Catalog

New &
Recommended
Books
for
Course
Adoption
E
R
U
T
A
LITER
2015
FEATURING
FRANCO MORETTI offers his

philosophy of distant reading
YANNIS RITSOS on maintaining
humanity through language
GARY SHTEYNGART on growing up

as an other in the U.S.
REBECCA MEADs highly personal
tribute to George Eliots Middlemarch
ANTHONY MARRA on writing about the darkness

and humanity in war-torn Chechnya
Also includes:
A letter from the editor of The Wall: A Novel by H. G. ADLER
A new collection of all of TRUMAN CAPOTEs short fiction
www.randomhouse.com/academic |
LITERATURE 2015
NEW & RECOMMENDED BOOKS FOR COURSE ADOPTION

FEATURED TITLES
CONTENTS
RUBY by Cynthia Bond . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

O, AFRICA! by Andrew Lewis Conn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
THE FRANGIPANI HOTEL by Violet Kupersmith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
A CONSTELLATION OF VITAL PHENOMENA by Anthony Marra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
J by Howard Jacobson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
THE SCAPEGOAT by Sophia Nikolaidou . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
THE SHOAH TRILOGY by H. G. Adler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
EVERY DAY IS FOR THE THIEF by Teju Cole . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
AGOSTINO by Alberto Moravia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
FOREIGN GODS, INC. by Okey Ndibe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
THE RISE & FALL OF GREAT POWERS by Tom Rachman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
THE HARLEM HELLFIGHTERS by Max Brooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
MY LIFE IN MIDDLEMARCH by Rebecca Mead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
LITTLE FAILURE by Gary Shteyngart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
DISTANT READING by Franco Moretti . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
JIMMYS BLUES AND OTHER POEMS by James Baldwin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
SUBJECT CATEGORIES

American Literature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223

British & Irish Literature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2429

World Literature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3051

Graphic Novels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5254

Essays, Belle Lettres, & Literary Criticism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5559

Biography & Memoir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6066

Short Stories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6669

Literary Criticism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7071
Poetry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7275

Reference & Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7677
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7879
LEGEND
HC = Hardcover TR = Trade Paperback MM = Mass Market EB = e-Book NCR = No Canadian Rights
EXAMINATION COPIES
Examination copies are available to instructors seeking titles to review for adoption consideration. The exam copy prices are as
follows: $3.00 for each paperback priced under $20.00, and 50% off the retail price for all hardcovers and paperbacks priced at or
over $20.00. Examination copies are limited to ten per instructor per school year and can only be mailed to valid U.S. addresses.
To order, use the order form at the back of this catalog. Examination copies must be prepaid with a check or money order made
payable to Random House LLC, or order online at www.randomhouse.com/academic/examcopy. Offer only valid in the
United States. All requests are subject to approval and availability. Please allow 24 weeks for delivery.
Penguin Random House, Academic Dept. 3-1, 1745 Broadway, New York, NY 10019
Queries:
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/randomhouseacademic
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/commonreads
HIGHLIGHTS
DISTANT READING
by Franco Moretti
Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award
Moretti applies unorthodox concepts such as z-scores, principal

component analysis, and clustering coefficients to the study of
literature. Here, he explains his groundbreaking critical approach.
See page 70.
DIARIES OF EXILE
byYannis Ritsos
Winner of a 2014 PEN Literary Award for Best Poetry in Translation
Made up of three diaries of poetry written while Ritsos was a

political prisoner during the Greek Civil War, this volume
confirms his stature in modern Greek poetry. See page 75.
LITTLE FAILURE
by Gary Shteyngart
A New York Times Notable Book and a
Time Magazine Top 10 Nonfiction Book of the Year
Selected for Common Reading at Brooklyn College
Novelist Shteyngarts memoir relates his immigrant

experience with humor and insight. This is a resonant story
of family, exile, and coming of age. See page 62.
THE WALL
by H. G. Adler Translated by Peter Filkins
Arthur Landau, a Holocaust survivor, grapples with his
nightmarish memories, eventually finding meaning for
his life in his family and his work. See page 32.
A CONSTELLATION OF VITAL PHENOMENA

by Anthony Marra
Winner of the National Book Critic Circles John Leonard Prize
In this acclaimed debut, doctors in Chechnya risk

everything to save a hunted child. See page 8.
MY LIFE IN MIDDLEMARCH
by Rebecca Mead
A New York Times Book ReviewEditors Choice
Blending biography, criticism, and memoir, Rebecca Mead

explores how Middlemarch has shaped her life, and how it has
been variously interpreted for more than 100 years. See page 60.
For additional titles, go to: w w w.randomhouse.com/academic
AMERICAN LITERATURE
RUBY: A NOVEL
by Cynthia Bond
Nominated for The Center for Fictions First Novel Prize
he minute shes able, Ruby Bell flees the suffocating

1930s East Texas town in which she grew up and sets
her sights on the bright lights of 1950s New York.
However, the death of a childhood friend eventually compels
Ruby to return home. This fateful trip back to Texas forces
her to relive the devastating violence that colored her past.
Full of life, elegantly written, and suffused with the pastoral beauty of the rural South, Ruby is a novel of passion
and courage. Utterly transfixing, with unforgettable characters, riveting suspense, and breathtaking, luminous prose,
Ruby offers an unflinching portrait of mans dark acts and the
promise of the redemptive power of love.
Hogarth HC 978-0-8041-3909-0
352 pp. $25.00/$29.00 Can.
Exam Copy: $12.50
DO NOT ORDER PAPERBACK BEFORE 2/10/2015
Hogarth TR 978-0-8041-3911-3
352 pp. $15.00/$18.00 Can.
Exam Copy: $3.00
Channeling the lyrical phantasmagoria of early

Toni Morrison and the sexual and racial brutality of
20th-century east Texas, Cynthia Bond has created a moving
and indelible portrait of a fallen woman . . . Bond traffics in
extremely difficult subjects with a grace and bigheartedness
that makes for an accomplished, enthralling read.
San Francisco Chronicle
Bonds prose is evocative of Alice Walker
and Toni Morrison, paying homage to the
greats of Southern Gothic literature.
Library Journal (starred review)
Reading Cynthia Bonds Ruby you cant help
but feel that one day this book will be considered
a staple of our literature, a classic.
Edwidge Danticat, author of Claire of the Sea Light
CYNTHIA BOND has taught writing to homeless and at-risk youth throughout Los Angeles for more than fifteen years. She attended
Northwestern Universitys Medill School of Journalism, then moved to New York and attended the American Academy of Dramatic
Arts. A PEN/Rosenthal Fellow, Bond founded the Blackbird Writing Collective in 2011. At present, Bond works as a writing consultant
and teaches therapeutic writing at Paradigm Malibu Adolescent Treatment Center.
To order examination copies, go to: w w w.randomhouse.com/academic/examcopy
BOOK EXCERPT
from Ruby by Cynthia Bond
Chapter One
WISHBONE
RUBY BELL was a constant reminder of what could befall a woman whose
shoe heels were too high. The people of Liberty Township wove her into cautionary tales of the wages of sin and travel. They called her buck-crazy. Howling,
half-naked mad. The fact that she had come back from New York City made
this somewhat understandable to the town. She wore gray like rain clouds and
wandered the red roads in bared feet. Calluses thick as boot leather. Hair caked
with mud. Blackened nails as if she had scratched the slate of night. Her acres
of legs carrying her, arms swaying like a loose screen. Her eyes the ink of sky,
just before the storm. That is how Ruby walked when she lived in the splintered
house that Papa Bell had built before he passed. When she dug into the East
Texas soil under moonlight and wailed like a distant train. In those years, after
her return, people let Ruby be. They walked a curved path to avoid her door.
And so it was more than strange when someone walked the length of Liberty and brought a covered cake to the Bells front porch. Ephram Jennings had
seen the gray woman passing like a haint through the center of town since shed
returned to Bell land in 1963. All of Liberty had. He had seen her wipe the spittle from her jerking lips, run her still beautiful hands over the crust of her hair
each day before shed turned the corner in view of the town. Hed seen her walking like she had some place she ought to have been, then ve steps away from
P & K Market, stand pillar still, her rain cloud body shaking. Ephram had seen
Miss P, the proprietor of the store, walk nonchalantly out of her door and say,
Honey, can you see if I got the rise in these rolls right? Ephram watched Ruby
stare past her but take the brown sack lled with steaming yeast bread. Take it
and walk away with her acres of legs carrying her, while Miss P said, You come
on back tomorrow, Ruby Bell, and help me out if you get the chance. Ephram
Jennings had watched this for eleven years. Seen her black-bottomed foot kick
a swirl of dust in its wake. Every day he wanted nothing more than to put each
tired sole in his wide wooden tub, brush them both in warm soapy water, cream
them with sweet oil and lanoline and then slip her feet, one by one into a pair
of red-heel socks.
Copyright 2014 by Cynthia BondAll rights reserved. Published in the United States by Hogarth, an imprint of the Crown Publishing
Group, a division of Random House LLC, a Penguin Random House Company, New York.
AMERICAN LITERATURE
O, AFRICA!: A NOVEL
by Andrew Lewis Conn
Hogarth HC 978-0-8041-3828-4
384 pp. $25.00/$29.95 Can.
Exam Copy: $12.50
novel that recalls Michael Chabons The Amazing

Adventures of Kavalier and Clay and E. L. Doctorows Ragtime, O, Africa! follows two filmmakers
on an unlikely journey while exploring the complexities of
race, class, sexuality, and success in early twentieth century
America.
In the summer of 1928, twin brothers Micah and Izzy
Grand are at the pinnacle of their movie-making careers.
From their roots as sons of Brooklyn immigrants, they have
risen to become kings of silent comedywith the brash,
bloviating Micah directing and calling the shots, while his
retreating brother skillfully works behind the lens. But when
Micahs penchant for gambling, and his interracial affair with
Rose combine to threaten his livelihood and his life, he finds
himself in need of a quick escape.
As the ascent of the talkies looms on the horizon, the
brothers producer offers them an opportunity that couldnt
be better timed: travel to Africa to compile stock footage of
the exotic locales, as well as film a new comedy in the jungle. Together with an unlikely crew of producers, stars, and
hangers-on, the Grands set out for Malwiki, where among
the tribesmen they each discover unforeseen truths about
themselves, their lovers, and the meaning of the movies.
Moving from the piers of Coney Island to Africas veld,
and further to the glitter of early Hollywood, O, Africa! is an
epic tale of self-discovery, the constraints of history and prejudice, and the stubborn resolve of family and friendship in
the face of tragedy.
[In] the tradition of maximalist Jewish fiction practiced by
Howard Jacobson, Gary Shteyngart and Michael Chabon. . . .
Continually surprising . . . [And] stuffed with themes about time
and space, assimilation, language, mysticism, technology, and
the American dream. Chicago Tribune
ANDREW LEWIS CONN has written essays, short fiction, and reviews for The Believer, Film Comment, The Village Voice, Time Out
New York, and the Indiana Review among others, and attended writers residencies at Yaddo and Ledig House in Hudson, NY. Conns
previous novel, P, was chosen as a best book of the summer of 2003 by Salon, Time Out New York, The Oregonian, and Nerve; one of the
best books of the year by the Village Voice and the Austin Chronicle; and long-listed as one of the best books of the millennium (so far!)
by The Millions.
BOOK EXCERPT
from O, Africa! by Andrew Lewis Conn
LOUDER THAN WORDS.

ACTION, his brother says in a whisper, followed by a knock
on the piano crate. Then again, this time louder, Action, trailed by
a tapping on the trunk: one, two, three. Cmon, kid, were ready!
It was hot inside the Bechstein box, and Izzy, with his claustrophobia and nerves, wasnt doing well. Wedged in a contortionists
pose, the cameramans limbs wrapped round the Bell & Howellone
glove on the hand crank as controlled as a butler winding a clock after
putting out the last light, the other jamming a tripod leg into a corner
of the crate with the force of a sherman spearing a swordsh. As he
peered through the lens turret poking out of the hole thatd been cut
from the side of the box, it occurred to IzzyIsidor Grand, the more
sober, reective, and retiring of the twinsthat his position pressed
inside the dark black box was not dissimilar to the workings of the
human eye, with its iris, cornea, pupil, and lens functioning in concord, gathering images, bringing them into focus, inscribing scenes
on the black retinal wall, and propelling them back out into the world
for the purpose of inspection, investigation, joy.
Apart from the heat, which was stiing, and the dark, which
was terrifying, Izzy enjoyed remaining hidden, preferring to concede
the center of attention to Micahhis red-haired brother with his
rooster raucousness, Cheshire teeth, and Barnum whiffs of sawdust
and hucksterismMicah, the movie director, who enjoyed nothing more than racing around a set, distressed sandwich in one hand,
megaphone in the other, carrying on ve conversations at once, giddy
from the fumes coming off his own moxie, lack of sleep, and professional charm. This was no set, however. This was Coney Island. At
the beginning of summer. On a Sunday.
Copyright 2014 by Andrew Lewis Conn. Published in the United States by Hogarth, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a
division of Random House LLC, a Penguin Random House Company, New York.
AMERICAN LITERATURE
THE FRANGIPANI HOTEL: FICTION
by Violet Kupersmith
Spiegel & Grau HC 978-0-8129-9331-8

256 pp. $25.00/$29.95 Can.
Exam Copy: $12.50
DO NOT ORDER PAPERBACK UNTIL 2/10/15
Spiegel & Grau TR 978-0-8129-8347-0

256 pp. $15.00/$18.00 Can.
Exam Copy: $3.00
beautiful young woman appears fully dressed in an

overflowing bathtub at the Frangipani Hotel in Hanoi. A jaded teenage girl in Houston befriends an
older Vietnamese gentleman she discovers naked behind a
dumpster. A trucker in Saigon is asked to drive a dying young
man home to his village. A plump Vietnamese-American
teenager is sent to her elderly grandmother in Ho Chi Minh
City to lose weight, only to be lured out of the house by the
wafting aroma of freshly baked bread. In these evocative and
always surprising stories, the supernatural coexists with the
mundane lives of characters who struggle against the burdens
of the past.
Based on traditional Vietnamese folktales told to Kupersmith by her grandmother, these fantastical, chilling, and
thoroughly contemporary stories are a boldly original exploration of Vietnamese culture, addressing both the immigrant
experience and the lives of those who remained behind.
Lurking in the background of them all is a larger ghostthat
of the Vietnam War, whose legacy continues to haunt us.
Violet Kupersmiths voice is an exciting addition to the
landscape of American fiction. With tremendous depth and
range, her stories transcend their genre to make a wholly
original statement about the postwar experience.
[A] sparkling debut . . . These are stories written from wildly
different perspectives, and yet the ghosts feel vitally familiar.
Theres a lightness of touch to these stories, which are
playful and wise, an astonishing feat for a young writer who
graduated from Mount Holyoke College three years ago.
Chicago Tribune
What is most haunting in Kupersmiths nine multilayered
pieces are not the specters, whose tales are revealed as stories
within stories, but the lingering loss and disconnect endured
by the still living. . . . [A] mature-beyond-her-years debut.
Library Journal (starred review)
www.violetkupersmith.com
VIOLET KUPERSMITH graduated from Mount Holyoke College in 2011 and then spent a year in Vietnam on a Fulbright Teaching
Fellowship. She is currently at work on her next novel.
BOOK EXCERPT
from The Frangipani Hotel by Violet Kupersmith
BOAT STORY
HERE, con, I cut up a u just for you.
Oh no, Grandma, I
Its very ripe!
Gra
And very good for you too!
Grandma! You know I cant eat papaya. It
makes my stomach hurt.
Tck! It goes in the trash can then. Such a
waste.
Wait! Why cant you eat it? Or feed it to
Grandpa?
Grandpa and I are sick of itweve eaten
nothing but u for two straight days because
I bought six from that Chinese grocer out in
Bellaire last week and now theyre starting to go
bad.
Ha! Why did you buy so many?
I was hoping for visitors to share them with.
But no one comes to see me. Everyone is too
busyso American! Always working, working, and no time for Grandma. Not even your
mother stopped by this week. And the only reason youre here is a silly high school project.
All right, all right. But Im only gonna eat a
bit, okay? Just this little piece right here. And
then well do the interview . . . Oh God, its so
slimy . . .
Wonderful! Yes, chew, chew
You dont need to tell me to chew!
Its disgusting to speak with your mouth full,
con. Chew, chew. Swallow! See, that wasnt so
bad, was it? And it will make your hair shiny and
give you good skin. Have another piece.
My stomach feels weird already, Grandma.
But Ill have one more piece while you talk,
deal?
Oh, making deals now, hah? And I thought
you werent sneaky like the other grandchildren.
Youll start gambling next. What kind of story
did you want me to tell you, con?
Im after the big one.

Oh dear.
Leaving Vietnam. The boat journey. Thats
what I want to write about.
Ask your mother.
I did, but she was too young when it happened. She only remembers the refugee camp
and arriving in Houston.
Ask your father then.
He came over on a plane in the eighties, and
thats not half as exciting. Thatll get me a B if
Im lucky. But your boat person story? Jackpot.
Communists! Thai pirates! Starvation! Thats
an A-plus story.
Oh, is that what it is?
Mom said you dont like talking about the
war, but I should know about my past, shouldnt
I? Thats what this school project is about
learning your history, exploring your culture,
discovering where you came from, that kind of
thing.
You really want to know the country you
came from?
Yes.
And you want a story about me on a boat?
Yes!
Fine. I will tell you a boat story. It begins on
a stormy day at sea.
Wait, wait! Let me get my pencil . . . Okay,
go!
The waves were vicious, the wind was an
animal, and the sky was dung-colored.
Hang on a second. Where were you?
On the boat, of course.
Well yeah, but is this 1975? We are talking
about 1975, right?
Child, when youre my age you dont bother
remembering years.
But this is at the very end of the war?
Did that war ever really end, con?
Excerpted from The Frangipani Hotel by Violet Kupersmith. Copyright 2014 by Violet Kupersmith. Excerpted by permission of Spiegel
& Grau. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
AMERICAN LITERATURE
A CONSTELLATION OF VITAL PHENOMENA
by Anthony Marra
WINNER OF THE:
National Book Critic Circles John Leonard Prize
Carla Furstenberg Cohen Fiction Award
Commonwealth Club of California Book Award
Anisfield-Wolf Book Award
FINALIST FOR THE:
National Book Awards

Center for Fictions First Novel Prize
New York Public Librarys Young Lion Fiction Award
PEN/Robert Bingham Fellowship for Writers Award
Selection for the ALA Notable Adult Books
T
Hogarth TR 978-0-7704-3642-1
416 pp. $15.00/NCR Exam Copy: $3.00
wo doctors risk everything to save the life of a hunted

child in this acclaimed debut about love, loss, and the
unexpected ties that bind us together. In a small rural village in Chechnya, 8-year-old Havaa watches from the
woods as Russian soldiers abduct her father in the middle of
the night and then set fire to her home. When their lifelong
neighbor finds Havaa hiding in the forest, he makes a decision that will forever change their lives.
Extraordinary . . . a 21st-century War and Peace . . .
Marra seems to derive his astral calm in the face of
catastrophe directly from Tolstoy.
Madison Smartt Bell, The New York Times Book Review
[Marras] ambitions are Tolstoyan, and he brings
stylistic virtuosity to the prose, giving us lyric passages
saturated with intelligence and psychological insight.
By the end of the novel, we love the characters and
grieve with them, and rejoice with the immense,
spinning joy that is the novels final note.
2012 Whiting Writers Awards, Selection Committee
www.anthonymarra.net
ANTHONY MARRA is the winner of a Whiting Award, Pushcart Prize, and the Narrative Prize. A Constellation of Vital
Phenomenawon the 2014 National Book Critics Circles inaugural John Leonard Prize and the 2014 Anisfield-Wolf Book Award
in fiction, as well as the inaugural 2014 Carla Furstenberg Cohen Fiction Award. Marras novel was a National Book Award longlist
selection as well as a shortlist selection for the Flaherty-Dunnan first novel prize. In addition, his work has been anthologized in The
Best American Nonrequired Reading 2012. He received an MFA from the Iowa Writers Workshop and was a Stegner Fellow at Stanford
University, where he now teaches as a Jones Lecturer in Fiction. He has lived and studied in Eastern Europe, and now resides in
Oakland, CA. A Constellation of Vital Phenomenais his first novel.
A MESSAGE FROM THE AUTHOR
MY INTEREST IN CHECHNYA began when I was in college. I spent a

semester of my junior year in St. Petersburg, where I lived down the street from a Russian
military academy. Sixteen- and seventeen-year-old cadets, dressed in sky-blue uniforms,
marched in formation around the neighborhood each afternoon. Several blocks away,
outside a metro station, men a few years older than the cadets gathered to panhandle at
rush hour. These men also wore military uniforms, though theirs werent as clean or so
neatly pressed. A number had lost their legs and wore hemmed trousers. These men were
Russian veterans of the Chechen conflict that the cadets might one day join. When the
cadets marched passed, they stared at the veterans as if peering into their own uncertain
futures, while the veterans looked back with pity.
What was it, besides a few years and a few feet of concrete, that separated these two
groups of young men? The answer was Chechnya, a place that I went on to research, travel
through, and write about in my novel, A Constellation of Vital Phenomena.
Most present-day first-year students learned to read the newspaper around the same
time that religious extremism and its attendant acts of terror and war became headline
news across the country. But for all we know about the combatants and ideologues, we
rarely glimpse the lives of the civilians populating the landscapes where much of this violence unfolds. Whats it like to be an ordinary civilian, neither overly religious nor overly
political, caught between the gears of history? How do we differentiate between right and
wrong when the moral compass is recalibrated to point to survival? How can you change
your life and your country when you are among those furthest from the source of political
power but closest to its consequences?
These are some of the questions posed in A Constellation of Vital Phenomena. When
I began working on the book, I doubted a novel set in Chechnya would find much of a
readership. So its been a surprise and privilege to see it taken up by readers across the
country, taught in colleges and universities, and even purchased by President Obama.
Ive received kind and generous notes from survivors of the Chechen conflict, from
journalists, and from Americans who have never been abroad. The most common reaction Ive received from readers has been a variation on: I didnt think I would recognize
myself in characters whose lives are so vastly different from mine. This is one of the main
reasons I believe my novel would make a good candidate for a literature course or a common reading program. If adopted, A Constellation of Vital Phenomena would ask students
to empathize with geopolitically and culturally remote characters who struggle with the
same fundamental moral questions we all face. While rooted in Chechnya, the themes
and concerns that grow from the novel are universal.
When I was in St. Petersburg, I remember leaving particularly good classes feeling
as if the professor had tugged on the margins of my vision, making the world I saw larger,
more complex, more mysterious. I deeply hope you will finish A Constellation of Vital
Phenomena with a similar feeling.
Anthony Marra
AMERICAN LITERATURE
IN THE HOUSE UPON THE DIRT BETWEEN THE LAKE AND THE WOODS
by Matt Bell
n this mythical debut novel, a newly married couple escapes the busy confusion of their
homeland for a distant and almost-uninhabited lakeshore. They plan to live there simply
and build a house where they can raise a family. But as their every pregnancy fails, the
child-obsessed husband begins to rage at this new world.
For readers weary of literary fiction that dutifully obeys the laws of nature, heres a
story that stirs the Brothers Grimm and Salvador Dali with its claws. . . . [A]s gorgeous
as it is devastating. The Washington Post
Soho Press TR 978-1-61695-372-0 336 pp. $15.00/$15.00 Can. Exam Copy: $3.00
TELL THE WOLVES IM HOME: A NOVEL

by Carol Rifka Brunt
Named One of the Best Books of the Year by The Wall Street Journal; Kirkus Reviews;
Booklist; and School Library Journal Winner of the Alex Award
n Brunts literary debut, the only person who has ever truly understood 14-year-old June Elbus
is her uncle. When he dies, far too young, of a mysterious illness her mother can barely speak
about, Junes world is turned upside down. But Finns death brings a surprise acquaintance into
Junes lifesomeone who will help her to heal, and to question what she thinks she knows about
Finn, her family, and even her own heart.
Transcendent . . . Peopled by characters who will live in readers imaginations long after the
final page is turned, Brunts novel is a beautifully bittersweet mixture of heartbreak and hope.
Booklist (starred review)
Dial Press Trade Paperback TR 978-0-8129-8285-5 384 pp. $15.00/$18.00 Can. Exam Copy: $3.00
BLACK MOON: A NOVEL

by Kenneth Calhoun
n a world taken over by insomnia, Biggs is one of the few who can still sleep. His wife has
succumbed, gone mad, and run away. Desperate to find her, Biggs ventures out into this
bizarre new world. Weaving Biggs story with others, Calhouns hallucinatory debut is a
depiction of a world gripped by madness.
Calhouns literary dystopia, which features beautiful writing, arresting imagery, and powerful
metaphors, will appeal to fans of Karen Thompson Walkers The Age of Miracles. . . . A deeply
lyrical exploration of humanity at the extremes. Library Journal (starred review)
Hogarth HC 978-0-8041-3714-0 288 pp. $24.00/$27.00 Can. Exam Copy: $12.00
BREAKFAST AT TIFFANYS & OTHER VOICES, OTHER ROOMS: TWO NOVELS

by Truman Capote
ewly repackaged, this volume contains the novella Breakfast at Tiffanys and Other
Voices, Other Rooms, Capotes debut novel. Of all his characters, Capote once said,
Holly Golightly was his favorite. The hillbilly-turned-Manhattanite at the center of Breakfast
at Tiffanys shares not only the authors philosophy of freedom but also his fears and
anxieties. Other Voices, Other Rooms, a semi-autobiographical coming-of-age novel, begins
as 13-year-old Joel, after losing his mother, is sent from New Orleans to rural Alabama to
live with his estranged father, who is nowhere to be found. Instead, Joel meets his eccentric
family and finds a kindred spirit in a defiant little girl.
Modern Library HC 978-0-8129-9436-0 304 pp. $21.00/$25.00 Can. Exam Copy: $10.50
For more books by Truman Capote, go to http://tinyurl.com/qbasof8
10
AMERICAN LITERATURE

