loneliness is boring. It makes for something of a…
Charlotte Roche is one of the most famous authors in Germany. Thomas Mann must be spinning in his grave. Wetlands By Charlotte Roche. Translated from the German by Tim Mohr. Grove Press, 240 pages. By Tommy Wallach On the subject of literary criticism, Martin Amis has written that “quotation is the reviewer’s only hard evidence.”…
An assured novel that celebrates, with considerable stylistic facility, an extraordinary engagement with the history of literature. Rex by Jose Manuel Prieto Translated from Spanish by Esther Allen. Grove Press, 288 pages Reviewed by Alexander Nemser Jose Manuel Prieto’s “Rex” is an adventure through time: not historical time, or physical time, so much as literary…
The handsomely produced bilingual volume reflects a committed and passionate marriage of an exacting poet-translator and Yiddish poetry. With Everything We’ve Got: A Personal Anthology of Yiddish Poetry Edited and translated by Richard J. Fein. Host Publications, 218 pages. Reviewed by Anna Razumnaya Fortuitously, just before the publication of Richard Fein’s new anthology With Everything…
Two French writers take on the notion of would-be writers on the run. Only one gets away with it. Julien Parme By Florian Zeller Translated from the French by Christopher Moncrieff. Pushkin Press, 246 pages. Tokyo Fiancee by Amélie Northomb Translated from the French by Alison Anderson. Europa Editions, 152 pages. Reviewed by Tommy Wallach…
Does it matter that posthumous literary darling Roberto Bolaño fibbed about his past? by Tommy Wallach My World Books review of “2666” A couple days ago, “The New York Times” published an article suggesting that Chilean novelist and posthumous literary darling Roberto Bolaño may have fictionalized aspects of his own biography. In question are two…
Norman R. Shapiro took on the Herculean task of translating the 17th century French poet’s work—some 240 poems in all—in increments of fifties. He has performed the difficult task with wit and panache.
Just over a month ago, conventional wisdom had it that the long-running Pollock Matter Affair, one of the most contentious art controversies in living memory (see past posts in Arts Fuse and Anonymous Sources), had finally ground to a halt. Oops. As predicted in The Arts Fuse in November, the debate has found some more…
By William Webster New Yorker music critic Alex Ross’ recent positive review of a concert featuring the compositions of Steve Reich at New York’s Carnegie Hall made me look forward to the presentation of the same program at Boston’s New England Conservatory of Music late last month. Reich has garnered considerable attention and respect as…
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