READY PLAYER ONE: A NOVEL

by Ernest Cline
Winner of the Alex Award A School Library Journal Best Adult Book
for Young Adults Selected for Common Reading at Bethel College, Kansas
State University, and University of MassachusettsAmherst
eady Player One is a spectacularly genre-busting, ambitious, and charming debut. Part
quest novel, part love story, and part virtual space opera, it is set in a universe where
spell-slinging mages battle giant Japanese robots, entire planets are inspired by Blade Runner,
and flying DeLoreans achieve light speed.
Ready Player One is more than a paperback adventure story; it unites the past and present
under an overarching concern about technologys place in our future. Jeanne Horrigan,
Director of New Students Orientation, University of MassachusettsAmherst
Broadway TR 978-0-307-88744-3 384 pp. $14.00/$17.00 Can. Exam Copy: $3.00
THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF KAVALIER & CLAY: A NOVEL

by Michael Chabon
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize
he American epic of two boy geniuses is newly updated with special bonus material by
Michael Chabon. Its 1939 and America is in thrall to the Golden Age of comic books.
Sammy Clay is looking for a way to cash in on the craze. He finds the ideal partner in his aloof,
artistically gifted cousin, Joe Kavalier, and together they embark on an adventure that takes
them deep into the heart of Manhattan, and the heart of old-fashioned American ambition.
The depth of Chabons thought, his sharp language, his inventiveness, and his ambition
make this a novel of towering achievement. The New York Times Book Review
Random House Trade Paperbacks TR 978-0-8129-8358-6 704 pp. $17.00/$20.00 Can. Exam Copy: $3.00
For more books by Michael Chabon, go to http://tinyurl.com/lo54a5l
A THOUSAND PARDONS: A NOVEL

by Jonathan Dee
n a single afternoon, everything the Armsteads have built together unravels. Thrust back
into the working world, Helen finds a job in public relations and relocates with their
daughter, discovering along the way that she has an indispensable gift in the world of image
control: She can convince arrogant men to admit their mistakes, spinning crises into second
chances. Dees tale of self-invention and public scandal raises a trenchant question: What do
we really want when we ask for forgiveness?
Dee continues to establish himself as an ironic observer of contemporary behavior. . . . The plot
is energetic. . . . But most compelling is the acuteness of the details. The Atlantic
For more books by Jonathan Dee, go to http://tinyurl.com/n33rlev
BROTHERLY LOVE: A NOVEL

by Pete Dexter
n Philadelphia in 1961, a division of power exists between the Italian mobs and the predominantly Irish labor leaders. When the youngest daughter of union man Charley Flood is accidentally killed by one of the Mafias cops, it is the beginning of a suicidal chain of retaliation.
Gut-wrenching . . . a taut, gripping narrative that memorably examines
the dark wellsprings of human behavior. Publishers Weekly
Random House Trade Paperbacks TR 978-0-8129-8734-8 288 pp. $16.00/$19.00 Can.
Exam Copy: $3.00
11
AMERICAN LITERATURE

GODS POCKET: A NOVEL

by Pete Dexter
Now a Motion Picture
PETE DEXTER
ecently back in print, Gods Pocket is the first novel from the National Book Award
winning author of Paris Trout. Young Leon Hubbard was arrogant and nearly psychotic. So
when he was killed on a South Philadelphia construction site, everyone who knew him wanted
to bury the bad news with the body. Everyone, that is, except for two people: Leons mother
and the local columnist for the common man.
Gods Pocket signs, snarls, mugs, wisecracks, buys you a drink, steals your wallet,
and takes you home to meet the folks. Richard Price
PARIS TROUT: A NOVEL

by Pete Dexter
Winner of the National Book Award
shocking crime eats away at the fabric of a small, southern town, exposing its
hypocrisies and shattering the lives of its citizens. The crime is the murder of a 14-yearold black girl, and the killer is Paris Trout, a respected white citizena man without guilt.
A grim and fascinating novel filled with wonderfully comic touches, by a writer
whose brilliant understanding of the Deep South has allowed him to capture much
of its essenceits bitter class distinctions, its violence, its strangenesswith a fidelity
of detail and an ear for speech that I have rarely encountered since Flannery OConnor.
A fine and engrossing work. William Styron
ANDREWS BRAIN: A NOVEL

by E. L. Doctorow
E. L. DOCTOROW
peaking from an unknown place and to an unknown interlocutor, Andrew is unfurling

the story of his life, his loves, and the tragedies that have led him to a mysterious act. As
Andrew confesses, we are led to question what we know about truth and memory, about
brain and mind, about each other and ourselves.
Writing in concert with Twain, Poe, and Kafka, Doctorow distills his mastery of
language, droll humor, well-primed imagination, and political outrage into an exquisitely
disturbing, morally complex, tragic, yet darkly funny novel of the collective American
unconscious and human nature in all its perplexing contrariness. Booklist (starred review)
CITY OF GOD: A NOVEL

by E. L. Doctorow
t the heart of this book is a detective story centered around a cross that vanishes from
an Episcopal church in lower Manhattan, only to reappear on the roof of an Upper West
Side synagogue. Intrigued by the mysteryand by the maverick rector and the young rabbi
investigating the strange act of desecrationis a well-known novelist, whose capacious brain
is a virtual repository for the ideas and disasters of the age.
A grander perspective on the universe . . . a novel that sets its sights on God.
The Wall Street Journal
For more books by E. L. Doctorow, go to: http://tinyurl.com/mm3l4cz
12
AMERICAN LITERATURE

CARTWHEEL: A NOVEL
by Jennifer duBois
JENNIFER duBOIS
hen Lily arrives in Buenos Aires for her semester abroad, she is enchanted by
everything she encounters. Five weeks later, her roommate Katy is found brutally
murdered in their shared homeand Lily is the prime suspect. As the case takes shape
revealing deceptions, secrets, and suspicious DNALily appears alternately sinister and
guileless through the eyes of those around her.
The writing in Cartwheel is a pleasureelectric, fine-tuned, intelligent, conflicted.
The novel is engrossing, and its portraiture hits delightfully and necessarily
close to home. The New York Times Book Review (Editors Choice)
A PARTIAL HISTORY OF LOST CAUSES

by Jennifer duBois
Finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Prize for Debut Fiction
long-lost letter links two disparate characters, each searching for meaning against
seemingly insurmountable odds. This debut novel explores the power of memory, the
depths of human courage, and the endurance of love as a woman leaves everything behind
and travels to Russia to seek out the answer to a profound questionHow does one proceed
in a lost cause?from a man she has never met.
Terrific . . . In urgent fashion, duBois deftly evokes Russias political and
social metamorphosis over the past thirty years through the prism of this
particular and moving relationship. Publishers Weekly (starred review)
KEEPING BEDLAM AT BAY IN THE PRAGUE CAF: A NOVEL

by M. Henderson Ellis
ohn Shirting had a beloved job as a barista at a coffee chain, until he was deemed too
passionate and was fired. Shirting makes it his mission to break into a new market, and
make freshly postcommunist Prague safe for free-market capitalism. Its not long before his
grasp on his mission and, indeed, his sanity, comes undone.
In creating Shirting, Ellis has enriched the literature of estrangement and given us a marvelous
portrait of post-communist Prague. . . . This novel is a worthy addition to both expatriate
writing and Czech storytelling, managing also to reflect . . . profound insights into the ideologies
of the last century. Andrei Codrescu, author of So Recently Rent a World
New Europe Books TR 978-0-9825781-8-6 256 pp. $14.95/$17.95 Can. Exam Copy: $3.00
For more books by M. Henderson Ellis, go to http://tinyurl.com/kq4nvyh
THE LIFE WE BURY: A NOVEL

by Allen Eskens
ollege student Joe Talbert must interview a stranger and write a brief biography of
the person. He meets Carl Iverson, a dying Vietnam veteran who has been medically
paroled to a nursing home after spending thirty years in prison for rape and murder. As Joe
writes about Carls valor in Vietnam, he cannot reconcile the heroism of the soldier with
the despicable acts of the convict. Thread by thread, Joe unravels the tapestry of Carls
conviction.
Allen Eskens delivers a mesmerizing debut, unfolding decades of secrets in

a rewarding tale of redemption. Julie Kramer, author ofDelivering Death
Seventh Street Books TR 978-1-61614-998-7 303 pp. $15.95/$17.00 Can. Exam Copy: $3.00
13
AMERICAN LITERATURE
THE DIAMOND AS BIG AS THE RITZ
by F. Scott Fitzgerald
oosely inspired by a summer he spent as a teenager working on a ranch in Montana, The

Diamond as Big as the Ritz is Fitzgeralds hallucinatory paean to the American West and
all its promises. Its the story of John T. Unger, a young Southerner who goes to Montana for
summer vacation with a wealthy college classmate. But the classmates family proves to be
much more than simply wealthy: they own a mountain made entirely of one solid diamond,
and theyve gone to dreadful lengths to conceal their secret.
Melville House TR 978-1-61219-220-8 80 pp. $10.00/$10.00 Can. Exam Copy: $3.00

For more books by F. Scott Fitzgerald, go to http://tinyurl.com/nucgez9
SONGS OF WILLOW FROST: A NOVEL

by Jamie Ford
rom the bestselling author of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet comes a muchanticipated second novel set in Depression-era Seattle: a mother-and-son story about
love, hope, and the power of forgiveness. Shifting between the Great Depression and the
1920s, Ford takes readers on an emotional journey of discovery that will resonate with
anyone who has ever longed for the comforts of family and a place to call home.
Fords boundless compassion for the human spirit, in all its strengths and
weaknesses, makes him one of our most unique and compelling storytellers.
Helen Simonson, author of Major Pettigrews Last Stand
Ballantine Books TR 978-0-345-52203-0 352 pp. $15.00/$18.00 Can. Exam Copy: $3.00
For more books by Jamie Ford, go to: http://tinyurl.com/k7kl5qn
MIDNIGHT IN EUROPE: A NOVEL

by Alan Furst
idely recognized as the master of the historical spy novel, author Alan Furst delivers
a thriller of spies and espionage, in Paris, New York, and Madrid, on the eve of
World War II. Cristin Ferrar is approached by the embassy of the Spanish Republic and
asked to help a clandestine agency trying desperately to supply weapons to the Republics
beleaguered armyan effort that puts his life at risk in the battle against fascism.
Furst is a master of mood, but, above all, he is able to show how the most personal of
emotionslove, especiallydrives the actions of men and women caught in a time of peril.
Booklist (starred review)
Random House HC 978-1-4000-6949-1 272 pp. $27.00/$32.00 Can. Exam Copy: $13.50
For more books by Alan Furst, go to: http://tinyurl.com/m85h5zf
WHEN THE WORLD WAS YOUNG: A NOVEL

by Elizabeth Gaffney
coming-of-age story set in Brooklyn Heights during World War II and beyond, When the
World Was Young will appeal to readers of The Secret Life of Bees and The Rules of Civility.
Reeling from an unexpected wartime tragedy and navigating an increasingly fraught landscape,
Wally is forced to confront painful truths about the worldits sorrows, its prejudices, its
conflicts, its limitations. But she also finds hope and strength in the unlikeliest places.
Dignified and fierce, a work of complex and unconventional beauty . . . Gaffney movingly
explores wartime passions, the emotional sacrifices made by strong women on the home front,
and the wounding power of secrets. Sheri Holman, author of The Dress Lodger
For more books by Elizabeth Gaffney, go to: http://tinyurl.com/n78pkep
14
AMERICAN LITERATURE
THE GHOST SHIFT: A NOVEL
by John Gapper
appers new thriller takes readers inside the secretive and dangerous world of modern
China. The body of a woman who worked at the factory of an American tech company
near Hong Kong is found in the marshes, bearing odd markings. Mei is called to investigate
only to find that the dead womans face is identical to her own. At the same time, a retired
American operative is secretly looking into the suicides among the factorys employees. When
he and Mei encounter each other, both are surprised to learn just how elusive the truth is.
An enlightening and grisly tale . . . tightly plotted and fast-paced. The New Yorker
Ballantine Books HC 978-0-345-52792-9 320 pp. $26.00/$31.00 Can. Exam Copy: $13.00
For more books by John Gapper, go to: http://tinyurl.com/kgjd92b
& SONS: A NOVEL

by David Gilbert
panoramic and deeply affecting story of an iconic novelist, two interconnected families,
and the heartbreaking truths that fiction can hide.
A contemporary New York variation on The Brothers Karamazov, featuring a J. D. Salingerlike

writer in the role of Father, and a protagonist who turns out to be as questionable a tour guide
as the notoriously unreliable narrator of Ford Madox Fords classic The Good Soldier . . . a big,
ambitious book about fathers and sons, Oedipal envy and sibling rivalry, and the dynamics
between art and life, talent and virtue. Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times
IN THE HEART OF THE HEART OF THE COUNTRY: AND OTHER STORIES

by William H. Gass
Introduction by Joanna Scott
omprised of two novellas and three short stories,In the Heart of the Heart of the
Countryis set in the Midwest and exhibits William H. Gass characteristic and original
verbal brilliance and philosophical acuity. The volume includesThe Pedersen Kid,a story
originally published a few years before Gass first novelOmensetters Luck.
. . . this collection defines Gass not as a special but as a major voice . . . . No writer
Ive ever read, not even Joyce, can celebrate his world with a more piercing sadness.
Frederic Morton,The New York Times
NYRB Classics TR 978-1-59017-764-8 272 pp. $15.95/$19.95 Can. Exam Copy: $3.00
For more books by William H. Gass, go to: http://tinyurl.com/mxop9dt
ENON: A NOVEL
by Paul Harding
Named One of the Best Novels of the Year by The Wall Street Journal;
American Library Association; and Kirkus Reviews
he second novel by the Pulitzer Prizewinning author of Tinkers follows a year in the
life of Charlie Crosby as he tries to come to terms with a shattering personal tragedy.
Grandson of George Crosby (the protagonist of Tinkers), Charlie inhabits the same dynamic
landscape of New England, its seasons mirroring his turbulent emotional odyssey.
Harding conveys the common but powerful bond of parental love with devastating
accuracy. . . .Enonconfirms what the Pulitzer jury decided: Paul Hardingno longer
a findis a major voice in American fiction. Chicago Tribune
Random House Trade Paperbacks TR 978-0-8129-8177-3 272 pp. $15.00/NCR Exam Copy: $3.00
15
AMERICAN LITERATURE

THE ORPHAN MASTERS SON: A NOVEL

by Adam Johnson
ak Jun Do is the haunted son of a lost mothera singer stolen to Pyongyangand an

influential father who runs a work camp for orphans. The boy becomes a professional
kidnapper who must navigate the shifting rules, arbitrary violence, and baffling demands of
his North Korean overlords to stay alive. He boldly takes on the treacherous role of rival to
Kim Jong Il in an attempt to save the woman he loves, a legendary actress.
The single best work of fiction published [this year] . . . The books cunning, flair, and pathos
are testaments to the still-formidable power of the written word. The Wall Street Journal
PYM: A NOVEL
by Mat Johnson
ecently canned literature professor Chris Jaynes has just made a startling discovery: the
manuscript of a crude slave narrative that confirms the reality of Edgar Allan Poes novel,
The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket. Determined to seek out the island that
Poe describes, Jaynes convenes a crew to follow Pyms trail to the South Pole. Thus begins
an epic journey by an unlikely band of adventurers to Antarctica, beneath the surface of
American history, and behind one of literatures great mysteries.
Johnsons satirical vision roves as freely as Kurt Vonneguts and is colored with the same
sort of passionate humanitarianism. Maud Newton, The New York Times Magazine
Spiegel & Grau TR 978-0-8129-8176-6 384 pp. $16.00/$19.00 Can. Exam Copy: $3.00
For The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket by Edgar Allan Poe, see page 20.
For more books by Mat Johnson, go to: http://tinyurl.com/ky7ulhq
REMEMBER ME LIKE THIS: A NOVEL

by Bret Anthony Johnston
rom the chair of Harvards creative writing program comes a novel about a family
brought back together after a missing son comes home. Johnstons debut begins where
other novels end, exploring not the crime of the abduction, but all of the unresolved
questions about what really happens when a familys prayers have finally been answered and
togetherness restored.
In this deeply nuanced portrait of an American family, Johnston fearlessly explores the truth behind
a mythic happy ending. In Remember Me Like This, Johnston presents an incisive dismantling of
an all-too-comforting fallacy: that in being found we are no longer lost. Alice Sebold
For more books by Bret Anthony Johnston, go to: http://tinyurl.com/pngvg83
THE DEAD DO NOT IMPROVE: A NOVEL

by Jay Caspian Kang
hen struggling writer Philip Kim is dragged into a complex mystery after his neighbor
is murdered, Sid Finch, a bitter homicide detective, and his phlegmatic partner, Jim
Kim, land the case. Baffled, Philip becomes the focus of an elaborate, violent scheme that
seems tied to his neighbors murder, and the cops think he might be involved.
[The Dead Do Not Improve is] seriously hilarious, heartbreakingly sentimental, and
distressingly perceptive. If Joseph Heller and Raymond Chandler had once battled over who
could write more like Tolstoy, then maybe thered be something with which to compare this
magnificent book. Rivka Galchen, author of Atmospheric Disturbances
Hogarth TR 978-0-307-95389-6 272 pp. $15.00/$18.00 Can. Exam Copy: $3.00
16
AMERICAN LITERATURE

THE DEVIL IN SILVER: A NOVEL

by Victor LaValle
n Peppers first night in New Hyde Hospitals mental ward, the Devil appears in the
guise of an old man with a bisons head and murderous intent. Its no delusionthe
Devil roams the halls terrorizing patients when the sun goes down. Pepper teams up with
three other strangely lovable patients to battle the pill-pushing staff, one another, and their
own minds, as they try to kill the monster thats stalking them.
Its simply too bighearted, too gentle, too kind, too culturally observant and too
idiosyncratic to squash into the small cupboard of any one genre, or even two.
The New York Times Book Review
For more books by Victor LaValle, go to: http://tinyurl.com/kx4tl6a
I AWAIT THE DEVILS COMING

by Mary MacLane
Introduction by Jessa Crispin
Await the Devils Coming is the diary of a 19-year-old girl living in Butte, Montana in 1902.
Written in raw prose that propelled the author to celebrity upon publication, the book
has nevertheless been almost completely forgotten. MacLane is widely hailed as one of the
earliest American feminist authors, and critics have praised her work for its daringly open
and confessional style. Now with a new foreword, I Await the Devils Coming stands poised
to renew its reputation as one of Americas earliest and most powerful accounts of feminist
thought and creativity.
For more books by Mary MacLane, go to: http://tinyurl.com/mz3ysa8
MACHIAVELLI: A RENAISSANCE LIFE

by Joseph Markulin
he often-vilified Renaissance politico and author of The Prince comes to life as a

diabolically clever, yet mild mannered and conscientious civil servant. Markulin
presents Machiavellis life as a true adventure story, replete with violence, treachery, heroism,
betrayal, sex, corrupt popes, and more. While sharing the stage with Florences Medici
family, the nefarious and perhaps incestuous Borgias, the artists Leonardo da Vinci and
Michelangelo, and the doomed prophet Savonarola, Machiavelli is imprisoned, tortured, and
ultimately abandoned. Nevertheless, he remains the sworn enemy of tyranny and a tireless
champion of freedom and the republican form of government.
Prometheus Books TR 978-1-61614-805-8 580 pp. $21.95/$23.00 Can. Exam Copy: $11.00
THE WEIGHT OF BLOOD: A NOVEL

by Laura McHugh
or fans of Gillian Flynn and Daniel Woodrell, a dark debut novel about two mysterious
disappearances, a generation apart, and the meaning of familythe sacrifices we make,
the secrets we keep, and the lengths we will go to to protect the ones we love.
Gripping . . . Her prose will not only keep readers turning the pages but also paints
a real and believable portrait of the connections, alliances, and sacrifices that
underpin rural, small-town life. Library Journal (starred review)
17
AMERICAN LITERATURE
TIM
OBRIEN
REISSUED IN PAPERBACK

GOING AFTER CACCIATO
NORTHERN LIGHTS
inner of the 1979 National

Book Award,Going After
Cacciatocaptures the mixture
of horror and hallucination that
marked the Vietnam War. In a
blend of reality and fantasy, this
novel tells the story of a young
soldier who one day lays down
his rifle and sets off on a quixotic
journey from the jungles of Indochina to the streets
of Paris. In its evocation of men both fleeing from and
meeting the demands of battle,Going After Cacciatois
about the forces of fear and heroism that do battle in
the hearts of us all.
riginally published in
1975, Tim OBriens
debut novel demonstrates the
emotional complexity and
enthralling narrative tension
that later earned him the
National Book Award. At its
core is the relationship between
two brothers: one who went
to Vietnam and one who stayed at home. As the two
brothers struggle against an unexpected blizzard in
Minnesotas remote north woods, what they discover
about themselves and each other will change both of
them forever.
Stark . . . rhapsodic . . . It is a canvas painted vividly,

hauntingly, disturbingly by Tim OBrien.
Los Angeles Times
Haunting . . . Survival, courage, and heroes

are examined beautifully and simply.
Publishers Weekly
Broadway Books TR 978-0-7679-0442-1 352 pp.

$15.00/$18.00 Can. Exam Copy: $3.00
IF I DIE IN A COMBAT
ZONE BOX ME UP AND
SHIP ME HOME
efore writing his awardwinningGoing After

Cacciato, Tim OBrien gave us
this personal account of his year
as a foot soldier in Vietnam.
The author takes us with him to
experience combat from behind
an infantrymans rifle, to walk the minefields of My Lai,
to crawl into the ghostly tunnels, and to explore the
ambiguities of manhood and morality in a war gone
terribly wrong.
OBrien brilliantly and quietly evokes the foot soldiers
daily life in the paddies and foxholes, evokes a blind,
blundering war. . . . A personal document of aching
clarity . . . A beautiful, painful book.
$14.00/$17.00 Can. Exam Copy: $3.00

$15.00/$18.00 Can. Exam Copy: $3.00
TOMCAT IN LOVE
homas Chippering, a 6'6"

professor of linguistics,
is a man torn between two
obsessions: a desperate need to
win back his former wife, the
faithless Lorna Sue, and a craving
to test his erotic charms on every
woman he meets. But there are
complications, including Lorna
Sues brother, Herbie, with whom she has an all-tooclose relationship, and the considerable charms of
Chipperings new love, the attractive, and of course
already married, Mrs. Robert Kooshof, who may at
last satisfy Chipperings longing for intimacy.
Like all comic novels,Tomcatis a
complex affair that invites a complex
response and offers a complex reward.
$16.00/$19.00 Can. Exam Copy: $3.00
TIM O'BRIEN received the 1979 National Book Award in Fiction for Going After Cacciato. His novel The Things They Carried won
France's prestigious Prix de Meilleur Livre Etranger and the Chicago Tribunes Heartland Prize.
18
AMERICAN LITERATURE
ELDERS: A NOVEL
by Ryan McIlvain
n his debut novel, Ryan McIlvain offers an unsparing portrait of two Mormon missionaries
who approach their religion and their calling from vastly different points of origin. Elder
McLeod is a brusque and forthright American nearing the end of his two-year-long mission
in Brazil when he meets his new partner, Elder Passos, a devout Brazilian who found
salvation and solace in the church after his mothers early death. Their working relationship
is frustrating and fruitless, until a couple seeking baptism into the Mormon Church offers
them the opportunity to test both their faith and their friendship.
A nuanced meditation on faith and commitment that has all the intensity of a
stage play. Elders is a powerful and deeply moving debut. T. C. Boyle
AGAINST THE COUNTRY: A NOVEL

by Ben Metcalf
or readers of literary Southern Gothic comes this deceptively humorous debut novel
about growing up in the wilds of Virginia, from the former literary editor of Harpers
Magazine. Beginning with his parents decision to move away from the corrupting
influences of the city, and to settle instead in rural Virginia, Metcalf s narrator leads the
reader through a gallery of scabrous youths and callous adults driven mad by the stubborn
soil of the New World.
THE TECHNOLOGISTS
by Matthew Pearl
oston, 1868. When an unnatural disaster strikes the ships in Boston Harbor and an equally
inexplicable catastrophe devastates the heart of the city, an anti-science backlash casts a
pall over MIT and threatens its very survival. So the best and brightest from the Institutes first
graduating class secretly join forces to save lives and track down the truth. Also included is
Pearls short story The Professors Assassin, featuring characters from The Technologists.
The Technologists combines everything I love in a thriller: fascinating history, science, and a
frightening mystery that demands to be solved. Tess Gerritsen, author of Last to Die
For more books by Matthew Pearl, go to: http://tinyurl.com/lg3oos6
NIGHT FILM: A NOVEL

by Marisha Pessl
shley Cordova, the mysterious, gifted daughter of the reclusive film director Stanislas
Cordova, is found dead in an abandoned warehouse in lower Manhattan. Her death is
ruled a suicide, but veteran investigative journalist Scott McGrath suspects otherwise. As
McGrath tries to uncover the truth, he is drawn into a spellbinding quest which takes him
into the underbelly of the Cordova familys life.
Expands from a seemingly straightforward mystery into a multifaceted, densely byzantine
exploration of much larger issues. Booklist (starred review)
19
AMERICAN LITERATURE

THE NARRATIVE OF ARTHUR GORDON PYM OF NANTUCKET

by Edgar Allan Poe
stensibly, Poes only novella is a classic adventure story about a young boy who runs
away to sea and encounters all the classic scenarios: mutinies, storms, shipwrecks,
ravenous sharks, hostile natives. Poe drew on many contemporary accounts of exploration
in the South Seas to give his story a sense of verisimilitude. But there are far deeper currents
at work in the book than mere adventure: elements of the supernatural as the explorers near
the South Pole, evocations of the protagonists experiences at sea that rival Poes best tales of
horror, and a disturbing ending that continues to stir debate.
It is Poes greatest work. Jorge Luis Borges

For Pym by Mat Johnson, see page 16.
For more books by Edgar Allan Poe, go to: http://tinyurl.com/mjnt2k7
MORT(E): A NOVEL
by Robert Repino
race of intelligent ants have been silently building an army to eradicate humans.
The final step in the Colonys war effort is transforming surface animals into highfunctioning, two-legged beings who rise up to kill their masters. Former housecat turned
war hero, Mort(e) is famous for taking on dangerous missions and fighting the human
bio-weapon EMSAH. But the true motivation behind his recklessness is his search for a dog
named Sheba. When he receives a mysterious message claiming Sheba is alive, he begins
a journey that takes him to the heart of the Colony, where he will discover the source of
EMSAH and the ultimate fate of all of Earths creatures.
Soho Press HC 978-1-61695-427-7 368 pp. $26.95/$26.95 Can. Exam Copy: $13.50
CHINA DOLLS: A NOVEL

by Lisa See
hree very different girls meet at the exclusive and glamorous Forbidden City nightclub
in 1938. Grace, an American-born Chinese girl, has fled the Midwest and an abusive
father. Helen is from a Chinese family with deep roots in San Franciscos Chinatown. And
Ruby is Japanese passing as Chinese. The girls become fast friends. But after the Japanese
attack Pearl Harbor, paranoia and suspicion threaten to destroy their lives, and a shocking
act of betrayal changes everything.
The depth of Sees characters and her winning prose make this book a wonderful
journey through love and loss. Publishers Weekly (starred review)
For more books by Lisa See, go to: http://tinyurl.com/kj7pekh
HALF THE KINGDOM: A NOVEL

A New York Times Notable Book
by Lore Segal
t Cedars of Lebanon Hospital, doctors have noticed an uptick in Alzheimers patients.

People who seemed lucid a day earlier show signs of advanced dementia. Is it normal
or an epidemic? Is it a coincidence or a secret terrorist plot?
No one writes like Segalher glittering intelligence, her piercing wit, and her dazzling
insights into manners and mores, are a profound pleasure. From first to last
I loved this wise and irreverent novel. Margot Livesey
For more books by Lore Segal, go to: http://tinyurl.com/m3hcsrd
20
AMERICAN LITERATURE

SISTERLAND: A NOVEL
by Curtis Sittenfeld
minor earthquake rattles Kate, but its nothing compared to her identical twin sister,
Via self-proclaimed psychic mediumwho appears on the morning news to predict a
more powerful earthquake. Kate is mortified. More troubling, however, is her fear that Vi may
be right. As the date of the predicted earthquake quickly approaches, Kate is forced to reconcile
her fraught relationship with her sister and truths about herself shes long tried to deny.
Sisterland is a testament to the authors growing depth and assurance as a writer.
Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times
For more books by Curtis Sittenfeld, go to: http://tinyurl.com/nlyok7q
THE FAMILY HIGHTOWER

by Brian Francis Slattery
n 1968 two boys are born into a large family, both named for their grandfather, Peter
Henry Hightower. One boyPetergrows up in Africa and ends up a journalist in
Granada. The otherPeteybecomes a minor criminal, first in Cleveland and then in
Kiev. In 1995, Petey runs afoul of his associates and disappears. But the criminals, bent on
revenge, track down the wrong cousin, and the Peter in Granada finds himself on the run. He
bounces from one family member to the next, piecing together his cousins involvement in
international crime while learning the truth about his familys complicated history.
Expertly paced and beautifully detailed, The Family Hightower is a Ukrainian-American

Godfathera time-traveling, globetrotting crime saga spanning the last century, spiriting the reader from Morocco
to Zimbabwe to Romania and always back home to strangely exotic Cleveland. Completely satisfying and completely
brilliant.Stewart ONan, author of A Prayer for the Dying and Last Night at the Lobster
Seven Stories HC 978-1-60980-563-0 336 pp. $27.95/$27.95 Can. Exam Copy: $14.00
THE BURGESS BOYS

by Elizabeth Strout
ELIZABETH STROUT
he Pulitzer Prizewinning author of Olive Kitteridge returns with a novel about two brothers whose lives are irrevocably altered when they are called back to rural Maine by their
sister, whose son is embroiled in a scandal of his own making. Catalyzed by the consequences
of their nephews thoughtless prank, layers of family history are peeled away to reveal heartbreaking deception and loss that has informed both their personal and professional lives.
The broad social and political range of The Burgess Boys shows just how impressively
this extraordinary writer continues to develop. The Washington Post
OLIVE KITTERIDGE
by Elizabeth Strout Winner of the Pulitzer Prize
Now
an H B O
Series
live Kitteridge deplores the changes in both her little town of Crosby, Maine and the
world at large, but doesnt always recognize the changes in those around her, including her
adult child, who feels tyrannized by Olives irrational sensitivities, and her husband Henry, who
finds his loyalty to his marriage both a blessing and a curse. Olive Kitteridge offers profound
insights into the human conditionits conflicts, tragedies, joys, and the endurance it requires.
Movie Tie-In Edition:

Random House Trade Paperbacks TR 978-0-8129-8763-8 304 pp. $15.00/$18.00 Can.
Exam Copy: $3.00
Original Edition:
For more books by Elizabeth Strout, go to: http://bit.ly/1FR07QF
21
AMERICAN LITERATURE
THE TIN HORSE: A NOVEL
by Janice Steinberg
t has been more than 60 years since Elaines twin sister, Barbara, ran away, cutting off
contact with her family forever. While sifting through old papers Elaine is stunned to find
a possible hint to Barbaras whereabouts all these years later. It pushes her to confront the
fierce love and bitter rivalry of their youth during the 1920s and 30s, in Los Angeles, Jewish
neighborhood of Boyle Heights.
Steinbergs quietly suspenseful novel is compelling by virtue of her sympathetic

characters, vivid depiction of WWII-era Los Angeles, and pinpoint illuminations
of poverty, anti-Semitism, family bonds and betrayals, and the crushing obstacles
facing women seeking full and fulfilling lives. Booklist
S.: A NOVEL
by John Updike
. is the story of Sarah P. Worth, a modern spiritual seeker who has become enamored
with a Hindu mystic. A native New Englander, she goes west to join his ashram in
Arizona, and there struggles alongside fellow sannyasins (pilgrims) in the difficult attempt to
subdue ego and achieve moksha (salvation, release from illusion). S. details her adventures
in letters and tapes dispatched to her loved ones at homemessages cleverly designed to
keep her old world in order while she creates a new one for herself. This is Hester Prynnes
side of the triangle described by Hawthornes Scarlet Letter; it is also a burlesque of the quest
for enlightenment, and an affectionate meditation on American womanhood.
For more books by John Updike, go to: http://tinyurl.com/kfcm2lu
WELCOME TO THE MONKEY HOUSE: THE SPECIAL EDITION

by Kurt Vonnegut Edited by Gregory D. Sumner
ne of Vonneguts most beloved books, this 1968 collection now appears in a special
edition featuring ten never-before-seen drafts of the title story and an illuminating
accompanying essay by noted Vonnegut scholar Gregory Sumner, which allow the reader
to experience Vonneguts writing process in real time. Kurt Vonnegut was a dogged reviser,
starting and restarting stories, tweaking phrases, changing names, adding and eliminating
plot lines and characters, honing, one word at a time, the seemingly offhand voice that
millions of readers would come to love. It is a rare and illuminating opportunity for readers
to see first-hand the writing process of a literary great.
Kurt Vonnegut is, in my view, the great, urgent, passionate American writer of our century. George Saunders
For more books by Kurt Vonnegut, go to: http://tinyurl.com/ohyswh3
LISETTES LIST: A NOVEL

by Susan Vreeland
rom the internationally renowned author of Girl in Hyacinth Blue and Clara and Mr. Tiffany,
a novel centered on the great artists Czanne, Pissarro, Chagall, and Picassoa story of
art and life, love and loss, set against the backdrop of World World II. A young Parisian woman
must move to Provence to take care of her husbands ailing grandfather and discovers that,
despite the horrors of war, the paintings of Czanne, Pissarro, Chagall, and Picasso bring a fresh
perspective and breathe new life into her, and allow her once again to experience love.
For more books by Susan Vreeland, go to: http://tinyurl.com/oufyql5
22
AMERICAN LITERATURE
THE AGE OF MIRACLES: A NOVEL
by Karen Thompson Walker
Selected for Common Reading at Northern Michigan University
n this debut novel of catastrophe and survival, growth and change, Julia awakens to
discover that something has happened to the rotation of the earth. The days and nights
are growing longer, gravity is affected, and the birds, the tides, human behavior, and cosmic
rhythms are thrown into disarray. Julia faces surprising developments in herself, and her
personal world: divisions widening between her parents, strange behavior by friends, the
vulnerability of first love, a sense of isolation, and a rebellious new strength.
A genuinely moving tale that mixes the real and surreal, the ordinary and the extraordinary,
with impressive fluency and flair. Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times
THE MARTIAN: A NOVEL

by Andy Weir
n this novel set in the near future, astronaut Mark Watney is one of the first men to walk
on the surface of Mars. Now, left behind by his crew, hes sure hell be the first man to die
there. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skillsand a relentless, dogged refusal to
quithe steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Author
Andy Weir ultimately crafts a grippingly detailed, vividly original man-vs.-nature survival
thrillerset on the surface of Mars.
Sharp, funny and thrilling, with just the right amount of geekery. . . . Weir displays a
virtuosic ability to write about highly technical situations without leaving readers
far behind. The result is a story that is as plausible as it is compelling. Kirkus Reviews
Broadway Books TR 978-0-553-41802-6 400 pp. $15.00/$18.00 Can. Exam Copy: $3.00
AUGUSTUS
by John Williams
Introduction by Daniel Mendelsohn
Winner of the National Book Award
nAugustus, his third novel, John Williams takes on an entirely new challenge, a historical
narrative set in classical Rome, exploring the life of the founder of the Roman Empire. To
tell the story, Williams turns to the epistolary novel, a genre thats new to him, transforming
and transcending it just as he did the western in Butchers Crossingand the campus novel
inStoner.Augustusis the final triumph of a writer who has come to be recognized around the
world as an American master.
The finest historical novel ever written by an American.The Washington Post

For more books by John Williams, go to: http://tinyurl.com/o2rf3lu
MOTHER, MOTHER: A NOVEL

by Koren Zailckas
Winner of the Alex Award
n the debut novel by the author of the acclaimed coming-of-age memoir Smashed, Hurst
family matriarch Josephine struggles to maintain her familys impeccable faade. When
a violent incident leads to a visit from child protective services, the truth about the Hursts
might finally be revealed. In the spirit of classic suspense novels by Shirley Jackson and
Daphne DuMaurier, Mother, Mother is the terrifying story of a mothers love gone too far.
Zailckas crafts an intriguing mystery surrounding this family that will keep readers
on edge as she slowly peels back layer after layer of deception. Booklist
23
BRITISH & IRISH LITERATURE
J: A NOVEL
by Howard Jacobson
Finalist for the Man Booker Prize
Hogarth HC 978-0-553-41955-9
352 pp. $25.00 /NCR
Exam Copy: $12.50
an Booker Prizewinner Howard Jacobsons brilliant and profound new novel, J, invites comparison with George Orwells 1984 and Aldous
Huxleys Brave New World (Sunday Times, London). Set in
a world where collective memory has vanished and the past
is a dangerous country, not to be talked about or visited, J is a
boldly inventive love story, both tender and terrifying.
Kevern Cohen doesnt know why his father always drew
two fingers across his lips when he said a word starting with
a J. It wasnt then, and isnt now, the time or place to be asking questions. When the extravagantly beautiful Ailinn Solomons arrives in his village by a sea that laps no other shore,
Kevern is instantly drawn to her. Although mistrustful by nature, the two become linked as if they were meant for each
other. Together, they form a refuge from the commonplace
brutality that is the legacy of a historic catastrophe shrouded
in suspicion, denial, and apology, simply referred to as
WHAT HAPPENED, IF IT HAPPENED. To Ailinns guardian, Esme Nussbaum, Ailinn and Kevern are fragile shoots of
hopefulness. As this unusual pairs actions draw them into
ever-increasing danger, Esme is determined to keep them togetherwhatever the cost.
In this stunning, evocative, and terribly heartbreaking
work, where one couples love affair could have shattering consequences for the human race, Howard Jacobson gathers his
prodigious gifts for the crowning achievement of his career.
J is a snarling, effervescent, and ambitious philosophical
work of fiction that poses unsettling questions about our
sense of history, and our self-satisfied orthodoxies. Jacobsons
triumph is to craft a novel that is poignant as well as
troubling from the debris.
Independent (UK)
For more books by Howard Jacobson, go to: http://tinyurl.com/pd9k3z2

HOWARD JACOBSON is the author of four works of nonfiction and several novels, including The Finkler Question, which won the
Man Booker Prize; The Mighty Walzer, which won the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Award for comic writing; and Whos Sorry
Now?,which was longlisted for the Booker Prize. He has a weekly column for The Independent and regularly reviews and writes for
The Guardian, The Times, and The Evening Standard. Jacobson has also done several specials for British television. He lives in London.
24
BOOK EXCERPT
from J by Howard Jacobson
ARGUMENT
THE WOLF AND THE TARANTULA
A GRAY WOLF fell into conversation with a tarantula. I love the
chase, the gray wolf said. Myself, said the tarantula, I like to sit here and
wait for my prey to come to me. Dont you nd that lonely? the wolf
asked. I could as soon askyou, the tarantula replied, how it is that you
dont get sick of taking your wife and kids along on every hunt. I am by
temperament a family man, the wolf answered. And what is more there is
power in numbers.
The tarantula paused to crush a passing marmoset then said he
doubted the wolf, for all the help he received, would ever be as successful
a huntsman as he was. The wolf wagered a weeks catch on his ability to
outhunt the tarantula and, returning to his lair, told his wife and children
of the bet.
You owe me, he told the tarantula when they next met.
And your proof?
Well I expect you to trust my word, but if you dont, then go ahead
and search the wilderness with your own eyes.
This the tarantula did, and sure enough discovered that of all the wolf s
natural prey not a single creature remained.
I salute your efciency, the tarantula said, but it does occur to me to
wonder what you are going to do for sustenance now.
At this the gray wolf burst into tears. I have had to eat my wife, he
admitted. And next week I will start on my children.
And after that?After that?
After that I will have no option but to eat myself.
Moral: Always leave a little on your plate.
Copyright 2014by Howard Jacobson All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Hogarth, an imprint of the Crown Publishing
Group, a division of Random House LLC, a Penguin Random House Company, New York.
25

ONE FAT ENGLISHMAN
by Kingsley Amis Introduction by David Lodge
he hero of One Fat Englishman, a literary publisher and lapsed Catholic escaped
from the pages of Graham Greene to the campus of Budweiser College in provincial
Pennsylvania, is philandering, drunken, bigoted, and very, very fat, not to mention in a state
of continuous rage against everything, not the least his own overgrown self. In America,
Roger must deal with not-so-obliging suburban housewives, aspiring Jewish novelists who as
good as clean his clock, bad cigars, and America itself.
This comic masterpiece about the 1950s crashing drunkenly into the consumerist
1960s is one of Amis greatest and most caustic performances. Kirkus Reviews
For more books by Kingsley Amis, go to: http://tinyurl.com/mnwpefn
DARK EDEN: A NOVEL

by Chris Beckett
Winner of the Arthur C. Clarke Award for the Best Science Fiction Novel of the Year
art parable, part coming-of-age story, this acclaimed book is set in an original alien
world of dark, sinister beauty. On a sunless planet called Eden, a young hero breaks the
laws, shatters society, and, in the process, changes history. By abandoning the old ways, he
discovers the truth about this strange world.
A linguistic and imaginative tour de force. The Guardian (U.K.)
For more books by Chris Beckett, go to: http://tinyurl.com/k7wyow6
THIS HOUSE IS HAUNTED: A NOVEL

by John Boyne
ritten in Dickensian prose, This House Is Haunted is an homage to the classic

nineteenth-century ghost story. Set in Norfolk in 1867, Eliza Caine responds to an ad
for a governess position, but when she arrives she is greeted by the two children now in her
care, with no adult present to represent her mysterious employer. From the moment Eliza
rises the following morning, her every step seems dogged by a malign presence that lives
within the walls. Eliza realizes that if she and the children are to survive its violent attentions,
she must first uncover the halls long-buried secrets and confront the demons of its past.
Other Press TR 978-1-59051-679-9 304 pp. $14.95/NCR Exam Copy: $3.00
For more books by John Boyne, go to: http://tinyurl.com/n7lgvuq
BLOOD AND BEAUTY: THE BORGIAS

by Sarah Dunant
hen Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia buys his way into the papacy as Alexander VI, the
charismatic, consummate politician with a huge appetite for women and power
knows that it will take his entire family to ensure his triumphant legacy as pope. His eldest
son Cesare, with his cold intelligence and even colder soul, is Rodrigos greatestthough
increasingly unstableweapon. Lucrezia, Rodrigos beloved, beautiful daughter, is his prime
dynastic tool. Stripping away the myths around the Borgias, Blood and Beauty breathes life
into this astonishing family and celebrates the raw power of history itself.
Dunant transforms the blackhearted Borgias and the conniving courtiers and cardinals of
Renaissance Europe into fully rounded characters, brimming with life and lust. The New York Times Book Review
For more books by Sarah Dunant, go to: http://tinyurl.com/nx2o4do
26
BRITISH
AMERICAN
& IRISH LITERATURE

THE PANOPTICON: A NOVEL

by Jenni Fagan
aised in foster care from birth, 15-year-old Anais has been let down by just about every
adult she has ever met. Now a counterculture outlaw, she knows she can only rely on
herself. In the Panopticon, a home for chronic juvenile offenders, Anais finds herself part of
an ad hoc family and begins to take her first steps toward friendships, taking charge of her
own fate and discovering the depth of her own strength.
Fagan has created a feisty, brass-knuckled yet deeply vulnerable heroine. . . .

Her novel is by turns gritty, unnerving, exhausting, [and] ferocious. . . . A deeply
felt and genuinely affecting novel. Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times
WAKE: A NOVEL
by Anna Hope
opes debut unfolds over the course of five days, as three women must deal with the aftershocks of World War I and its impact on the men in their lives. The lives of these women
are braided together, their stories gathering power as the ties that bind them become clear.
Hope creates a vibrant physical and emotional landscape in which her leading
characters, and a sea of others, move irresistibly into the future, some having
found resolution, others still in search. Fresh, confident, yet understated,
Hopes first work movingly revisits immense tragedy while also confirming
her own highly promising ability. Kirkus Reviews
Random House HC 978-0-8129-9513-8 304 pp. $26.00/NCR Exam Copy: $13.00
WITTGENSTEIN JR: A NOVEL

by Lars Iyer
he unruly undergraduates at Cambridge have a nickname for their new lecturer:

Wittgenstein Jr. Hes a melancholic, tormented genius who seems determined to make
them grasp the very essence of philosophical thought. As the students try to discover what
they have to gain from their experience, they realize their teacher is struggling to survive.
Iyer already has a reputation for combining brainy dialogue with madcap action, but the
triumph of his latest (and best) novel is that the cartoon turns out to have real substance.
Publishers Weekly(starred review)
Melville House HC 978-1-61219-376-2 240 pp. $23.95/$23.95 Can. Exam Copy: $12.00
For more books by Lars Iyer, go to: http://tinyurl.com/kr6qy82
THE LOVE SONG OF MISS QUEENIE HENNESSY: A NOVEL

by Rachel Joyce
rom the award-winning novelist of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry comes
this unique and separate love story set alongside that of Harold Fry, about Queenie
Hennessy, the friend who inspired Harolds incredible journey. When Queenie is told she
has only days to live, she sends a letter in which she bids goodbye to Harold Fry. It is a letter
that inspires an unlikely walk, a cast of well-wishers, and the examination of many lives
unlived. But there is a second lettera longer, quieter, more complicated letter that she will
never send. It is this letter that reveals the shocking and beautiful truth of Queenies life.
DO NOT ORDER BEFORE 2/10/15

For more books by Rachel Joyce, go to: http://tinyurl.com/mkoeuvd
27

BINGOS RUN: A NOVEL

by James A. Levine
ingo, a young drug runner from the largest slum in Nairobi, spends his days making
deliveries for a local drug lord. After witnessing a murder, Bingo is sent to live in an
orphanage and is adopted by a wealthy American woman, who may not be who she seems to
be. As Bingo is swept into a web of lies and trickery, he must rely on his own code of moral
conduct in order to survive.
One of those rare books that infuse a potentially difficult subject with intimacy, tenderness,
and humor. Social commentary, gritty comedy, and pure cinematic adrenaline meet in an
utterly compelling novel with a voice all its own. Tash Aw, author of Five Star Billionaire
Spiegel & Grau HC 978-1-4000-6883-8 304 pp. $24.00/$27.00 Can. Exam Copy: $12.00
For more books by James A. Levine, go to: http://tinyurl.com/ngg63su
HOW TO TEACH YOUR CHILDREN SHAKESPEARE

Edited by Ken Ludwig
Introduction by John Lithgow
en Ludwig devised his methods while teaching his own children, and his approach is
friendly and easy to master. Beginning with memorizing short specific passages from
Shakespeares plays, this method instills children with cultural references they will utilize for
years to come. Ludwigs approach includes understanding the time period and implications
of Shakespeares diction as well as the invaluable lessons behind his words and stories.
Colorfully incorporating the history of Shakespearean theater and society, How to Teach
Your Children Shakespeare guides readers on an informed and adventurous journey through
the world in which the Bard wrote.
Dont be fooled by the title. This book is for anyone who wants to brush up on Shakespeare. Kirkus Reviews
Broadway TR 978-0-307-95150-2 368 pp. $14.00/$17.00 Can. Exam Copy: $3.00
NOUGHTIES: A NOVEL
by Ben Masters
n this thoroughly modern coming-of-age story, Eliot Lambfor all his mastery
of literary theory, postmodern novels, and classic poetryis about to be dragged
into adult life, whether he likes it or not. About to graduate from Oxford, Eliot knows
hell have to confront his feelings for Ella, an Oxford classmate whose passion for
literature matches his own, as well as Lucy, his first love, whose ominous phone calls
and text messages are threatening to unravel him. And then theres the tragic secret
hes been hiding all this time, which is about to find its way out and send his night into
serious turmoil.
THE BONE CLOCKS: A NOVEL

by David Mitchell
he first novel in four years from the award-winning writer of Cloud Atlas, which will
celebrate its tenth anniversary in 2014. The Bone Clocks is a genre-bending mix of the
supernatural, sci-fi, horror, social satire, and realism that weaves six narratives and spans from
1984 to the 2030s, telling the tale of a secret war between a cult of soul-decanters and the
small group of vigilantes who try to take them down.
The most consistently interesting novelist of his generation. Time

For more books by David Mitchell, go to: http://tinyurl.com/oevlt3x
28
BRITISH
AMERICAN
& IRISH LITERATURE

COLUM McCANN
LET THE GREAT WORLD SPIN

by Colum McCann Winner of the National Book Award for Fiction
n the dawning light of a late-summer morning, the people of lower Manhattan stand
hushed, staring up in disbelief at the Twin Towers. It is August 1974 and a mysterious
tightrope walker is running, dancing, leaping between the towers, suspended a quarter mile
above the ground. In the streets below, a slew of ordinary lives become extraordinary in
critically-acclaimed novelist Colum McCanns portrait of a city and its people.
A shimmering, shattering novel. In McCanns wise and elegiac novel of origins and
consequences, each of his finely drawn, unexpectedly connected characters balances
above an abyss, evincing great courage with every step. Booklist (starred review)
TRANSATLANTIC
by Colum McCann

Longlisted for the Man Booker Prize

Named One of the Best Books of the Year by Kirkus Reviews
he National Book Awardwinning novelists bestseller is a story of dark and light, men
and women, history and past, fiction and fact. Bearing witness to the history-making
moments of Frederick Douglass, John Alcock and Teddy Brown, and George Mitchell,
and braiding their stories together into one epic tale, are four generations of women from a
matriarchal clan, beginning with Irish housemaid Lily Duggan.
One of the greatest pleasures of TransAtlantic is how provisional it makes history feel, how
intimate, and intensely real. . . . Here is the uncanny thing McCann finds again and again about
the miraculous: that it is inseparable from the everyday. The Boston Globe
To watch Colum McCanns talk from the 2014 First-Year Experience Conference, go to: http://tinyurl.com/mzrljwr
THE QUICK: A NOVEL

by Lauren Owen
wens debut starts in London, 1893. James, a shy would-be poet, takes up lodging with
a dissolute young aristocrat and vanishes without a trace. His sister Charlotte sets
out to find him, and her search leads to one of the countrys pre-eminent and mysterious
institutions: the Aegolius Club, whose members include the richest, most ambitious men in
England. Trying to save Jamesand herselffrom the Clubs designs, Charlotte uncovers a
secret world at the citys margins.
Impressive . . . Owen proves a master at anticipating readers thoughts about future

happenings and then crumbling them into dust. Her world building is exceptional, and readers
will simultaneously embrace and shrink from the atmospheres elegant ghastliness. Booklist
THE SPINNING HEART: A NOVEL

by Donal Ryan
n the aftermath of Irelands financial collapse, dangerous tensions surface in an Irish town.
As violence flares, the characters face a battle between public persona and inner desires.
Through a chorus of unique voices, each struggling to tell their own kind of truth, a single
authentic tale unfolds.
[Ryan] credibly conveys the viewpoints of men and women of all ages in language
distinct from one section to the next. . . . [T]his startling debut reads like a modern
Irish twist on William Faulkners As I Lay Dying. Library Journal (starred review)
Steerforth Press TR 978-1-58642-224-0 160 pp. $15.00/NCR Exam Copy: $3.00
For more books by Donal Ryan, go to: http://tinyurl.com/n8guael
29
WORLD LITERATURE
THE SCAPEGOAT: A NOVEL
by Sophia Nikolaidou
Translated by Karen Emmerich
he Scapegoat is based on the real, unsolved murder

of American journalist George Polk in Greece in the
forties. A Greek journalist is tried and convicted for
the murder, but when hes released, he claims his confession
was the result of torture. In modern day Greece, a disaffected high school student is assigned to find the truth for a
school project. Based on the real story of famed CBS reporter
George Polk who was investigating embezzlement of U.S. aid
by the right-wing Greek government, and told by key players
in the storythe journalists Greek widow; the mother and
sisters of the convicted man; the brutal Thessaloniki Chief of
Police; a U.S. Foreign Office investigatorthe modern day
student is most affecting of them all as he questions truth,
justice, and sacrifice.
Melville House HC 978-1-61219-384-7

320 pp. $23.95/$23.95 Can.
Exam Copy: $12.00
Intricate and suspenseful . . . While we follow Nikolaidous

deeply satisfying plot, she also slyly poses some of the
large questions of contemporary life: How do we value
the individual against the state? What causes are worth
lying for? Is justice ever done?
Margot Livesey, author of The House on Fortune Street
The book, with strong writing and the well-orchestrated
voices of its many characters, dares to suggest
correlations with the current Greek crisis.
Ethnos
SOFIA NIKOLAIDOU was born in Thessalonika in 1968. She teaches literature and creative writing and writes criticism for various
newspapers, including Ta Nea. She has published two collections of short stories and three novels, all of which have been translated into
eight languages. Her last novel, Tonight We Have Friends, won the 2011 Athens Prize for Literature, and The Scapegoat was shortlisted for
the 2012 Greek State Prize for Fiction.
KAREN EMMERICHs translations include Rien Ne Va Plus by Margarita Karapanou, Landscape with Dog and Other Stories by Ersi
Sotiropoulos, Id Like by Amanda Michalopoulou, and Poems (19451971) by Miltos Sachtouris.
30
A M E S S A G E F R O M T H E T R A N S L AT O R
THIS PAST WINTER, I taught a large lecture course titled Reading the Greek Crisis at the University of Oregon, which tried to place the
current crisis in Greece in the context of a history of other crises, from the
Axis Occupation to the Civil War to the dictatorship of 19671974. Our
main objects of investigation were literary texts and films, but our exploration was also informed by texts from the fields of history, anthropology, legal studies, political science, and economics; we thought about the
changing demographics of Greece, the various waves of immigration, emigration, and internal migration the country experienced in the 20th and 21st
centuries, and the various ways that crisisthe Greek krisi, meaning both
crisis and judgement or decisionmanifests itself in literary and other cultural products.
The Scapegoat would be a perfect book to serve as a centerpiece of this
coursein fact, it was reading this novel in Greek that gave me the idea for
the course in the first place. Nikolaidous novel sets up a parallel between
the current financial, cultural, and even humanitarian crisis that Greece is
undergoing and the experiences of political instability and informal occupation that marked the years of the Civil War and its aftermath. In The
Scapegoat, the case of Manolis Grisbased on the actual framing of Greek
journalist Grigoris Staktopoulos for the murder of CBS correspondent
George Polk in 1948becomes a lens through which to view the workings
of international power and influence, and the scapegoating not just of Gris
but of his homonymn, Greece itself. The novel would work particularly
well in this course because it doesnt just present the pre-history of the crisis, it explores the pedagogical worth of exploring these parallels. Roughly
half of the book takes place in the present moment, and shows a young
would-be high school dropout, Minas, investigating the unsolved murder case as a research project assigned by his history teacher, who hopes
thus to re-engage Minas in his studies. Through this structural device, the
book makes an argument, I think, both for alternative pedagogies and for
the need for discussions of the current crisis not to focus on the present
moment at the expense of the past, since the past remains an open file, its
effects felt to this day.
Karen Emmerich, translator of The Scapegoat
31
WORLD LITERATURE
THE SHOAH TRILOGY
by H. G. Adler
Translated by Peter Filkins
Selected as one of Publishers Weeklys Best Books of 2014
THE WALL: A NOVEL
old in a powerful stream-of-consciousness style, The

Wall is the story of Arthur Landau, a Holocaust survivor
struggling to leave behind the horrors of the past and
find a foothold in the present. Arthur gradually learns to affirm
his life once again through his family and work, a testimony to
the human spirit that continues to persevere within him.
l
Fina in
k
o
B o lo g y
Tri
Masterful and utterly unique. The Jerusalem Post

H.G. Adlers The Wall is a masterful portrait of a Holocaust
survivor. . . . The writing is sonorous and so entirely
devastating that the reader is compelled to pore over every
word. One cannot begin to share this authors anguish, but
can participate in not allowing it to be forgotten.
Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Random House HC 978-0-8129-9306-6 656 pp.
$30.00/$35.00 Can. Exam Copy: $15.00
Also by H. G. Adler:
THE JOURNEY: A NOVEL
rom one of four known German-speaking, Jewish novelists who survived the Holocaust
and wrote about it, The Journey is
a devastating novel based on Adlers own experience, prescient in
the way it anticipates how future
generations of writers would
grapple with nearly unfathomable events.
The Journey is a tribute to the survival of art
and a poignant teaching in the art of survival. I
tend to shy away from Holocaust fiction, but this
book helps redeem an all-but-impossible genre.
Harold Bloom
Modern Library TR 978-0-8129-7831-5 336 pp.
$16.00/$19.95 Can. Exam Copy: $3.00
PANORAMA: A NOVEL
Afterword by Peter Demetz

old in ten distinct vignettes,
Panorama is a portrait of
a place and people soon to be
destroyed. It moves from pastoral World War Iera Bohemia
to a German boarding school,
through an infamous extermination camp, and finally to Josefs self-imposed exile
abroad.
Remarkable . . . haunting . . . [Adler] provides an

artful and brutal description of the LangensteinZweiberge concentration camp that nearly
guarantees Panorama a place in the canon of
Holocaust literature. San Francisco Chronicle
Modern Library TR 978-0-8129-8060-8 480 pp.
$16.00/$18.00 Can. Exam Copy: $3.00
H. G. ADLER was the author of twenty-six books of fiction, poetry, philosophy, and history. A survivor of Theresienstadt and
Auschwitz, Adler later settled in England and began writing novels about his experience. Having worked as a freelance writer and
scholar throughout his life, Adler died in London in 1988.
32
A LET TER FROM THE EDITOR

of The Wall by H.G. Adler
ON DECEMBER 2ND, 2014, Random House will publish the hardcover
edition of H.G. Adlers The Wall, the final installment of Adlers recently rediscovered Shoah trilogy. A native of Prague, H.G. Adler was sent to a Nazi labor camp in
1941. While interned, he collected hundreds of documents on the workings of the
camp and secretly recorded his experiences on scraps of paper, at great risk to himself and his family. These materials would later become the basis for his monumental
study, Theresienstadt 1941-1945, and for a trilogy of autobiographical novels, which
are increasingly regarded by critics and scholars alike as lost classics of Holocaust literature.
After losing his wife, mother, father, and sixteen other family members in the
Holocaust, Adler settled in London, and began writing novels. Unfortunately, the
very depiction of the Holocaust in fiction caused furious debate at the time (Adler
and Theodor Adornos arguments on this subject are represented within The Walls
pages), and delayed the publication of his novels. Despite the support of Heinrich
Bll, Elias Canetti, Hermann Broch and others, the novels were published quietly, and
remained unavailable to English readers until Peter Filkins discovered them in a Cambridge bookstore in 2001, and began to dig deeper into Adlers life and work. Filkins
masterful translations have since begun a major reassessment of the author. Panorama
and The Journey, the first two books in this trilogy, were acclaimed as modernist masterpieces by The New Yorker, and Adler was compared in The New York Times Book
Review to Joyce, Kafka and Gertrude Stein.
Now Random House is publishing Adlers magnum opus, The Wall, the work
that German critics and Adler himself considered his crowning achievement. The
book tells the story of Arthur Landau, a survivor of an historical atrocity living in
exile after the war and struggling to leave behind the horrors of the past. Adlers
stream-of-consciousness style is at its height, as the everyday, quotidian domestic life
of Arthur Landau is seamlessly interwoven with memories, nightmares, and phantasmagoria, in a kind of unfolding of thought with repeating themes and motifs. The
books observations of the human predicament are profound, and it contains some of
the most moving aphorisms Ive ever read.
I wanted to share this remarkable work with youI hope you enjoy, and revel as
I have, in the music of H. G. Adlers language, and the power of his insight.

Sam Nicholson
33
WORLD LITERATURE
EVERY DAY IS FOR THE THIEF: A NOVEL
by Teju Cole
young Nigerian living in New York City goes home

to Lagos for a short visit, finding a city both familiar
and strange. In a city dense with story, the unnamed
narrator moves through a mosaic of life, hoping to find inspiration for his own. Along the way, the man reconnects with old
friends, a former girlfriend, and extended family, taps into the
energies of Lagos lifecreative, malevolent, ambiguous
and slowly begins to reconcile the profound changes that have
taken place in his country and the truth about himself.
In spare, precise prose that sees humanity everywhere,
interwoven with original photos by the author, Every Day Is
for the Thieforiginally published in Nigeria in 2007is a
wholly original work of fiction.
[Teju Coles] novels are lean, expertly sustained performances.
The places he can go, you feel, are just about limitless.
The New York Times
By turns funny, mournful, and acerbic . . . Teju Cole is among
the most gifted writers of his generation.
Salman Rushdie
Random House HC 978-0-8129-9578-7

176 pp. $23.00/$26.95 Can. Exam Copy: $11.50
DO NOT ORDER PAPERBACK BEFORE 3/3/2015.
Random House TR 978-0-8129-8585-6

192 pp. $15.00/$18.00 Can. Exam Copy: $3.00
Also by Teju Cole:
OPEN CITY: A NOVEL
Winner of the PEN/Hemingway Award Finalist, National Book Critics

Circle Award (Fiction) A New York Times Notable Book
haunting debut about identity, dislocation, and history, Teju Coles Open City has
much to say about our country and our world. Along the streets of Manhattan, a
young Nigerian doctor named Julius wanders, reflecting on his relationships, his recent
breakup with his girlfriend, his present, his past. He encounters people from different
cultures and classes who will provide insight on his journeywhich takes him to Brussels,
to the Nigeria of his youth, and into the most unrecognizable facets of his own soul.
[A] prismatic debut . . . beautiful, subtle, [and] original. The New Yorker
For more books by Teju Cole, go to: http://tinyurl.com/lnf3a5d
TEJU COLE was born in the United States in 1975 and raised in Nigeria. He is the author of Every Day Is for the Thief and Open City,
which won the PEN/Hemingway Award, the Internationaler Literaturpreis, the Rosenthal Family Foundation Award for Fiction from
the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and the New York City Book Award, and was nominated for the National Book Critics Circle
Award. His photography has been exhibited in India and the United States. He is the Distinguished Writer in Residence at Bard College.
34
BOOK EXCERPT
from Every Day Is for the Thief by Teju Cole
I WAKE UP LATE the morning Im meant to go to the consulate. As

I gather my documents just before setting out, I call the hospital to remind
them I wont be in until the afternoon. Then I enter the subway and make
my way over to Second Avenue and, without much trouble, find the consulate. It occupies several floors of a skyscraper. A windowless room on the
eighth floor serves as the section for consular services. Most of the people
there on the Monday morning of my visit are Nigerians, almost all of them
middle-aged. The men are bald, the women elaborately coiffed, and there
are twice as many men as there are women. But there are also unexpected
faces: a tall Italian-looking man, a girl of East Asian origin, other Africans.
Each person takes a number from a red machine as they enter the dingy
room. The carpet is dirty, of the indeterminate color shared by all carpets
in public places. A wall-mounted television plays a news program through
a haze of static. The news continues for a short while, then there is a broadcast of a football match between Enyimba and a Tunisian club. The people
in the room fill out forms.
There are as many blue American passports in sight as green Nigerian
ones. Most of the people can be set into one of three categories: new citizens of the United States, dual citizens of the United States and Nigeria, and
citizens of Nigeria who are taking their American children home for the
first time. I am one of the dual citizens, and I am there to have a new Nigerian passport issued. My number is called after twenty minutes. Approaching the window with my forms, I make the same supplicant gesture I have
observed in others. The brusque young man seated behind the glass asks
if I have the money order. No, I dont, I say. I had hoped cash would be
acceptable. He points to a sign pasted on the glass: No cash please, money
orders only. He has a name tag on. The fee for a new passport is eightyfive dollars, as indicated on the website of the consulate, but it hadnt been
clear that they dont accept cash. I leave the building, walk to Grand Central
Terminal, fifteen minutes away, stand in line, purchase a money order, and
walk the fifteen minutes back. It is cold outside. On my return some forty
minutes later, the waiting room is full. I take a new number, make out the
money order to the consulate, and wait.
Excerpted from Every Day Is for the Thief by Teju Cole. Copyright 2014 by Teju Cole. Excerpted by permission of Random House, a
division of Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing
from the publisher.
35
WORLD LITERATURE
AGOSTINO
by Alberto Moravia
Translated by Michael F. Moore
NYRB Classics TR 978-1-59017-723-5

128 pp. $14.00/$17.00 Can.
Exam Copy: $3.00
hirteen-year-old Agostino is spending the summer at

a Tuscan seaside resort with his beautiful widowed
mother. When she takes up with a cocksure new
companion, Agostino, feeling ignored and unloved, begins
hanging around with a group of local young toughs. Though
repelled by their squalor and brutality, and repeatedly humiliated for his weakness and ignorance when it comes to women
and sex, the boy is increasingly, masochistically drawn to the
gang and its rough games. He finds himself unable to make
sense of his troubled feelings. Hoping to be full of manly
calm, he is instead beset by guiltycuriosity and an urgent desire to sever, at any cost, the thread of troubled sensuality that
binds him to his mother.
Alberto Moravias classic, a startling portrait of innocence lost, was written in 1942 but rejected by Fascist censors
and not published until 1944, when it became a best seller
and secured the author the first literary prize of his career. Revived here in a new translation by Michael F. Moore, Agostino
is poised to captivate a twenty-first-century audience.
The carnality that animates Agostino is naked and
unashamed. But the reader who stays to its end will
see that it is love with dross burned clean away.
William DuBois, The New York Times
A brilliant novella . . . In the sober narrative of Agostino
Moravia again dissected a motherson relationship as the
young protagonist of the novella made the joint discovery
of sexuality (while his young, beautiful, sensuous mother
became involved with a lover) and of class distinction, as the
neglected boy took up with a band of working-class youth,
whose sexual knowledge was far more advanced than his
own. Their contempt for his innocence and their envy of
his familys wealth run through the story in a typically
Moravian juxtaposition.
William Weaver, The New York Review of Books
For more books by Alberto Moravia, go to: http://tinyurl.com/qenrt4v

ALBERTO MORAVIA, born in Rome in 1907, was one of the greatest Italian writers of the twentieth century. His novels, which
include The Woman of Rome, The Conformist, Contempt, and Two Women, have been turned into films by Bernardo Bertolucci and
Jean-Luc Godard. He died in 1990.
36
BOOK EXCERPT
from Agostino by Alberto Moravia
DURING THOSE DAYS of early summer Agostino and his mother used to go out every morning on a bathing raft. The first few times his
mother had taken a boatman, but Agostino so plainly showed his annoyance at the mans presence that from then on the oars were entrusted to
him. It gave him intense pleasure to row on that calm, transparent, early
morning sea; and his mother sat facing him, as gay and serene as the sea and
sky, and talked to him in a soft voice, just as if he had been a man instead
of a thirteen-year-old boy. Agostinos mother was a tall, beautiful woman,
still in her prime, and Agostino felt a sense of pride each time he set out
with her on one of those morning expeditions. It seemed to him that all the
bathers on the beach were watching them, admiring his mother and envying him. In the conviction that all eyes were upon them his voice sounded
to him stronger than usual, and he felt as if all his movements had something symbolic about them, as if they were part of a play; as if he and his
mother, instead of being on the beach, were on a stage, under the eager eyes
of hundreds of spectators. Sometimes his mother would appear in a new
dress, and he could not resist remarking on it aloud, in the secret hope that
others would hear. Now and again she would send him to fetch something
or other from the beach cabin, while she stood waiting for him by the boat.
He would obey with a secret joy, happy if he could prolong their departure
even by a few minutes. At last they would get on the raft, and Agostino
would take the oars and row out to sea. But for quite a long time he would
remain under the disturbing influence of his filial vanity. When they were
some way from the shore his mother would tell him to stop rowing, put on
her rubber bathing cap, take off her sandals and slip into the water. Agostino would follow her.
Excerpted from Agostino by Alberto Moravia; Translated by Michael F. Moore. Excerpted by permission of NYRB Classics, an imprint of
New York Review Books. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from
the publisher.
37
WORLD LITERATURE
FOREIGN GODS, INC.: A NOVEL
by Okey Ndibe
Soho Press TR 978-1-61695-458-1

352 pp. $16.00/$16.00 Can.
Exam Copy: $3.00
Also by Okey Ndibe:
ARROWS OF RAIN
Soho Press TR 978-1-61695-457-4 304 pp.
$15.00/$15.00 Can. Exam Copy: $3.00
For full description, see page 47.
oreign Gods, Inc. tells the story of Ike, a New York-based

Nigerian cab driver who sets out to steal the statue of
an ancient war deity from his home village and sell it
to a New York gallery. Ikes plan is fueled by desperation. Despite a degree in economics from an American college, his
strong accent barred him from the corporate world. Forced
to eke out a living as a cab driver, he is unable to manage the
emotional and material needs of a temperamental African
American bride and a widowed mother demanding financial
support. When he turns to gambling, his mounting losses
compound his woes. And so he travels back to Nigeria to steal
the statue, where he has to deal with old friends, family, and a
mounting conflict between those in the village who worship
the deity and those who practice Christianity.
Foreign Gods, Inc. is a meditation on the dreams, promises and frustrations of the immigrant life in America and
the nature and impact of religious conflicts, as well as an examination of the ways in which modern culture creates or
heightens infatuation with the exotic, including the desire
to own strange objects and hanker after ineffable illusions.
An exploration of the shifting nature of memory, Foreign
Gods, Inc. is an important work of fiction that illuminates our
globally interconnected world.
Unforgettable . . . Ndibe seems to have a boundless
ear for the lyrical turns of phrase of the working people
of rural Nigeria. . . . The wooden deity has character, an
audacious personality, says one non-African who sees
it. So does Ndibes novel, a page-turning allegory
about the globalized world.
Los Angeles Times
We clearly have a fresh talent at work here. It is quite
a while since I sensed creative promise on this level.
Wole Soyinka, Winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature
For more books by Okey Ndibe, go to: http://tinyurl.com/kevlqy9

OKEY NDIBE teaches African and African Diaspora literatures at Brown University. He earned MFA and PhD degrees from the
University of Massachusetts at Amherst and has taught at Connecticut College, Bard College, Trinity College, and the University of
Lagos (as a Fulbright scholar). He is also the author of Arrows of Rain and has served on the editorial board of Hartford Courant where
his essays won national and state awards.
38
BOOK EXCERPT
from Foreign Gods, Inc. by Okey Ndibe
CHAPTER ONE
IKECHUKWU UZONDU, Ike for short, parked his Lincoln Continental cab at a
garage that charged twelve dollars per hour. Before shutting off the engine, he looked at the cars
electronic clock. Nine forty-seven a.m.; it meant the gallery would have been open for a little less
than an hour. Perfect, Ike thought, for he wished to be done transacting his business before the
place started buzzing.
He walked a block and a half to 19 Vance Street. Had a small animal been wedged in his
throat, his heart could not have pounded more violently.
The eave over the door bore a sign etched in black over a bluish background: foreign gods,
incorporated. It was written in tiny, stylized lettering, as if intended to create a tactful anonymity.
Few would stumble upon a store like this; it would be found, it seemed, only by habitus and
devotees.
Across the street was a bar. Ike contemplated a quick drink or two to calm his nerves. How
odd to flack for a war god while jittery.
Yet, to go in smelling of alcohol might also be a costly mistake.
The gallery door clicked, and a tanned woman walked out. A squat carved statue was
clutched close to her breast, held in a suckling posture. At the curb, a gleaming black BMW
pulled up. She opened the rear door and leaned in, arched backside revealing the outline of her
underwear. Her black high-heeled shoes were riveted with nodes of diamond. She strapped the
deity in place with the seat belt and then straightened. The cars front door was opened from
inside. She lowered herself in, and the car sped off.
Ike pulled at the gallery doorsurprisingly light. A wide, sprawling space unfurled itself:
gray marble floors, turquoise walls, and glass-paneled showcases. A multitude of soft, recessed
lights accentuated the gallerys dim, spectral atmosphere. In the middle of the room, slightly to
the left of the door, a spiral staircase with two grille-work banisters rose to an upper floor. Ike
knew from the New York magazine piece that people went upstairs only by invitation. And that
those invitations went only to a small circle of long-term collectors or their designated dealers.
There was an otherworldly chill in the air. There was also a smell about the place, unsettling
and hard to name. Ike froze at the edge of the run of stairs that led down to the floor of the gallery. From the elevation, he commanded a view. The space was busy but not cluttered. Clusters
of short, squat showcases were interspersed with long and deep ones. Here and there, some
customers peered into the glass cases or pored over catalogs.
In a matter of two, three weeks, his peoples ancient deity, Ngene, would be here, too. And it
would enjoy pride of place, not on this floor, with the all-comers and nondescripts, but upstairs,
in the section called Heaven. Ngene was a majestic god with a rich legend and history. How
many other gods could boast of dooming Walter Stanton, that famed English missionary whose
name, in the syllable-stretching mouths of the people of Utonki, became Su-tantee-ny?
Excerpted from Foreign Gods, Inc. by Okey Ndibe Copyright 2014 by Okey Ndibe. Excerpted by permission of Soho Press, a
division of Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in
writing from the publisher.
39
WORLD LITERATURE
THE RISE & FALL OF GREAT POWERS: A NOVEL
by Tom Rachman
The Dial Press HC 978-0-679-64365-4

400 pp. $27.00/NCR
Exam Copy: $13.50
Also by Tom Rachman:
ooly Zylberberg, the American owner of an isolated bookshop in the Welsh countryside, conducts
a life full of reading, but with little human contact.
Books are safer than people, who might ask awkward questions about her life. She prefers never to mention the strange
events of her youth, which mystify and worry her still.
Taken from home as a girl, Tooly found herself spirited
away by a group of seductive outsiders, implicated in capers
from Asia to Europe to the United States. But who were her
abductors? Why did they take her? What did they really
want? There was Humphrey, the curmudgeonly Russian with
a passion for reading; there was the charming but tempestuous Sarah, who sowed chaos in her wake; and there was Venn,
the charismatic leader whose worldview transformed Tooly
forever. Until, quite suddenly, he disappeared.
Years later, Tooly believes she will never understand the
true story of her own life. Then startling news arrives from a
long-lost boyfriend in New York, resurrecting old mysteries
and propelling her on a quest around the world in search of
answers.
Rachmans kaleidoscopic second novel demonstrates
that ones family is very often made up of the people
you find and who find you along the way.
Booklist
THE IMPERFECTIONISTS
A NOVEL
Dial Press Trade Paperback
TR 978-0-385-34367-1
304pp. $16.00/NCR
Exam Copy: $3.00
This book is mesmerising: a thorough work-out for

the head and heart that targets cognitive muscles you
never knew you had. Thanks, though, to Rachmans
lightness of touch and quite considerable streaks of
silliness, it feels much more like dancing than exercise.
The Times (UK)
The haunting tale of a young woman reassessing her
turbulent past . . . brilliantly structured, beautifully written.
Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
For more books by Tom Rachman, go to: http://tinyurl.com/povoxrn

TOM RACHMAN was born in London and raised in Vancouver. A graduate of the University of Toronto and the Columbia School
of Journalism, he has been a foreign correspondent for the Associated Press, stationed in Rome. From 2006 to 2008, he worked as an
editor at the International Herald Tribune in Paris. He lives in Rome.
40
BOOK EXCERPT
from The Rise & Fall of Great Powers by Tom Rachman
2011
HIS PENCIL wavered above the sales ledger, dipping toward the page as his statements increased
in vigor, the pencil tip skimming the pad, then pulling up like a stunt plane, only to plunge at moments
of emphasis, producing a constellation of increasingly blunt dots around the lone entry for that morning, the sale of one used copy of Land Snails of Britain by A. G. Brunt-Coppell (price: 3.50).
Take the Revolution, he called out from the front of the bookshop. The French see it completely differently than we do. They arent taught it was all chaos and Reign of Terror. For them, it was
a good thing. And you cant blame them. Knocking down the Bastille? The Declaration of Rights?
The thrust of his argument was that, when considering the French people and their rebellious
spiritwell, it wasnt clear what Fogg intended to say. He was a man who formed opinions as he
spoke them, or perhaps afterward, requiring him to ramble at length to grasp what he believed. This
made speech an act of discovery for him; others did not necessarily share this view.
His voice resounded between bookcases, down the three steps at the rear of the shop, where his
employer, Tooly Zylberbergin tweed blazer, muddy jeans, rubber bootswas trying to read.
Hmm, she responded, a battered biography of Anne Boleyn open on her lap. She could have
asked Fogg to shush, and he would have obliged. But he reveled in pronouncing on grand issues, like
the man of consequence he most certainly was not. It endeared Fogg to her, especially since his oration masked considerable self-doubtwhenevershe challenged him, he folded immediately. Poor
Fogg. Her sympathy for the man qualied him to chatter, but it made reading impossible.
Because, after all, the fellow who invented the guillotine was a man of medicine, he continued, restoring books to the shelves, rifing their pages to kick forth the old-paper aroma, which he
inhaledbefore pushing each volume ush into its slot.
Down the three creaking steps he came, passing under the sign historynaturepoetry
militaryballet to a sunken den known as the snug. The bookshop had been a pub before, and the
snug was where rain-drenched drinkers once hung their socks by the hearth, now bricked up but still
anked with tongs and bellows, festooned with little green-and-red Welsh ags and Toby jugs on
hooks. An oak table contained photographic volumes on the region, while the walls were lined with
shelves of poetry and a disintegrating hardcover series of Shakespeare whose red spines had so faded
that to distinguish King Lear from Macbeth required much scrutiny. Either of these venerable characters, dormant on the overburdened shelves, could at any moment have crashed down into the rocking
chair where Tooly sat upon a tartan blanket, which came in handy during winters, when the radiators
trembled at the task ahead and switched off.
She tucked back her short black hair, points curling around unpierced lobes, a gray pencil tip
poking up behind her ear. The paperback she held before her aimed to discourage his interruptions,
but behind its cover her cheeks twitched with amusement at the circling Fogg and his palpable exertion at remaining quiet. He strode around the table, hands in his trouser pockets, jingling change.
(Coins were always plummeting through holes in those pockets, down his leg and into his shoe.
Toward the end of the day, he removed itsock coming half offand emptied a small fortune into
his palm.) It behooves them to act decisively in Afghanistan, he said. It behooves them to.
Excerpted from The Rise & Fall of Great Powers by Tom Rachman Copyright 2014 by Tom Rachman. Excerpted by permission of
The Dial Press, a division of Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without
permission in writing from the publisher.
41
WORLD LITERATURE

FIVE STAR BILLIONAIRE: A NOVEL

by Tash Aw
TASH AW
novel about the New China by a prize-winning, critically acclaimed writer, Five Star
Billionaire charts the overlapping journeys of five individuals living in Shanghai, an
ever-changing city being transformed by a breakdown in social hierarchy and cultural norms.
Just as the city is constantly reinventing itself, the characters themselves dream of being
millionaires, finding love on the Internet, and bettering themselves.
Aw moves fluidly between past and present, creating a multilayered narrative about chasing,
catching, and sometimes losing elusive opportunities. Library Journal (starred review)
Spiegel & Grau TR 978-0-8129-8481-1 416 pp. $16.00/NCR Exam Copy: $3.00
MAP OF THE INVISIBLE WORLD: A NOVEL

by Tash Aw
rom the author of the internationally acclaimed The Harmony Silk Factory comes an
enthralling novel that evokes an exotic yet turbulent place and time1960s Indonesia
during President Sukarnos drive to purge the country of its colonial past. A page-turning
story, Map of the Invisible World follows the journeys of two brothers and an American
woman who are indelibly marked by the pastand swept up in the tides of history.
Reminiscent of Graham Greene . . . powerful and mesmerizing . . .

haunting and memorable.The Guardian (U.K.)
Spiegel & Grau TR 978-0-385-52797-2 336 pp. $15.00/NCR Exam Copy: $3.00
For more books by Tash Aw, go to: http://tinyurl.com/lu92asm
TRISTANO: A NOVEL
by Nanni Balestrini
Introduction by Umberto Eco
nspired by the legend of Tristan and Isolde, Tristano was first published in 1966 in Italian,
but only recently has digital technology made it possible to realize the authors original
vision. The novel is comprised of ten chapters and the fifteen pairs of paragraphs in each of
them are shuffled anew for each published copy. Thus, no two versions are the same. The
random variations between copies enact the variegations of the human heart, as exemplified
by the lovers at the center of the story.
Finally the historical impasse between literature and new media . . . turns into an
opportunity to create something radically new. Aldo Nove, Il Sole 24 Ore
Verso TR 978-1-78168-169-5 128 pp. $25.00/$28.00 Can. Exam Copy: $12.50
For more books by Nanni Balestrini, go to: http://tinyurl.com/ltcterm
WHERE TIGERS ARE AT HOME

by Jean-Marie Blas de Robls
Translated by Mike Mitchell
inner of the Prix Mdicis, this novel follows the Jesuit scholar Athanasius
Kircher across seventeen-century Europe and Eleazard von Wogau, a retired
French correspondent, through modern Brazil. When Eleazard begins editing a strange,
unpublished biography of Kircher, the rest of his life seems to begin unraveling.
Blas de Robls simultaneously channels Umberto Eco, Indiana Jones, and Jorge Amado . . .
what begins as a faux metabiography turns to picaresque adventure with erotic
escapades, scams, and unexpected changes of fortune. Publishers Weekly
Other Press TR 978-1-59051-676-8 830 pp. $28.95/$34.00 Can. Exam Copy: $14.50
42
AMERICAN
WORLD LITERATURE
THE PEOPLE OF FOREVER ARE NOT AFRAID: A NOVEL
by Shani Boianjiu
ael, Avishag, and Lea grow up together in a tiny, dusty Israeli village, attending a high
school made up of caravan classrooms, passing notes to each other to alleviate the
universal boredom of teenage life. When they are conscripted into the army, their lives
change in unpredictable ways, influencing the women they become and the friendship that
they struggle to sustain.
Eye-opening and brutally honest . . . In this gripping debut, [Boianjiu] weaves
together the familiar coming-of-age milestones such as sexual initiation, the fierce
bonds of friendship and the need for independence with the shocking realities of
military lifeeven beyond the battlefield. BookPage
Hogarth TR 978-0-307-95597-5 368 pp. $14.00/NCR Exam Copy: $3.00
REASONS OF STATE
by Alejo Carpentier
Translated by Frances Partridge
Introduction by Stanley Crouch
easons of State tells the tale of the dictator of a Latin American country who has been
living in high-society Paris. When news of a coup at home reaches him, he rushes back
and crushes it with brutal military force. But upon returning to Paris, he is given a chilly
welcome and learns that photographs of the atrocities have been circulating among his
well-to-do friends. Meanwhile, World War I has broken out and another rebellion forces the
dictator back across the ocean. As he struggles with the Marxist forces beginning to find footing in his country and
Europe is devastated, Carpentier constructs a biting satire of the new world order.
PRAYERS FOR THE STOLEN: A NOVEL

by Jennifer Clement
adydi was born into a world where being a girl is a dangerous thing. In Guerrero, Mexico,
drug lords are kings. Ladydi and her friends dream of a future that holds more promise
than mere survival, finding humor, solidarity, and fun in the face of tragedy. A portrait of
women in rural Mexico and an exploration of the hidden consequences of an unjust war,
Prayers for the Stolen is a story of friendship, family, and determination.
Moving . . . Through a beautifully rendered poetic rhythm all her own, Clement tells a story
of the often forgotten women who carry on through the drug wars. Kirkus Reviews
For more books by Jennifer Clement, go to: http://tinyurl.com/ofyjxn8
THE LULLABY OF POLISH GIRLS: A NOVEL

by Dagmara Dominczyk
his debut novel traces the friendship of three best friends from their early teenage years
in Kielce, Poland, to the loss of innocence that wrecks them, and the stunning murder
that reaches across oceans to bring them back together after theyve grown and long since left
home. The Lullaby of Polish Girls captures the passion and drama of youthful friendship, the
immigrants yearning to fit in, and the wistful transformation of young women coming of age.
Striking and vivid . . . absolutely buzzing with energy . . . Dominczyks love for
her complicated characters is apparent from the first page to the last.
Emma Straub, author of Laura Lamonts Life in Pictures
43
WORLD LITERATURE
THE FIVE ACTS OF DIEGO LEN: A NOVEL
by Alex Espinoza
cclaimed Latino author Alex Espinoza, whose writing Lisa See has called fresh,
magical, beautiful, and evocative, returns with a novel set in Hollywoods Golden Age,
as a gifted and determined young man leaves Mexicoand everything hes ever knownto
follow his dreams.
A story that begins in revolutionary Mexico and travels to Hollywood during the
film industrys transition from silent films to talkies, The Five Acts of Diego Len
breaks greater silencestaboos of race and sexuality, of reinvention and assimilation.
Sandra Cisneros, author of The House on Mango Street
For more books by Alex Espinoza, go to: http://tinyurl.com/mwfhwqa
THE LOST SISTERHOOD: A NOVEL

by Anne Fortier
rom the author of The New York Times bestseller Juliet comes a novel about a young
scholar who risks her reputationand her lifeon a thrilling journey to prove that the
legendary warrior women known as the Amazons actually existed.
Sweeping from England to North Africa to Greece and the ruins of ancient Troy,
and navigating between present and past, The Lost Sisterhood is a breathtaking, passionate
adventure of two women on parallel journeys, separated by time, who must fight to keep the
lives and legacy of the Amazons from being lost forever.
Magical, ambitious, and riveting, The Lost Sisterhood blends past and present to bring the
myth of the ancient Amazons to life. . . . Anne Fortiers tale of a young Oxford academic sent on a mysterious quest is a
masterly combination of fast-paced adventure and grand epic. Kim Fay, author of The Map of Lost Memories
Ballantine Books HC 978-0-345-53622-8 608 pp. $27.00/NCR Exam Copy: $13.50
For more books by Anne Fortier, go to: http://tinyurl.com/klmgnmu
STAY
by Aislinn Hunter
tay follows Abbey, a young woman from Canada now living in a village outside Galway,
who falls in love with Dermot, an older Irish man, in an unconventional, affectionate,
but troubled relationship. The inhabitants of Dermots village form a riotous and poignant
chorus, commenting on their rapidly changing world with wit and insight. This is a novel
about history and obligation and, above all, the meaning of human connection in a land
poised uneasily between past and present.
Anchor Canada TR 978-0-385-68062-2 288 pp. $17.95/$19.95 Can. Exam Copy: $3.00
For more books by Aislinn Hunter, go to: http://tinyurl.com/o8wq4xs
THE HUNTING GUN

by Yasushi Inoue Translated by Michael Emmerich
he Hunting Gun follows the consequences of a tragic love affair. Told from the viewpoints
of three different women, this is a story of the psychological impact of illicit love. First
viewed through the eyes of Shoko, who learns of the affair through reading her mothers
diary, then through the eyes of Midori, who had long known about the affair of her husband
with Saiko, and finally through the eyes of Saiko herself. This novella is incredibly powerful,
with universal resonance and a true modern classic of the 20th century.
Pushkin Press TR 978-1-78227-001-0 112 pp. $16.00/$16.00 Can. Exam Copy: $3.00
For more books by Yasushi Inoue, go to: http://tinyurl.com/kvcqgsl
44
AMERICAN
WORLD LITERATURE
THE WOMAN WHO BORROWED MEMORIES: SELECTED STORIES
by Tove Jansson Translated by Thomas Teal and Silvester Mazzarella
Introduction by Lauren Groff
he Woman Who Borrowed Memories is Tove Jannsons first extensive collection of short
stories in English. Jannson, author of the bestselling The Summer Book as well as a
celebrated cartoonist, composed her short stories around her personal experiences, touching
on island solitude and the dangerous pull of the artistic impulse.
It could be said that everything she wrote is, in one way or another, about the creative
interactions between art and reality or art and nature. The Guardian
New York Review Books TR 978-1-59017-766-2 304 pp. $16.95/$18.00 Can. Exam Copy: $3.00
For more books by Tove Jansson, go to: http://tinyurl.com/qjvd48l
THE METAMORPHOSIS
by Franz Kafka
Translated, edited, and with an introduction by Stanley Corngold
he Metamorphosis is the masterful story of a young man who, transformed overnight

into a giant beetle-like insect, becomes an object of disgrace to his family, an outsider
in his own home, a quintessentially alienated man. A harrowingthough absurdly comic
meditation on human feelings of inadequacy, guilt, and isolation, The Metamorphosis stands
as one of the most widely read and influential works of twentieth-century fiction. This
Modern Library edition collects Stanley Corngolds acclaimed English translation along with
seven critical essays by writers including Philip Roth, W. H. Auden, and Walter Benjamin,
background and contextual material, and a new introduction from Corngold himself.
Modern Library TR 978-0-8129-8514-6 368 pp. $15.00/$17.00 Can. Exam Copy: $3.00
For more books by Franz Kafka, go to: http://tinyurl.com/lr8gwoq
GILGI
by Irmgard Keun
Translated by Geoff Wilkes
he never-before-translated story of a single, pregnant, and nervy young secretary making

her way through a Germany succumbing to the Nazis. Gilgi is a secretary in a hosiery
firm, although she doesnt intend to stay there for long. But then she falls in love with Martin,
a charming drifter, and leaves her job for domestic blisswhich turns out not to be all that
blissfuland Gilgi finds herself pregnant and facing a number of moral dilemmas. Revolutionary
at the time of its original publication in 1931 for its treatment of sexual harassment, abortion,
single motherhood, and the New Woman, Gilgi is a novel about one womans path to maturity.
For more books by Irmgard Keun, go to: http://tinyurl.com/myefogu
KINDER THAN SOLITUDE: A NOVEL

by Yiyun Li
profound mystery is at the heart of this new novel by the celebrated winner of the PEN/
Hemingway, MacArthur Genius, and many other awards. Set in America and China,
and moving back and forth through time, Kinder Than Solitude is the story of three people
whose lives are changed by a murder one of them may have committed.
Theres something about the poise, the tidiness, the seemingly effortless calm of Yiyun Lis
writing that makes it easy to see her as an author who, like Jhumpa Lahiri, employs a Chekovian
neutrality. . . . But look again. . . . Theres a withering, vibrating sarcasm at work in the
juxtaposition of national and personal tragedies. The New York Times Book Review
For more books by Yiyun Li, go to: http://tinyurl.com/mffxzvl
45
WORLD LITERATURE

THE DINNER: A NOVEL

by Herman Koch
Translated by Sam Garrett
HERMAN KOCH
wo couples meet for dinner. At first, the conversation is a gentle hum of small talk. But
behind the empty words, terrible things need to be said. Each couple has a 15-year-old
son. The two boys are united by their accountability for a single horrific act, one that has
triggered a police investigation and shattered the comfortable, insulated worlds of their
families. As civility and friendship disintegrate, each couple shows just how far they are
prepared to go to protect those they love.
A riveting, compelling, and a deliciously uncomfortable read. Like all great satire it is both
lacerating and so very funny. . . . A wonderful book. Christos Tsiolkas, author of The Slap
SUMMER HOUSE WITH SWIMMING POOL: A NOVEL

by Herman Koch
Translated by Sam Garrett
Selected for Common Reading at Clarkson University
hen a medical mistake goes wrong and Ralph Meier, a famous actor, winds up dead,
Dr. Marc Schlosser is forced to conceal the error. Marc played a role in Ralphs death,
and hes not exactly upset that the man is gone. Still haunted by his eldest daughters rape
during their stay at Ralphs summer house, Marcs reasons for wanting Ralph dead become
increasingly compelling as events unravel.
Koch tells a sinister tale through the eyes of a questionable narrator. . . .
Kochs deft and nuanced exploration of gender, guilt, and vengeance make
his second novel . . . an absorbing read. Booklist
Hogarth HC 978-0-8041-3881-9 400 pp. $24.00/$27.00 Can. Exam Copy: $12.00
DIARY OF THE FALL: A NOVEL

by Michel Laub
Translated by Margaret Jull Costa
story of three generations: a mans struggle for forgiveness; a father with Alzheimers,
for whom recording every memory has become an obsession; and a grandfather who
survived Auschwitz, filling notebooks with the false memories of someone desperate to
forget. Michel Laubs novel asks questions about history and identity, exploring that stories
we choose to tell about ourselves and how we become the people we are.
Finally, a novel about the relationship between Judaisms past and present that explores
new territory . . . .Diary of the Fallis a refreshingly honest and startlingly original book.
Myla Goldberg, author ofBee Season
Other Press HC 978-1-59051-651-5 240 pp. $20.00/$20.00 Can. Exam Copy: $10.00
THE FIRST TRUE LIE: A NOVEL

by Marina Mander
Translated by Stephen Twilley
eet Luca, a curious young boy living with his mother, a taciturn woman who every
now and then tries out a new father. One February morning his mom doesnt wake
up to bring him to school, so Lucawith a father whos long gone and driven by a deep fear
of being an orphandecides to pretend to the world that his mom is still alive.
[A]t its best, Lucas original voice will break your heart. Ultimately, Lucas story offers a
buoyant picture of hope in the face of disaster, and life in the face of death. Publishers Weekly
46
AMERICAN
WORLD LITERATURE

I AM FORBIDDEN: A NOVEL
by Anouk Markovits
osef, a Holocaust orphan, rescues Mila after her parents are killed in the wake of Nazi
deportations. Josef helps Mila find safety with a leader in the Satmar community, in
whose home Mila is raised as his own. Mila forms a fierce bond with her new sister Atara,
but as they mature, Atara feels trapped by the restraints of Jewish fundamentalism, while
Mila embraces her faith. When Josef returns and chooses Mila to be his bride, she strives
to be an ideal wife, but a desperate choice after ten years of childless marriage threatens to
separate her from everythingand everyoneshe cherishes.
[A] sober, finely etched scrutiny of extreme belief set in a female context. Kirkus Reviews
OUR LADY OF THE NILE

by Scholastique Mukasonga Translated by Melanie Mauthner
n her first novel, Scholastique Mukasonga immerses us in a school for young girls. The
girls are sent to a high school perched on the ridge of the Nile in order to become the
feminine elite of the country and escape the dangers of the outside world. The book is a
prelude to the Rwandan genocide and unfolds behind the closed doors of the school
which becomes an existential microcosm of the true 1970s Rwanda.
Mukasonga expertly draws together all her threads and stories in climactic sequences to
create a skillfully-orchestrated vision, both loving and fearful, of her beloved homeland
ripped apart by vicious racial hatred.Shelf Awareness
Archipelago TR 978-0-914671-03-9 240 pp. $18.00/$18.00 Can. Exam Copy: $3.00
EVIL AND THE MASK: A NOVEL

by Fuminori Nakamura Translated by Allison Markin Powell
hen Fumihiro Kuki is eleven, his elderly father tells him about a tradition in their
wealthy family: a patriarch, when reaching the end of his life, will beget one last child
to cause misery in a world that cannot be controlled or saved. From this point on, Fumihiro
will be specially educated to learn to create as much destruction and unhappiness in the
world around him as a single person can. But as his education progresses, Fumihiro begins to
question his fathers mandate and starts to resist.
A hard-to-put-down novel of ideas and a savage comment on nihilism,
both Japanese and global. . . . Shouldnt be missed. Booklist (starred review)
Soho Crime TR 978-1-61695-370-6 356 pp. $15.95/$15.95 Can. Exam Copy: $3.00
For more books by Fuminori Nakamura, got to: http://tinyurl.com/kh7kgax
ARROWS OF RAIN: A NOVEL

by Okey Ndibe
his debut novel from the author of the universally acclaimedForeign Gods, Inc. examines
a womans drowning and the ensuing investigation in an emerging African nation. The
shocking revelations of Bukuru, the last man who spoke to the woman, land him in court.
Alone and undefended, the last man to speak to her must calculate the cost of silence in the
face of rampant corruption and state-sponsored violence against women. Okey Ndibe examines the erosion of moral insight in both public and private life, drawing out the complex
factors behind the near-collapse of a nation.
A blueprint for the second generation of African novelists. Ernest Emenyonu, author ofTales of Our Motherland
Soho Press TR 978-1-61695-457-4 304 pp. $16.00/$19.00 Can. Exam Copy: $3.00
For more books by Okey Ndibe, go to: http://tinyurl.com/kevlqy9
47
WORLD LITERATURE

GIRL AT WAR: A NOVEL

by Sara Novic
agreb, summer of 1991. Ten-year-old Ana Juric is a carefree tomboy who runs the streets
of Croatias capital with her best friend, Luka, takes care of her baby sister, Rahela, and
idolizes her father. But as civil war breaks out across Yugoslavia, a daring escape plan to
America becomes her only chance for survival. Part war saga, part coming-of-age tale, part
story of love and friendship, Girl at War is a literary and suspenseful debut novel by a young
writer whose work will appeal to readers of Anthony Marra, Ta Obreht, and Anthony Doerr.
An unforgettable portrait of how war forever changes the life of the individual, Girl at War
is a remarkable debut by a writer working with deep reserves of talent, heart, and mind.
Gary Shteyngart, author of Little Failure and Super Sad True Love Story
DO NOT ORDER BEFORE 5/12/2015.
THE TIGERS WIFE: A NOVEL

by Ta Obreht
Winner of the Orange Prize for Fiction Finalist for the National Book Award
Selected for Common Reading at Georgetown University and New York University
n a Balkan country recovering from war, Natalia, a young doctor, is compelled to unravel
the mysterious circumstances surrounding her beloved grandfathers recent death.
Searching for clues, she turns to his worn copy of The Jungle Book and the stories he told her
of his encounters over the years with the deathless man. But most extraordinary of all is the
story her grandfather never told her: the legend of the tigers wife.
Filled with astonishing immediacy and presence, fleshed out with detail that seems firsthand, The Tigers Wife is all the
more remarkable for being the product not of observation but of imagination. The New York Times Book Review
THE FORGIVEN: A NOVEL

by Lawrence Osborne
ournalist and novelist Lawrence Osborne explores the repercussions of a random

accident on the lives of Moroccan Muslims and Western visitors who converge in a
luxurious desert villa for a decadent weekend-long party.
A sinister and streamlined entertainment in the tradition of Paul Bowles, Evelyn Waugh and
the early Ian McEwan. . . . Mr. Osborne has a keen and sometimes cruel eye for humans and
their manners and morals, and for the natural world. You can open to almost any page and find
brutally fine observations. . . . surprising and dark and excellent. The New York Times
For more books by Lawrence Osborne, go to: http://tinyurl.com/onfoomm
CLARA: A NOVEL
by Kurt Palka
hen Claras husband is called to serve in World War II, her life is forever changed.
Throughout the war, its aftermath, and into the present, Clara must make choices
and take risks that are as heroic and life-altering as any that men make in battle. Clara is a
novel about family bonds and womens deep friendships, about courage and the love that can
endure even in unimaginable times.
Palka weaves an intimate tapestry. . . . Unflinching in its realism yet devoid of sensationalism,
Clara showcases Palkas great attention to detail, which enhances an already beautiful and
deeply moving story of hope, love, and triumph. Booklist (starred review)
Emblem Editions TR 978-0-7710-7132-4 384 pp. $15.95/$17.95 Can. Exam Copy: $3.00
48
AMERICAN
WORLD LITERATURE

THE GRAY NOTEBOOK

by Josep Pla Translated by Peter Bush
Introduction by Valenti Puig
he Gray Notebook, the most celebrated work of twentieth-century Catalan literature

by Spains most prolific writer, Josep Pla, is admired as much for its distinguished
prose as for its shrewd observation of human comedy, the city of Barcelona, and the
people of the region.
His complete works, published and republished over the years, contain marvelous
descriptive passages that capture the landscapes history and its complex topography at once.
Words Without Borders
For more books by Josep Pla, go to: http://tinyurl.com/nomt4kw
KARL MARX AND WORLD LITERATURE

by S. S. Prawer
rofessor S. S. Prawers highly influential work explores how the world of imaginative
literaturepoems, novels, playsinfused and shaped Marxs writings, from his
unpublished correspondence, to his pamphlets and major works. In exploring Marxs use
of literary texts, from Aeschylus to Balzac, and the central role of art and literature in the
development of his critical vision, Karl Marx and World Literature is a forensic masterpiece
of critical analysis.
THE SIEGE: A NOVEL

by Arturo Prez-Reverte Translated by Frank Wynne
uring the Napoleonic siege of Cdiz paranoia reigns, only to worsen when the
bodies of murdered women begin to turn up in abandoned corners of the city. Police
commissioner Rogelio Tizns determination to find the killer takes him on a twisting path
through the intertwined lives of those trapped together in the city.
Bold . . . The Siege is Prez-Revertes best yet. . . . An ambitious intellectual thriller peopled with
colorful rogues and antiheroes, meticulous in its historical detail, with a plot that rattles along
to its unexpected finale. Its hard to think of a contemporary author who so effortlessly marries
popular and literary fiction as enjoyably as this. The Observer
For more books by Arturo Perez-Reverte, go to: http://tinyurl.com/p6mtrkp
THE WALLS OF DELHI: THREE STORIES

by Uday Prakash Translated by Jason Grunebaum
rakash weaves together three tales of living and surviving in todays globalized India.
A street sweeper discovers a cache of black market money and escapes to see the Taj
Mahal with his underage mistress; an Untouchable races to reclaim his life, which has been
stolen by an upper-caste identity thief; a slum babys head grows bigger and bigger as he gets
smarter and smarter, while his family tries to find a cure.
Prakash writes of contemporary India with bleak and unblinking scrutiny irradiated by
empathy and humanity. His mastery of metaphor and allegory and the power of his style
invoke a timeless culture on the cusp of change. Namita Gokhale, founder-director
of The Jaipur Literature Festival and author of The Book of Shiva
Seven Stories Press TR 978-1-60980-528-9 240 pp. $23.95/$23.95 Can. Exam Copy: $12.00
49
WORLD LITERATURE

ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT

by Erich Maria Remarque
Translated by Arthur Wesley Wheen
REISSUE
Reissued to Coincide with the World War I Centennial Next Year
onsidered by many the greatest war novel of all time, All Quiet on the Western Front is
Erich Maria Remarques story of the German experience during World War I. Through
years of vivid horror, Paul Bumer holds fast to a single vow: to fight against the principle
of hate that meaninglessly pits young men of the same generation, but different uniforms,
against one another.
The world has a great writer in Erich Maria Remarque. He is a craftsman of unquestionably
first rank, a man who can bend language to his will. Whether he writes of men or of inanimate
nature, his touch is sensitive, firm, and sure. The New York Times Book Review
For more books by Erich Maria Remarque, go to: http://tinyurl.com/pkg8jmc
THE WATCH: A NOVEL

by Joydeep Roy-Bhattacharya
ollowing a desperate night-long battle, a group of beleaguered soldiers on an isolated

base in Kandahar are faced with a lone woman demanding the return of her brothers
body. Taking his cues from the Antigone myth, Roy-Bhattacharya recreates the chaos,
intensity, and immediacy of battle, and conveys the inevitable repercussions felt by the
soldiers and their families, especially one sister.
Every war spawns its major literary works, and Roy-Bhattacharyas powerful, modern
take on the Afghanistan armed conflict resonates with the echoes of Joseph Heller,
Tim OBrien, and Robert Stone. Publishers Weekly (starred review)
A WELL-TEMPERED HEART
by Jan-Philipp Sendker
n this sequel to The Art of Hearing Heartbeats, almost ten years have passed since Julia came
back from Burma. In the middle of an important meeting, she hears a strangers voice in her
head. Not only does the voice refuse to disappear, but it also asks questions Julia has been trying
to avoid. Interwoven with Julias story is that of a Burmese woman who finds her world turned
upside down when Burma goes to war and calls on her two young sons to be child soldiers.
Sendkers follow-up to The Art of Hearing Heartbeats . . . opens readers eyes to a history of
buried atrocities . . . [and] takes pains to develop a realistic world. Publishers Weekly
For more books by Jan-Philipp Sendker, go to: http://tinyurl.com/n3newfc
THE ANDALUCIAN FRIEND: A NOVEL

by Alexander Soderberg
hen Sophie Brinkmannnurse, widow, single mothermeets Hector Guzman,

her life is uneventful. She likes his quiet charm and easy smile; she likes the way
he welcomes her into his family. She quickly learns, though, that his smooth faade masks
something much more sinister. Guzman is the head of a powerful international crime ring,
involved in drug and weapons trafficking throughout Europe and South America. Sophie
must summon everything within her to navigate this intricate web of moral ambiguity,
deadly obsession, and craven gamesmanship.
[A] tense, accomplished debut . . . Complex but swift, well-written and often grisly. The Wall Street Journal
Broadway Books TR 978-0-7704-3607-0 464 pp. $15.00/NCR Exam Copy: $3.00
50
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WORLD LITERATURE

ALL DAYS ARE NIGHT

by Peter Stamm
Translated by Michael Hoffman
ll Days Are Nighttells the story of a woman who loses her life but must stay alive all the
same. After an argument, Gillian, a successful and beautiful TV host, and her husband
are in a car accident. Matthias dies in the crash and Gillian wakes up in the hospital completely disfigured. Slowly, after many twists and turns, she puts her life back together, and
reconnects with a love interest from the past who becomes a possible futureor so it seems.
A masterpiece of disorientation and control,All Days Are Nightmay be his best novel yet.
Rupert Thomson, award-winning author ofThe Insult
Other Press HC 978-1-59051-696-6 192 pp. $22.00/$26.00 Can. Exam Copy: $11.00
For more books by Peter Stamm, go to: http://tinyurl.com/kx5m3rd
FIDDLER ON THE ROOF

BASED ON SHOLEM ALEICHEMS STORIES
by Joseph Stein
iddler on the Roof is well established as one of the great works of American musical
theater. Adapted from the tales of Yiddish writer Sholom Alecheim and set in
TsaristRussiain 1905, it has proven to be an indelible tale of family, tradition, wit, and
sorrowall filtered through the ordeals of Tevye, a Jewish Everyman.
Crown HC 978-0-553-41897-2 128 pp. $18.00/$21.00 Can. Exam Copy: $9.00
THE EXPEDITION TO THE BAOBAB TREE

by Wilma Stockenstrom
Translated by J. M. Coetzee
earning to survive in the harsh interior of Southern Africa, a former slave seeks shelter
in the hollow of a baobab tree. We are the sole witnesses to her history: her capture as a
child, her tortured days in a harbor city on the eastern coast as a servant, her journey with
her last owner and protector, her flight, and the kaleidoscopic world of her baobab tree.
This mini-masterpiece is less a novel than an intimate monologue illuminating the

nature of slavery, oppression, womanhood, identity, Africa, and nature itself.
Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Archipelago TR 978-1-935744-92-4 220 pp. $18.00/$18.00 Can. Exam Copy: $3.00
THE COLD SONG

by Linn Ullmann
Translated by Barbara J. Haveland
iri and Jons marriage is loving but difficult and troubled by painful secrets. When Milla is
hired as their nanny, life in their idyllic summer community takes a dire turn. One night,
Milla disappears without a trace. After her remains are discovered and a suspect is identified,
everyone who had any connection with her feels implicated in her tragedy and haunted by
what they could have done to prevent it.
A fluid, shape-shifting novel, a family saga that turns into an erotically charged
drama and then takes a darker turn into the terrain of a murder mystery.
Tom Perrotta, author ofNine Inches: StoriesandThe Leftovers
For more books by Linn Ullmann, go to: http://tinyurl.com/ktvelkj
51
GRAPHIC NOVELS
THE HARLEM HELLFIGHTERS
by Max Brooks
Illustrated by Caanan White
he Harlem Hellfighters is a fictionalized account of

the 369th Infantry Regimentthe first African
American regiment mustered to fight in World War
I. From the enlistment lines in Harlem, to the training camp
in Spartanburg, South Carolina, to the trenches in France,
author Max Brooks tells the story of the heroic journey that
these soldiers undertook for a chance to fight for America.
Despite extraordinary struggles and discrimination, the
369th became one of the most successfuland least celebratedregiments of the war. The Harlem Hellfighters, as
their enemies named them, endured longer tours than any
other American unit in combat and displayed extraordinary
valor on the battlefield. Based on true events and featuring
artwork from acclaimed illustrator Caanan White, these
pages deliver a powerful and inspiring story of courage,
honor, and heart.
Broadway Books TR 978-0-307-46497-2

272 pp. $16.95/$19.95 Can.
Exam Copy: $3.00
Max Brooks is available to Skype
with classes that adopt this book.
For more information, email:
rhacademic@penguinrandomhouse.com
Also by Max Brooks:
WORLD WAR Z
AN ORAL HISTORY OF
THE ZOMBIE WAR
Selected for Common
Reading at Florida
Southern College
Broadway Books TR
978-0-307-34661-2
352pp. $14.95/$21 Can.
Exam Copy: $3.00
An utterly fresh and shocking blend of storytelling

and graphic art that takes us back to the global
conflagration at the dawn of the last century and
the heroic and outsized role brave African American
soldiers played in turning the tide for the Allies. In
an injustice oft repeated throughout our history, the
heroic feats of the Harlem Hellfighters were not just
forgotten but deliberately suppressed by a nation eager
to accept the Black mans sacrifice but terrified to give
him the slightest credit for it. Denied the ability to even
defend themselves back home, the Hell Fighters tear
up the Western Front and terrify the Germans, facing
down machine guns, rats, and poison gas with stoic
relentlessness and deflected fury. Whites illustrations
explode off the page and Brooks storytelling brings
gripping action and anger to every page.
Tom Reiss, author of Pulitzer Prize-winner
The Black Count
For more books by Max Brooks, go to: http://tinyurl.com/n5y7axc

MAX BROOKS is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of World War Z, The Zombie Survival Guide, and The Zombie Survival
Guide: Recorded Attacks.
52
I FIRST LEARNED of the Harlem Hellfighters from an Anglo-Rhodesian

named Michael Furmanovsky when I was 11. Michael was working for my parents
while getting his MA in history from UCLA. He taught me about the British Empire,
the Falklands War, Hiroshima, the Holocaust, and a host of other topics not covered
in my fifth-grade Western civilization class. Of all his after-school lessons, the one that
left the deepest impression was the story of a unit of American soldiers who werent
allowed to fight for their country because of the color of their skin. To a white, privileged kid growing up on the west side of LA in the 1980s, that kind of prejudice was
just inconceivable. When I confessed that I didnt know about them, he assured me
that I wasnt alone.
Ten years later I was an exchange student at the University of the Virgin Islands.
The experience brought me back into the orbit of the Hellfighters when, while walking through an old cemetery, I noticed some graves from 1918. I wondered if they
might be casualties of the Great War, maybe even members of the 369th. I decided
to ask my professor of Virgin Islands history. He was an African-American from the
mainland, and to call him passionate would be a laughable understatement. With his
beard and spectacles and flaring dashiki, he would rail against the historical crimes
committed by white men of Europe and North America. Most heinous was the erasure of black accomplishments by white historians. Colonization, he would tell us,
begins with the mind, and the best (or worst) way to colonize a people is to bury their
past. There were no black soldiers in World War I. That was his dismissive answer to
my question about the graves from 1918. When I started to argue, even bringing up
the name Harlem Hellfighters, he assured me that I must have been confused with
the Tuskegee Airmen of World War II. I was shocked. Here was a scholar, a crusader, a
thoughtful, driven man whod made it his lifes mission to trumpet the glory of Africa
and her diaspora, and HE didnt know about the Harlem Hellfighters. I wish I could
say that I decided then and there to write their story, but that would have to wait for
nearly another decade.
In 2006, I began collaborating with Avatar Press on a graphic companion to my
first book, The Zombie Survival Guide. I learned very quickly how different comic
book writing was from prose, but how similar it could be to movie scripts. I also realized that comics presented a forum for telling very visual stories without the cumbersome budget of movies or television. It seemed the ideal medium for telling the story
of the Harlem Hellfighters. Its now been close to six years since I began working with
William Christensen of Avatar Press and the amazingly talented artist Caanan White.
And now its time to share this heroic regiments story of courage, honor, and heart. I
hope that you and your students are as captivated by it as I have been.
Max Brooks
53
GRAPHIC NOVELS

MASKS OF ANARCHY: THE HISTORY OF A RADICAL POEM, FROM PERCY SHELLEY

TO THE TRIANGLE FACTORY FIRE
by Michael Demson
Illustrated by Summer McClinton
asks of Anarchy tells the extraordinary story of Percy Shelleys poem The Masque of
Anarchy, from its conception in Italy and suppression in England to the moment it
became a catalyst for protest among New York City workers a century later. Shelley penned
the poem in 1819, after hearing of the Peterloo Massacre, where British cavalry charged
peaceful political demonstrators near Manchester. His words would later inspire figures as
wide-ranging as Henry David Thoreau and Mahatma Gandhiand also Pauline Newman,
the woman The New York Times called the New Joan of Arc in 1907.
THE SPECTRAL ENGINE

by Ray Fawkes
o catch a glimpse of the Spectral Engine is to face death itself. In Ray Fawkes new
graphic novel, the Spectral Engine is also the supernatural device that ties together
wide-ranging true storiesset across Canada and throughout timeof discovery and loss,
migration and dislocation, ambition and the casualties of historyas told by the trains own
ghostly passengers.
What Ray Fawkes has done is weave together stories of lost souls and history in a way
you will never forget. This book breathes new life into a forgotten past that will
haunt you with its loss and mystery. Matt Kindt, author of Super Spy
McClelland & Stewart HC 978-0-7710-3093-2 176 pp. $27.95/$27.95 Can. Exam Copy: $14.00
For more books by Ray Fawkes, go to: http://tinyurl.com/lzhsvv8
V FOR VENDETTA
by Alan Moore
Illustrated by David Lloyd
ALAN MOORE
story about loss of freedom and individuality, V for Vendetta takes place in a totalitarian
England following a devastating war that changed the face of the planet. In a world
without political freedom, personal freedom, or precious little faith in anything, a mysterious
man in a white porcelain mask who fights political oppressors through terrorism and
seemingly absurd acts arises. This new trade paperback edition features the improved
production values and coloring from the 2005 hardcover.
Vertigo TR 978-1-4012-0841-7 296 pp. $19.99/$23.99 Can. Exam Copy: $3.00
WATCHMEN
by Alan Moore
Illustrated by Dave Gibbons
his Hugo Awardwinning story chronicles the fall from grace of a group of superheroes
plagued by all-too-human failings. Along the way, the concept of the superhero is
dissected, as the heroes are stalked by an unknown assassin. This edition features the highquality, recolored pages found in Watchmen: The Absolute Edition with sketches, neverbefore-seen extra bonus materials, and a new introduction by Dave Gibbons.
A work of ruthless psychological realism, its a landmark in the
graphic novel medium. It would be a masterpiece in any.
Time Magazines 100 Best English-Language Novels from 1923 to the Present
DC Comics TR 978-1-4012-4525-2 448 pp. $19.99/$23.99 Can. Exam Copy: $3.00
54
AMERICAN LITERATURE
ESSAYS, BELLE LETTRES, & LITER ARY CRITICISM

AGAINST WORLD LITERATURE: ON THE POLITICS OF UNTRANSLATABILITY
by Emily Apter
gainst World Literature argues for a rethinking of comparative literature focusing on

the problems that emerge when large-scale paradigms of literary studies ignore the
politics of the untranslatablethe realm of those words that are continually retranslated,
mistranslated, transferred from language to language, or especially resistant to substitution.
In the place of World Literature Emily Apter proposes a plurality of world literatures
oriented around philosophical concepts and geopolitical pressure points.
COTTON TENANTS: THREE FAMILIES

by James Agee
Edited by John Summers
Introduction by Adam Haslett
Photographs by Walker Evans
iscovered 50 years after James Agees death, and accompanied by thirty of Walker
Evans historic photos,Cotton Tenants is a report of three families struggling through
desperate times. Agees dispatch remains relevant as one of the most honest explorations of
poverty in America ever attempted and as a foundational document of long-form reporting.
Agees discerning eye, crushing bluntness, and forward-falling prose poetry urge along
before dunking readers senses, again and again, into the families way of life. Disdainful of sentiment and melodrama,
Agee shows no bias, revealing his subjects and skewering both oppressors and supposed reformers.Booklist
For more books by James Agee, go to: http://tinyurl.com/qffxmxc
AN ECOLOGY OF WORLD LITERATURE: FROM ANTIQUITY TO THE PRESENT DAY

by Alexander Beecroft
n this groundbreaking study, Alexander Beecroft develops a new way of thinking about
world literature. Drawing on a series of examples and case studies, the book ranges from
ancient epic to contemporary fiction. Beecroft identifies a series of literary ecologies, from
small-scale societies to the planet as a whole, within which literary texts are produced and
circulated.An Ecology of World Literatureconstructs a scholarly dialogue around ancient
and modern, western and non-western texts, producing new and unexpected demands for
literary study.
BOMB: THE AUTHOR INTERVIEWS

by BOMB Magazine
Edited by Betsey Sussler
rawing on 30 years ofBOMBMagazine, this anthology of interviews brings together

some of the greatest figures of world literature in a collection of sharp, insightful, and
intimate author conversations. It includes a conversation with Jonathan Franzen, still an
unknown author, on the eve of the publication ofThe Corrections; and one with Roberto
Bolao, near the end of his life. Lydia Davis and Francine Prose break down the intricacies
of Davis methods; Edwidge Danticat and Junot Daz discuss the power of Caribbean
diasporic fiction.
Soho Press HC 978-1-61695-379-9 480 pp. $40.00/$40.00 Can. Exam Copy: $20.00
55
ESSAYS, BELLE LETTRES, & LITERARY CRITICISM

PORTRAITS AND OBSERVATIONS

by Truman Capote
rom the Modern Librarys new set of repackaged hardcover classics by Capote, Portraits
and Observations is the first volume devoted solely to all the essays ever published by the
author. Included are masterpieces of narrative nonfiction such as The Muses Are Heard
and Handcarved Coffins, as well as many long-out-of-print essays, including portraits of
Mae West, Humphrey Bogart, and Marilyn Monroe. From his travel sketches of Brooklyn,
New Orleans, and Hollywood to the authors last written words, Remembering Willa
Cather, composed the day before his death, Portraits and Observations displays the full
spectrum of Truman Capotes brilliance.
For more books by Truman Capote, go to: http://tinyurl.com/qbasof8
THE BOOK OF LEGENDARY LANDS

by Umberto Eco
rom the epic poets of antiquity to contemporary writers of science fiction, from
the authors of the Holy Scriptures to modern raconteurs of fairy tales, writers and
storytellers through the ages have invented imaginary and mythical lands, projecting onto
them all of our human dreams, ideals, and fears. In the tradition of his acclaimed History of
Beauty, On Ugliness, and The Infinity of Lists, renowned writer and cultural critic Umberto
Eco leads us on an illustrated journey through these lands of myth and invention, showing
us their inhabitants, the passions that rule them, their heroes and antagonists, and, above all,
the importance they hold for us.
Rizzoli Ex Libris HC 978-0-8478-4121-9 432 pp. $45.00/$45.00 Can. Exam Copy: $22.50
For more books by Umberto Eco, go to: http://tinyurl.com/pzzndn2
THE ANCIENTS AND THE POSTMODERNS

by Fredric Jameson
FREDRIC JAMESON
n his new masterpiece of cultural analysis, Fredric Jameson offers an idiosyncratic

examination of what might be called a provisional or disposable canonwhat aesthetic
history might look at as we enter an age of the immediate and of the unimaginable
overpopulation of art and culture.
For anybody hoping to understand not just the cultural but the political
and social implications of postmodernism . . . Jamesons book is a
fundamental, nonpareil text. Sunday Times
Verso HC 978-1-78168-593-8 304 pp. $29.95/$35.00 Can. Exam Copy: $15.00
THE ANTINOMIES OF REALISM

by Fredric Jameson
ameson examines the most influential theories of artistic and literary realism, approaching the subject himself in terms of the social and historical preconditions for realisms
emergence. In a coda, Jameson explains how realistic narratives survived the end of classical
realism. In effect, he provides an argument for the serious study of popular fiction and mass
culture that transcends lazy journalism and the easy platitudes of recent cultural studies.
Fredric Jameson is a prodigiously energetic thinker, whose writings sweep
majestically from Sophocles to science fiction. Terry Eagleton
Verso HC 978-1-78168-133-6 432 pp. $34.95/$39.95 Can. Exam Copy: $17.50
56
ESSAYS, BELLE LETTRES,AMERICAN

& LITERARYLITERATURE
CRITICISM
THE LITERARY MIND AND THE CARVING OF DRAGONS
by Liu Hsieh Translated with Annotations by Vincent Yu-chung Shih
he Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragonsis the first comprehensive work of literary
criticism in Chineseand one that has been considered essential reading for writers
and scholars since it was written some 1,500 years ago. Itis not only a summa of classical
Chinese literary aesthetics, but also a wellspring of advice from the distant past on how to
write. A complete translation of the text, this version has been re-edited from the out-ofprint edition published in 1983.
Shihs translation of the whole book is an immense undertaking,

in itself deserving our deepest admiration. David Hawkes
MIND OF AN OUTLAW: SELECTED ESSAYS

by Norman Mailer
Edited by Phillip Sipiora Introduction by Jonathan Lethem
NORMAN MAILER
ind of an Outlaw, the first posthumous publication of Mailer, covers the many
subjects and themes he wrestled with throughout his career: politics, personalities,
art, literature, women, men, race, sex, and the systems of power that shape American life.
Above all, Mind of an Outlaw reveals the man himself and the intellectual battles he fought
throughout his monumental career.
This provocative collection brims with insights and reflections that show why Mailer is regarded
as a great literary mind of his generation. Publishers Weekly
THE SELECTED LETTERS OF NORMAN MAILER

by Norman Mailer Edited by J. Michael Lennon
ailer wrote almost 50,000 letters over the course of his life, keeping a copy of almost
every one of them. He corresponded with presidents and politicians, artists and
athletes, writers and editors, students, antagonists, fans, friends, his children, and his loves,
including his beloved sixth wife, Norris Church Mailer. Here are the letters of a precocious
16-year-old from Brooklyn arriving at Harvard, letters depicting the horrors of the war in the
Pacific from a soldiers point of view, and letters describing a young writers struggle with his
first novel, a manuscript that would become The Naked and the Dead. Read together, they
form an autobiographical portrait of Norman Mailer.
For more books by Norman Mailer, go to: http://tinyurl.com/qevgrc8
WAITING FOR THE BARBARIANS: ESSAYS FROM THE CLASSICS TO POP CULTURE
by Daniel Mendelsohn
n this collection by one of the greatest critics of our time (Poets & Writers),Daniel
Mendelsohnbrings together twenty-four of his recent essays on a wide range of subjects,
fromAvatarto the poems of Arthur Rimbaud, from our inexhaustible fascination with
theTitanicto Susan Sontags journals.
Mendelsohn is a trained classics scholar, from which much of his intellectual authority still
derives: witness his brilliantly illuminating, lucid essays on Homer, Sappho, Herodotus, and
Horace. He writes about pop culture with equal enthusiasm.
Phillip Lopate,San Francisco Chronicle
For more books by Daniel Mendelsohn, go to: http://tinyurl.com/krq48bq
57
ESSAYS, BELLE LETTRES, & LITERARY CRITICISM

THE ESSENTIAL PROSE OF JOHN MILTON
by John Milton Edited by William Kerrigan, John Rumrich, and Stephen M. Fallon
ulled from the Modern Librarys definitive The Complete Poetry and Essential Prose of John
Milton, this collection, authoritatively annotated and updated for this new volume, now
includes selections from Miltons Commonplace Book and the complete text of The Tenure of
Kings and Magistrates in addition to Miltons letters, pamphlets, political tracts, and essays.
Meticulously edited, full of tactful annotations that set the stage for his work
and his times, and bringing Milton, as a poet and a thinker, vividly alive before us.
Robert Hass, former Poet Laureate of the United States
For more books by John Milton, go to: http://tinyurl.com/n2k23v9
THIS LIVING HAND: AND OTHER ESSAYS

by Edmund Morris
wide-ranging collection of essays drawn from a lifetime of work by a Pulitzer Prize

winner and one of the worlds leading contemporary critics and historians. Morris has
hand-selected over fifty of his past works for inclusion in this collection, ranging from long,
serious pieces on biographical, literary, and musical subjects to short, satirical commentaries.
From Beethoven to Kilimanjaro, from Nadine Gordimer to Britains Imperial War Museum,
Morris essays span a diverse range of topics, but together they weave a vivid portrait of the
past four decades.
For more books by Edmund Morris, go to: http://tinyurl.com/ky7tmzp
IN PRAISE OF MESSY LIVES: ESSAYS

by Katie Roiphe
his collection of essays ranges from pop culture to politics, from Hillary Clinton to
Susan Sontag, from Facebook to Mad Men, from Joan Didion to David Foster Wallace,
and tomost strikinglythe authors own life. Roiphe turns her gaze on the surprisingly
narrow-minded conventions governing the way we live and delivers an unapologetic defense
of the messy life.
[A] devastatingly good new book . . . Ms. Roiphes are how you want your essays to sound: lean
and literate, not unlike Orwells, with a frightening ratio of velocity to torque. . . . Among Ms.
Roiphes gifts is one for brevity. She lingers long enough to make her points, and no longer.
Dwight Garner, The New York Times
The Dial Press HC 978-0-8129-9282-3 288 pp. $25.00/$29.95 Can. Exam Copy: $12.50
For more books by Katie Roiphe, go to: http://tinyurl.com/mdkje4u
CONGRATULATIONS, BY THE WAY: SOME THOUGHTS ON KINDNESS

by George Saunders
hree months after George Saunders gave a convocation address at Syracuse University,
a transcript of that speech was posted on the website of The New York Times, where its
simple, uplifting message struck a deep chord. Within days, it had been shared more than
one million times. Why? Because Saunders words tap into a desire in all of us to lead kinder,
more fulfilling lives. Congratulations, by the way is an expanded version of that speech.
The loving selflessness that [George Saunders] advises and the interconnectedness that
he recognizes couldnt be purer or simpleror more challenging. Kirkus Reviews

For more books by George Saunders, go to: http://tinyurl.com/mo8k5cv
58
ESSAYS, BELLE LETTRES,AMERICAN

& LITERARYLITERATURE
CRITICISM
FARE FORWARD: LETTERS FROM DAVID MARKSON
by Laura Sims
Edited by David Markson Afterword by Ann Beattie
aura Sims shares her correspondence with Markson, which began with an impassioned
fan letter in 2003 and ended with his death in 2010. The letters trace the growth of a
friendship between two writers at very different stages; in them we see Markson grapple,
humorously, with the indignities of old age and poor health, and reminisce about his early
days as a key literary figure in the Greenwich Village scene of the 1950s and 60s. At the
same time, he celebrates Sims marriage and the first milestones of her career as a poet.
powerHouse Books TR 978-1-57687-700-5 156 pp. $12.95/$12.95 Can. Exam Copy: $3.00
SELECTED LETTERS OF WILLIAM STYRON

by William Styron
Edited by Rose Styron with R. Blakeslee Gilpin
his volume takes readers on an American journey, from the era of FDR to that of George
W. Bush, through the trenchant observations of one of the countrys greatest writers.
Not only do readers get a glimpse at Styrons correspondence with and commentary about
the people and events that made the past century such a momentous and transformative
time, but they also encounter the writers private meditations on the art of writing.
These letters open a window into the free workings of a brilliant mind. Composed with humor
and profundity, the letters reveal the soul of a great writer. Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
For more books by William Styron, go to: http://tinyurl.com/jwhosnb
KURT VONNEGUT: LETTERS

by Kurt Vonnegut
Edited and with an Introduction by Dan Wakefield
his compilation of personal correspondence written over a 60-year period has all the
hallmarks of Kurt Vonneguts fiction. Included in this comprehensive volume: the
letter Vonnegut wrote upon being freed from a German POW camp that became the seed
of Slaughterhouse-Five; letters of protest to school boards that had tried to ban his work;
intimate remembrances penned to friends and family; and letters to contemporaries like
Norman Mailer, Gail Godwin, Gunter Grass, and Bernard Malamud.
A moving and revelatory portrait of the famed author. . . . Fans will find the collection as spellbinding
as Vonneguts best novels, and casual readers will discover letters as splendid in their
own way as those of Keats. Publishers Weekly (starred review)
For more books by Kurt Vonnegut, go to: http://tinyurl.com/ohyswh3
THE STORYTELLERS: NARRATIVES IN INTERNATIONAL CONTEMPORARY ART

Edited by Selena Wendt
catalogue inspired by the tradition of Latin American literature and authors such as
Jorge Amado, Jorge Luis Borges, Pablo Neruda, and Gabriel Garca Mrquez. This book
explores the unique storytelling tradition that characterizes Latin American literature and
has influenced many contemporary artists around the world.
Skira TR 978-88-572-1480-1 128 pp. $35.00/$35.00 Can. Exam Copy: $17.50
59
BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR
MY LIFE IN MIDDLEMARCH
by Rebecca Mead
A New York Times Book ReviewEditors Choice
n New Yorker staff writer Rebecca Meads informative

work of biography, reporting, and memoir, she discusses
her personal passion for George Eliots Middlemarch and
shows how repeated readings (begun when she was a child in
an English coastal village) have given her deeper insight into
her life while actively shaping it as well. She also considers
the many lives the novel itself has gone through, explaining
how Eliots ideas of marriage, parenthood, the complexity of
love, the foundations of morality, and the drama of aspiration
and failure have been considered and interpreted, and brings
them into the present day.
My Life in Middlemarch is a poignant testimony to the
abiding power of fiction.
Joyce Carol Oates, The New York Times Book Review
Crown HC 978-0-307-98476-0 304 pp.

$25.00/NCR Exam Copy: $12.50
DO NOT ORDER PAPERBACK BEFORE 1/27/2015
Broadway Books TR 978-0-307-98477-7

256 pp. $15.00/NCR Exam Copy: $3.00
In this deeply satisfying hybrid work of literary criticism,

biography, and memoir, New Yorker staff writer Mead
brings to vivid life the profound engagement that she
and all devoted readers experience with a favorite novel
over a lifetime. . . . Passionate readers, even those new to
Middlemarch, will relish this book.
Publishers Weekly (starred)
Rebecca Mead has written a singular and inventive tale
about her favorite book, and how it has changedand
changed herover many years of reading and re-reading.
Anyone who has ever loved the characters in a novel as
dearly as we love our own families will recognize the passion,
the devotion, the intimacy, and the joy of returning again
and again to a revered classic. Both a memoir and a
biography, both an homage and a homecoming, My Life in
Middlemarch is a perfectly composed offering of literary
love and self-observation. I adored it, and it will forever
live on my bookshelf next to my own precious
paperbacks of George Eliot.
Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love
and The Signature of All Things
REBECCA MEAD is a staff writer for The New Yorker and the author of One Perfect Day: The Selling of the American Wedding. She lives
in Brooklyn.
60
I FIRST READ MIDDLEMARCH, which many critics consider the

greatest novel in the English language, when I was seventeen. The novel tells the
interweaving stories of several residents of a provincial town in the Midlands; but to
describe it this way is a bit like describing Everest as a really tall, ice-covered mountain. In its psychological acuity and generosity of spirit, in the deftness of its humor
and immensity of its intelligence, Middlemarch offers everything we go to books for.
Its awesome, in every sense of the word.
Ive gone back to it every five years or so since, and every time I see something
new. When I was an anxious, aspiring teenager, it seemed to be all about the anxieties and aspirations of youth. In my twenties, stumbling through misbegotten love
affairs, it seemed to be about the meaning of love and marriage. In my thirties, establishing my career as a writer, the novel seemed to offer cautionary insight into how
one might or might not achieve ones ambitions. By the time I was forty, conscious of
the doors of youth closing behind me, the book seemed to offer a melancholy insight
into the resignations of middle age.
So revisiting Middlemarch by writing a book about it was also a way of reckoning with the life I had lived so far: of looking at the choices I had made, the paths I
had taken, and considering the alternative lives I had left unlived. For it, I read the
diaries and letters of George Eliot, the books author, who was born Mary Ann Evans
in 1819; I visited the places she had lived, and I read about the lives of people who
had been close to her. Having started out as the humble daughter of a provincial land
agent, Eliot transformed herself into one of the dominant intellectual forces of her
erafirst as an editor and critic for the most important London periodicals, and
only later as a novelist. One has to spend so many years in learning how to be happy,
she wrote to a friend when she was just twenty-four. She did find happiness: in love
found late, and in a vocation discovered in maturity. I feel very full of thankfulness
for all the creatures I have got to love, all the beautiful and great things that are given
to me to know, and I feel, too, much younger and more hopeful, as if a great deal of
life and work were still before me, Eliot wrote in 1861, when she was forty-one. Her
greatest work was still before her: Middlemarch was ten years in the future.
I hope that I have written a book that can be read by people who havent read
Middlemarchthough I also hope that my book will make those readers want to
discover George Eliots masterpiece for themselves. I wanted to write a book that
would speak to any passionate reader. Often, reading is thought of as escapism: we
talk of getting lost in a book. But a book can also be where one finds oneself; and
as I wrote My Life in Middlemarch I found that the novel spoke to me differently than
it had during any of my earlier readings. Going back to Middlemarch gave me the
chance to look at where I was in my life, and to ask myself how I had got thereand
to think, with a renewed sense of hopefulness, about where I might go next.
Rebecca Mead
61
BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR
LITTLE FAILURE: A MEMOIR
by Gary Shteyngart
A New York Times Notable Book

A Time Magazine Top 10 Nonfiction Book of the Year
Selected for Common Reading at Brooklyn College
Named One of the Best Books of the Year by BookPage,

The Economist, The Guardian (UK), NPR, Publishers Weekly,
The Telegraph (UK), and The Washington Post
fter three novels, Gary Shteyngart turns to memoir

in a candid, witty, deeply poignant account of his life
so far. Shteyngart shares his American immigrant
experience, moving back and forth through time and memory with humor and insight. The result is a resonant story of
family and belonging that feels both epic and intimate, and
distinctly his own.
Provocative, hilarious, and inventive, Little Failure reveals
a deeper vein of emotion in Gary Shteyngarts prose. It is a
memoir of an immigrant family coming to America, as told by
a lifelong misfit who forged from his imagination an essential
literary voice and, against all odds, a place in the world.
Should become a classic of the immigrant narrative genre.
Random House Trade Paperbacks TR
978-0-8129-8249-7 384 pp.
$16.00/$19.00 Can. Exam Copy: $3.00
The Miami Herald

Surely some enterprising scholar is already gnawing
at the question of why two of the brilliant outliers of
American writing were Russian immigrants. One, of
course, was the great Vladimir Nabokov. The other is the
youngish Shteyngart. They both have the qualities
of sly humor, secret griefs.
San Francisco Chronicle
By turns naive and cynical, hyper-intelligent and
comically immature, empathetic on the page and unfeeling
off it, his self-portrait of a Soviet Jew transplanted aged
seven from Leningrad to Eighties America is a
masterpiece of comic deprecation.
The Telegraph (UK)
For more books by Gary Shteyngart, go to: http://tinyurl.com/mqr6opo

GARY SHTEYNGART was born in Leningrad in 1972 and came to the United States seven years later. He is the author of the novels
Super Sad True Love Story, which won the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize and was selected as one of the best books of the year by
more than forty news journals and magazines around the world; Absurdistan, which was chosen as one of the ten best books of the year
by The New York Times Book Review and Time magazine; and The Russian Debutantes Handbook, winner of the Stephen Crane Award for
First Fiction and the National Jewish Book Award for Fiction. His work has appeared in The New Yorker, Travel + Leisure, Esquire, GQ,
The New York Times Magazine, and many other publications and has been translated into twenty-six languages.
62
BOOK EXCERPT
from Little Failure by Gary Shteyngart
1. THE CHURCH AND THE HELICOPTER

A YEAR AFTER graduating college, I worked downtown in the immense shadows of the World Trade Center, and as part of my freewheeling, four-hour daily lunch
break I would eat and drink my way past these two giants, up Broadway, down Fulton
Street and over to the Strand Annex bookstore. In 1996, people still read books and
the city could support an extra branch of the legendary Strand in the financial district,
which is to say that stockbrokers, secretaries, government functionarieseverybody
back then was expected to have some kind of inner life.
In the previous year I had tried being a paralegal for a civil rights law firm but that
did not work out well. The paralegaling involved a lot of detail, way more detail than a
nervous young man with a ponytail, a small substance abuse problem, and a hemp pin
on his cardboard tie could handle. This was as close as I would ever come to fulfilling
my parents dreams of becoming a lawyer. Like most Soviet Jews, like most immigrants from communist nations, my parents were deeply conservative and they never
thought much of the four years I had spent at my liberal alma mater, Oberlin College,
studying Marxist politics and book-writing. On his first visit to Oberlin my father
stood on a giant vagina painted in the middle of the quad by the campus Lesbian, Gay
and Bisexual organization, oblivious to the rising tide of hissing and camp around
him, as he enumerated to me the differences between laser jet and ink jet printers,
specifically the price points of the cartridges. If Im not mistaken, he thought he was
standing on a peach.
I graduated summa cum laude and this improved my profile with Mama and Papa,
but when I spoke to them it was understood that I was still a disappointment. Because
I was often sick and runny-nosed as a child (and as an adult) my father called me
soplyak, or Snotty. My mother was developing an interesting fusion of English and
Russian and, all by herself, had worked out the term failurchka, or Little Failure. That
term made it from her lips into the overblown manuscript of a novel I was typing up in
my spare time, one whose opening chapter was about to be rejected by the important
writing program at the University of Iowa, letting me know that my parents werent
the only ones to think that I was nothing.
Realizing that I was never going to amount to much, my mother, working her
connections as only a Soviet Jewish mama can, got me a job as a staff writer at an
immigrant resettlement agency downtown, which involved maybe thirty minutes of
work per year, mostly proofing brochures teaching newly arrived Russians the wonders of deodorant, the dangers of AIDS, and the subtle satisfaction of not getting
totally drunk at some American party.
Excerpted from Little Failure by Gary Shteyngart. Copyright 2013 by Gary Shteyngart. Excerpted by permission of Random House, a
division of Random House. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from
the publisher.
63
BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR

THE DEATH OF SANTINI

THE STORY OF A FATHER AND HIS SON
by Pat Conroy
hile the publication of The Great Santini brought Conroy much attention, the public
rift it caused with his father generated more attention still. But, as Conroy chronicles
in this intimate memoir, even the oldest of wounds can heal. In the final years of his life,
quite unexpectedly, Santini defended his sons honor.
Despite the inherently bleak nature of so much of this material, Conroy has fashioned a
memoir that is vital, large-hearted and often raucously funny. The result is an act of hard-won
forgiveness, a deeply considered meditation on the impossibly complex nature of families and a
valuable contribution to the literature of fathers and sons. The Washington Post
For more books by Pat Conroy, go to: http://tinyurl.com/o3jsuzw
NOT THAT KIND OF GIRL

A YOUNG WOMAN TELLS YOU WHAT SHES LEARNED
by Lena Dunham
his poignant and frank collection of personal essays confirms Lena Dunham
the acclaimed creator, producer, and star of HBOs Girlsas one of the brightest
and most original writers working today.
A genuine artist, and a disturber of the order. The Atlantic

Random House HC 978-0-8129-9499-5 288 pp. $28.00 /NCR Exam copy $14.00
ROMANTIC OUTLAWS: THE EXTRAORDINARY LIVES OF

MARY WOLLSTONECRAFT AND HER DAUGHTER MARY SHELLEY
by Charlotte Gordon
ary Wollstonecraft and her daughter Mary Shelley have each been the subject of
numerous separate biographies, yet no author has ever examined their lives in tandem.
Perhaps this is because the women never knew each otherWollstonecraft died of infection
a week after giving birth to her daughter. Nevertheless their lives were so closely intertwined,
it seems impossible to consider one without the other: both became famous writers; both
fell in love with brilliant but impossible authors; both were single mothers and had children
out of wedlock (a shocking and self-destructive act in their day); and both played important
roles in the Romantic era during which they lived.
THE FOOTLOOSE AMERICAN

FOLLOWING THE HUNTER S. THOMPSON TRAIL ACROSS SOUTH AMERICA
by Brian Kevin
n 1963, Hunter S. Thompson completed a year-long journey across South America. In

The Footloose American, award-winning travel writer Brian Kevin traverses the continent
with Thompsons ghost as his guide and offers a ground-level exploration of twenty-firstcentury South American culture, politics, and ecology. By contrasting the authors own
transformative experiences with those that Thompson described, The Footloose American is
both a personal journey and a thought-provoking study of culture and place.
64
AMERICAN
BIOGRAPHYLITERATURE
& MEMOIR

VIDAL VS. MAILER

by Norman Mailer, Gore Vidal, and Carole Mallory
Introduction by Dick Cavett
orman Mailer and Gore Vidal engaged in a vicious and public feud that went on for
decades. The feud, from a time when writers really mattered in American public life,
is the stuff of literary legend, and Vidal vs. Mailercollects the exchanges, transcripts, and
interviews that document the historic rivalry.
MORAL AGENTS: EIGHT TWENTIETH-CENTURY AMERICAN WRITERS

by Edward Mendelson
ne of contemporary Americas leading critics and scholars offers a provocative reassessment of the lives and work of eight influential twentieth-century American writers:
Lionel Trilling, Dwight Macdonald, W.H. Auden, William Maxwell, Saul Bellow, Alfred Kazin,
Norman Mailer, and Frank OHara. Drawing on newly published letters and diaries, Edward
Mendelson explores the responses of these writers, very public figures all, to major historical
eventsamong them the rise and fall of fascism, the Cold War, the struggles for civil rights
and against the Vietnam War, and the sexual revolutionand shows how intensely personal
concerns, relating to childhood, religion, status, sex, and money, largely shaped their views.
DO NOT ORDER BEFORE 2/24/2015.
New York Review Books HC 978-1-59017-776-1 144 pp. $20.00/$24.00 Can. Exam Copy: $10.00
For more books by Edward Mendelson, go to: http://tinyurl.com/pu3wjfu
THE BLACK COUNT

GLORY, REVOLUTION, BETRAYAL, AND THE REAL COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO
by Tom Reiss
eneral Alex Dumas, is a man almost unknown today, yethis story is strikingly familiar
because his son, the novelist Alexandre Dumas, used it to create some of the best loved
heroes of literature in such classics as The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers.
The Black Count is a dazzling achievement. I learned something new virtually on every
page. No one who reads this magnificent biography will be able to read The Count
of Monte Cristo or any history of slavery in the New World in the same way again.
Henry Louis Gates Jr., Director of The W.E.B. Du Bois Institute, Harvard University
Broadway: TR 978-0-307-38247-4 432 pp. $16.00/$18.00 Can. Exam Copy: $3.00
For more books by Tom Reiss, go to: http://tinyurl.com/py7cuno
JOSEPH ANTON: A MEMOIR

by Salman Rushdie
ushdie was sentenced to death by the Ayatollah Khomeini for writing The Satanic
Verses, which was accused of being against Islam, the Prophet, and the Quran. Moving
from house to house, with an armed police protection team, he was asked to choose an alias
that the police could use to refer to him. He thought of writers he loved and combinations of
their names, and then it came to him: Conrad and ChekhovJoseph Anton. In this memoir,
Rushdie tells the story of how he regained his freedom.
A harrowing, deeply felt and revealing document: an autobiographical mirror of the big,
philosophical preoccupations that have animated Mr. Rushdies work throughout his career.
Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times
For more books by Salman Rushdie, go to: http://tinyurl.com/qdjaj2y
65
BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR / SHORT STORIES

WHAT POETS ARE LIKE: UP AND DOWN WITH THE WRITING LIFE
by Gary Soto
ary Soto is a widely published author of childrens and young adult fiction, and he is an
acclaimed poetoften referred to as one of the nations first Chicano poets. In some
60 short episodes, this book captures moments of a writers inner and public life: close
moments with friends and strangers; occasional reminders of a poets generally low place in
the cultural hierarchy; time spent with cats; and the curious work of writing.
Funny, heartfelt, instructive and erudite while remaining, in a storytellers way, wryly
entertaining. Oscar Hijuelos, author of The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love
Sasquatch Books HC 978-1-57061-874-1 208 pp. $15.00/$18.00 Can. Exam Copy: $7.50
For more books by Gary Soto, go to: http://tinyurl.com/oowbf79
SON OF A GUN: A MEMOIR

by Justin St. Germain
ven after Debbie St. Germains murder is solved, closure is missing for her son Justin.
Distancing himself from the legendary ghost town of his childhood, Justin makes
another life a world away in San Francisco. Ultimately, he is pulled back to the desert
landscape of his childhood, where he confronts people from his past and delves into the
police records in an attempt to make sense of his mothers legacy. All the while, he struggles
to be the kind of man she always wanted him to be.
From an incident of heartbreaking violence, Justin St. Germain has created a clear-eyed
and deeply moving meditation on family, geography, and memory, and how difficult it is
to find our place in any of them.Kevin Powers, author of The Yellow Birds
SHORT STORIES

THE COMPLETE STORIES

by Truman Capote
his is the first volume to assemble all of Capotes short fiction. From the Gothic
South to the chic East Coast, from rural children to aging urban sophisticates, all the
unforgettable places and people of Capotes oeuvre are captured in this compendium.
The Complete Stories of Truman Capote restores its author to a place not only above mere
celebrity, but at the highest levels of American letters.
To best experience Capote the stylist, one must go back to his short fiction. . . . One
experiences as strongly as ever his gift for concrete abstraction and his spectacular observancy.
The New Yorker
For more books by Truman Capote, go to: http://tinyurl.com/qbasof8
STAY AWAKE: STORIES

by Dan Chaon
ational Book Award winner Dan Chaon returns to short stories with suspenseful tales
of characters who wander between ordinary life and a psychological shadowland. They
have experienced intense love or loss, grief or loneliness, displacement or disconnection
and find themselves in unexpected, dire, and sometimes unfathomable situations.
Superbly disquieting. The New York Times Book Review

Ballantine Books TR 978-0-345-53038-7 304 pp. $15.00/$18.00 Can. Exam Copy: $3.00
For more books by Dan Chaon, go to: http://tinyurl.com/k7br87a
66
AMERICAN
SHORT
LITERATURE
STORIES

THE ROY STORIES

by Barry Gifford
ifford brings his signature style to a collection of tales following the character of Roy,
who has made appearances in a number of Giffords previous story collections. Roy
lives a mystical kind of life, skinning crocodiles in Southern Florida at age nine in the 1940s
and playing in the back alleys of Chicago in the 1950s.
Gifford, a master of the short story and nasty vignette, can sum up in a few words the cruelty,
horror, and crushing banality that shape an entire life. The New York Times Book Review
For more books by Barry Gifford, go to: http://tinyurl.com/mmslj73
THIS IS PARADISE: STORIES

by Kristiana Kahakauwila
n her debut collection, Kahakauwila travels the islands of Hawaii, exploring the deep
tensions between local and tourist, tradition and expectation, faade and authentic self.
This Is Paradise provides a portrait of life as its truly being lived on Maui, Oahu, Kauai, and
the Big Island.
Vividly imagined, beautifully written, at times almost unbearably suspensefulthe stories in

Kristiana Kahakauwilas debut collection, This Is Paradise, are boldly inventive in their exploration
of the tenuous nature of human relations. These are poignant stories of paradiseHawaiiwith
all that paradise entails of the transience of sensuous beauty. Joyce Carol Oates
THE COLLECTED SHORT STORIES OF LOUIS LAMOUR,

VOLUME 1: FRONTIER STORIES
by Louis LAmour
hile all of Louis LAmours 89 novels are still in print, testifying to his recognition
as an important novelist, a lesser-known fact is that LAmour is also one of the
all-time bestselling authors of short fiction. Compared by The Wall Street Journal to
Jack London and Robert Louis Stevenson, LAmours Collected Short Stories are now
presented for the first time in paperback, featuring 35 action-packed Frontier Stories. It
kicks off a series of 9 paperbacks, including a 2-part volume of adventure stories and a
2-part volume of crime stories.
Bantam TR 978-0-553-39226-5 544 pp. $6.99/$7.99 Can. Exam Copy: $3.00
For more books by Louis LAmour, go to: http://tinyurl.com/k6hap57
GET IN TROUBLE: STORIES

by Kelly Link
his is the celebrated short story writers first new collection in nearly a decade. Hailed
by Michael Chabon as the most darkly playful voice in American fiction and by Neil
Gaiman as a national treasure, Link has won a following for her ability, with each new short
story, to take readers deeply into a fictional universe. But as fantastical as her stories can
be, they are always grounded by humor and a generosity of feeling for the frailtyand the
hidden strengthsof human beings. The 8 examples in this collection are no exception.
Richly imagined, intellectually teasing: these are not so much small fictions as windows
on to entire worlds. A brilliant, giddying read. Sarah Waters
67
SHORT STORIES

MAGIC FOR BEGINNERS: STORIES

by Kelly Link
Illustrated by Shelley Jackson
amed Best of the Decade by Salon, The Village Voice, and The Onion, Links original
stories riff on haunted convenience stores, husbands and wives, rabbits, zombies,
weekly apocalyptic poker parties, witches, and cannons.
Links stories . . . play in a place few writers go, a netherworld between literature
and fantasy, Alice Munro and J. K. Rowling, and Link finds truths there
that most authors wouldnt dare touch. Lev Grossman, Time
THUNDERSTRUCK & OTHER STORIES

by Elizabeth McCracken
t the center of the National Book Award finalists stories, one often finds a jagged space
left by loss: a neighborhood is haunted by a childs ghost; library staff grapple with the
mystery of a patrons death; a corner-store manager obsesses over a missing woman; a son
absconds forever with his parents savings. But McCrackens prose also captures all that is
exquisite, strange, and heartbreaking about our world in a way that has won her rare acclaim.
Marvelously quirky, ironic, but, most of all, poignant. . . . McCracken paints [her characters]
with such rich detail that it feels as if we must know them. Booklist
The Dial Press Trade Paperback HC 978-0-385-33577-5 240 pp. $26.00/$31.00 Can. Exam Copy: $13.00
For more books by Elizabeth McCracken, go to: http://tinyurl.com/mezbypv
MUNDO CRUEL: STORIES

by Luis Negrn Translated by Suzanne Jill Levine
uis Negrns debut collection reveals the intimate world of a small community in Puerto
Rico joined together by its transgressive sexuality. The writing straddles the shifting
line between storytelling and satire, exploring the sometimes hilarious and sometimes
heartbreaking nature of survival in a decidedly cruel world.
Slender but never slight, and often extremely funny, the nine stories in this debut collection
offer insight into both gay life in Puerto Rico and the human condition in general . . . the reader
should be left both completely satisfied and wanting more. Publishers Weekly
THE IRON BRIDGE: SHORT STORIES OF 20TH CENTURY DICTATORS AS TEENAGERS

by Anton Piatigorsky
iatigorsky breathes fictionalized life into the adolescents who would grow up to become
brutal dictators. We discover a teenaged Mao Tse-Tung refusing an arranged marriage;
Idi Amin cooking for the British Army; Stalin living in a seminary; and a melodramatic
young Adolf Hitler dreaming of vast architectural achievements. Piatigorsky explores
moments that are vague incidents in the biographies of these men and others, expanding
mere footnotes into entire realities.
I am bedazzled by the creative imagination of the author whose compelling portraits

convincingly and vividly fill in the relative void in the backgrounds of these authors of dark
chapters in 20th century history.Jerrold Post, Director of the Political Psychology Program,
George Washington University, author of Leaders and Their Followers in a Dangerous World
Steerforth TR 978-1-58642-218-9 272 pp. $15.00/NCR Exam Copy: $3.00
68
AMERICAN
SHORT
LITERATURE
STORIES

THE KISSING LIST: STORIES

by Stephanie Reents
ylvie moves to New York to begin a life full of possibility, but each exciting life she
envisions is inevitably shadowed with potential disappointment: the stultifying temp
job, the disastrous first date, the surprising and heartbreaking loss of friends, lovers, and
roommates. In a modern world that is increasingly unforgiving, Sylvie and the friends she
meets test how far they will go to carve out unique and brilliant adult lives for themselves in
this fresh and smart debut story collection.
These stories are often funny, but theres a satisfying dark edge. . . . Reents weaves the books
stories together with humor, grief, and slender prose. The New York Times Book Review
TENTH OF DECEMBER: STORIES

by George Saunders
Selected for Common Reading at Colgate University National Book Award Finalist
Named One of the Ten Best Books of the Year by The New York Times Book Review
Named One of The Best Books of The Year by The New York Times Magazine; NPR; and
Kirkus Reviews Winner of the Folio Prize
finalist for the National Book Award, Tenth of December is the bestselling and critically
acclaimed story collection from MacArthur Genius Grant recipient George
Saunders. Saunders cuts to the core of the contemporary experience, taking on the big
questions and exploring the fault lines of our morality, delving into the questions of what
makes us good and what makes us human. Includes an extended conversation with David Sedaris.
For more books by George Saunders, go to: http://tinyurl.com/mo8k5cv
BRIEF ENCOUNTERS WITH THE ENEMY: FICTION

by Sad Sayrafiezadeh
Finalist for the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize
n his first short story collection, Whiting Writers Award winner Sayrafiezadeh conjures
up a nameless American city and its unmoored denizens: a call-center employee jealous of
the attention lavished on a co-worker newly returned from a foreign war; a history teacher
dealing with a classroom of maliciously indifferent students; a grocery store janitor caught
up in a romantic relationship with a kleptomaniac customer.
An arresting fiction debut . . . With insightful humor and a keen eye for offbeat details,
Sayrafiezadeh, entertaining and political without being heavy-handed, is a force to be reckoned with. Booklist
Dial Press Trade Paperback HC 978-0-8129-9358-5 240 pp. $25.00/$28.00 Can. Exam Copy: $12.50
For more books by Sad Sayrafiezadeh, go to: http://tinyurl.com/p2rxnkp
YOULL ENJOY IT WHEN YOU GET THERE
THE SELECTED STORIES OF ELIZABETH TAYLOR
by Elizabeth Taylor Stories Selected and with an Introduction by Margaret Drabble
riting about topics like the undercurrents beneath the apparent calm of respectable
family life, human loneliness, and dislocation, Taylor's stories of alienation and
impossible desire take place not in distant climes but right at home.
There is a deceptive smoothness in her tone, or tone of voice, as in that of

Evelyn Waugh; not a far-fetched comparison, for in the work of both writers the
funny and the appalling lie side by side in close amity. Kingsley Amis
NYRB Classics TR 978-1-59017-727-3 400 pp. $16.95/NCR Exam Copy: $3.00
For more books by Elizabeth Taylor, go to: http://tinyurl.com/mlwjbhw
69
LITERARY CRITICISM
DISTANT READING
by Franco Moretti
Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award
ow does a literary historian end up thinking in

terms of z-scores, principal component analysis,
and clustering coefficients? The essays in Distant
Reading led to a new and often contested paradigm of literary analysis. In presenting them here, Franco Moretti reconstructs his intellectual trajectory, considers the theoretical
influences on his work, and explores the polemics that have
often developed around his positions.
From the evolutionary model of Modern European Literature, through the geo-cultural insights of Conjectures of
World Literature and Planet Hollywood, to the quantitative findings of Style, Inc. and the abstract patterns of Network Theory, Plot Analysis, the book follows two decades of
conceptual development, organizing them around the metaphor of distant reading, that has come to definewell beyond the wildest expectations of its authora growing field
of unorthodox literary studies.
Verso TR 978-1-78168-084-1 224 pp.

$29.95/$34.95 Can. Exam Copy: $15.00
Its a rare literary critic who attracts so much public

attention, and theres a good reason: few are as hell bent on
rethinking the way we talk about literature.
Times Literary Supplement
Also by Franco Moretti:
THE BOURGEOIS: BETWEEN HISTORY AND LITERATURE
rom the working master of the opening chapter, through the

seriousness of nineteenth-century novels, the conservative
hegemony of Victorian Britain, the national malformations of
the Southern and Eastern periphery, and the radical self-critique
of Ibsens twelve-play cycle, the book charts the vicissitudes of
bourgeois culture, exploring the causes for its historical weakness,
and for its current irrelevance.
The great iconoclast of literary criticism.

John Sutherland, The Guardian
Verso TR 978-1-78168-304-0 224pp. $19.95/$23.95 Can.
Exam Copy: $3.00
For more books by Franco Moretti, go to: http://tinyurl.com/mxv69bb
FRANCO MORETTI teaches literature at Stanford, where he is the director of the Literary Lab. He is the author of Signs Taken for
Wonders, The Way of the World and Modern Epic, Atlas of the European Novel 18001900, and Graphs, Maps, and Trees, as well as chief
editor of The Novel.
70
BOOK EXCERPT
from Distant Reading by Franco Moretti
DISTANT READING
WRITING about comparative social history, Marc Bloch once coined a lovely
slogan, as he himself called it: years of analysis for a day of synthesis; and if you read
Braudel or Wallerstein you immediately see what Bloch had in mind. The text which
is strictly Wallersteins, his day of synthesis, occupies one-third of a page, one-quarter, maybe half; the rest are quotations (1,400, in the first volume of The Modern
World-System). Years of analysis; other peoples analysis, which Wallersteins page
synthesizes into a system.
Now, if we take this model seriously, the study of world literature will somehow
have to reproduce this pagewhich is to say: this relationship between analysis and
synthesisfor the literary field. But in that case, literary history will quickly become
very different from what it is now: it will become second hand: a patchwork of other
peoples research, without a single direct textual reading. Still ambitious, and actually
even more so than before (world literature!); but the ambition is now directly proportional to the distance from the text: the more ambitious the project, the greater
must the distance be.
The United States is the country of close reading, so I dont expect this idea
to be particularly popular. But the trouble with close reading (in all of its incarnations, from the new criticism to deconstruction) is that it necessarily depends on an
extremely small canon. This may have become an unconscious and invisible premise
by now, but it is an iron one nonetheless: you invest so much in individual texts only
if you think that very few of them really matter. Otherwise, it doesnt make sense.
And if you want to look beyond the canon (and of course, world literature will do so:
it would be absurd if it didnt!), close reading will not do it. Its not designed to do it,
its designed to do the opposite. At bottom, its a theological exercisevery solemn
treatment of very few texts taken very seriouslywhereas what we really need is a
little pact with the devil: we know how to read texts, now lets learn how not to read
them.
Distant reading: where distance, let me repeat it, is a condition of knowledge:
it allows you to focus on units that are much smaller or much larger than the text:
devices, themes, tropesor genres and systems. And if, between the very small and
the very large, the text itself disappears, well, it is one of those cases when one can
justifiably say, less is more. If we want to understand the system in its entirety, we
must accept losing something. We always pay a price for theoretical knowledge: reality is infinitely rich; concepts are abstract, are poor. But its precisely this poverty
that makes it possible to handle them, and therefore to know. This is why less is
actually more.
Excerpted from Distant Reading by Franco Moretti. Copyright 2013 by Franco Moretti. Excerpted by permission of Verso Books. All rights
reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
71
POETRY
JIMMYS BLUES AND OTHER POEMS
by James Baldwin
Introduction by Nikky Finney
Beacon Press TR 978-0-8070-8486-1

120 pp. $16.00/$18.00 Can.
Exam Copy: $3.00
Also by James Baldwin:
THE LAST INTERVIEW

CONTRIBUTION BY
QUINCY TROUPE
Melville House TR
978-1-61219-400-4
192 pp. $15.95/$15.95 Can.
Exam Copy: $3.00
uring his lifetime, James Baldwin authored seven

novels, as well as several plays and essay collections,
many of which were published to widespread praise.
Baldwins novels and essays brought him respect as a public
intellectual and admiration as a writer. However, Baldwins
earliest writing was in poetic form, and some argue that even
Baldwin considered himself a poet first and foremost. One
can see this inclination in the poetic rhythms of his prose.
Nonetheless, his single book of poetry, Jimmys Blues, published only a few short years before his death in 1987, never
attracted as much attention as his novels and nonfiction did
and has been unavailable for many years.
This new collection celebrates Baldwin the poet. Including the 19 poems from Jimmys Blues, the collection also features his poems from a limited-edition art book called Gypsy,
of which only 325 copies were ever printed.Known for his
relentless honesty and startlingly prophetic insights on issues
of race, class, poverty, and sexual orientation, Baldwin is just
as enlightening and bold in his poetry as in his famous novels
and essays.
I am completely indebted to Jimmy Baldwins
prose. It liberated me as a writer. These poems
overwhelm without competing with his prose
and I am grateful to have this collection.
Toni Morrison
James Baldwin was born for truth. It called upon
him to tell it on the mountains, to preach it in
Harlem, to sing it on the Left Bank in Paris. His
honesty and courage would lead him to see truth
and to write truth in poetry, drama, fiction, and
essay. He was a giant.
Maya Angelou
For more books by James Baldwin, go to: http://tinyurl.com/kdw7v2h
72
BOOK EXCERPT
from the Introduction by Nikky Finney to Jimmys Blues and Other Poems by James Baldwin
PLAYING BY EAR, PRAYING FOR RAIN: THE POETRY OF JAMES BALDWIN
BALDWIN was never afraid to say it. He made me less afraid to say it too.
The air of the Republic was already rich with him when I got here. James Arthur Baldwin, the
most salient, sublime, and consequential American writer of the twentieth century, was in the midst of
publishing his resolute and prophetic essays and novels: Go Tell It on the Mountain (1953), The Amen
Corner (1954), Notes of a Native Son (1955), and Giovannis Room (1956). I arrived on planet earth in
the middle of his personal and relentless assault on white supremacy and his brilliant, succinct understanding of world and American history. In every direction I turned, my ears filled a little more with
what he always had to say. His words, his spirit, mattered to me. Black, gay, bejeweled, eyes like orbs
searching, dancing, calling a spade a spade, in magazines and on the black-and-white TV of my youth.
Baldwin, deep in thought and pulling drags from his companion cigarettes, looking his and our danger in the face and never backing down. My worldview was set in motion by this big, bold heart who
understood that he had to leave his America in order to be. Baldwin was dangerous to everybody who
had anything to hide. Baldwin was also the priceless inheritance to anybody looking for manumission
from who they didnt want or have to be. Gracious and tender, a man who had no idea or concept of his
place, who nurtured conversation with Black Panthers and the white literati all in the same afternoon.
So powerful and controversial was his name that one minute it was there on the speakers list for the
great August 28, 1963, March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, and then, poof, it was off. The
country might have been ready to march for things they believed all Gods children should have in this
life, but there were people, richly mis-educated by the Republic, who were not ready for James Baldwin
to bring truth in those searing ways he always brought truth to the multitudes.
The eldest of nine, a beloved son of Harlem, his irreverent pride and trust in his own mind, his
soul (privately and sometimes publicly warring), all of who he was and believed himself to be, was
exposed in his first person, unlimited voice, not for sale, but vulnerable to the Republic. Baldwins
proud sexuality, and his unwillingness to censor his understanding that sex was a foundational part
of this life even in the puritanical Republic and therefore should be written, unclothed, not whispered about, not roped off in some back room, informed all of his work, but especially his poetry.
Uninviting Baldwin was often the excuse for the whitewashing of his urgent and necessary brilliance
from both the conservative Black community and from whites who had never heard such a dark
genius display such rich and sensory antagonism for them. Into the microphone of the world Baldwin
leanednever afraid to say it.
Only once did I see James Baldwin live and in warm, brilliant person; it was 1984, a packed
house at the University of California at Berkeley. I was thirty-seven, he was sixty, and we would never
meet. None of us there that night, standing shoulder to shoulder, pushed to the edge of our seats,
knew that this was our last embrace with him, that we would only have him walking among us for
three more years. I remember the timbre of his voice. Steadfast. Smoky. Serene. His words fell on us
like a good rain. A replenishing we badly needed. All of us standing, sitting, spread out before this
wise, sharp-witted, all-seeing man.
Excerpted from Jimmys Blues and Other Poems by James Baldwin. Copyright 2014 by James Baldwin. Excerpted by permission of Beacon
Press, a division of Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission
in writing from the publisher.
73
POETRY
FOR ALL OF US, ONE TODAY: AN INAUGURAL POETS JOURNEY

by Richard Blanco
or All of Us, One Today is a poetic story anchored by Blancos experiences as the inaugural
poet in 2013 and beyond. He shares his journey as a Latino immigrant and openly
gay man discovering a new, emotional understanding of what it means to be an American.
He tells the story of the call from the White House committee and reveals the inspiration
and challenges behind the creation of the inaugural poem, as well as two other poems
commissioned for the occasion. All three are published here for the first time ever, alongside
translations of all three of those poems into his native Spanish.
Beacon Press TR 978-0-8070-3380-7 120 pp. $15.00/$17.00 Can. Exam Copy: $3.00
AIMLESS LOVE: NEW AND SELECTED POEMS

by Billy Collins
imless Love is the first volume of new and selected poetry in twelve years from the twotime Poet Laureate. Containing more than 50 new poems and a generous gathering
from his collections of the past decade, the book showcases the best from a writer the Wall
Street Journal calls Americas favorite poet.
Collins, the maestro of the running-brook line and the clever pivot, celebrates the
resonance and absurdity of what might be called the poets attention-surfeit disorder. . . .
But Collinss droll wit is often a diversionary tactic, so that when he strikes you with
the hard edge of his darker visions, you reel. Booklist
Random House TR 978-0-8129-8267-1 288 pp. $16.00/$19.00 Can. Exam Copy: $3.00
For more books by Billy Collins, go to: http://tinyurl.com/llwuntu
SEVEN AMERICAN DEATHS AND DISASTERS

by Kenneth Goldsmith
oldsmith transcribes historic radio and television reports of national tragedies as they
unfurl, assembling word collages that reveal an extraordinarily rich linguistic panorama
of passionate description. Taking its title from the series of Andy Warhol paintings by the
same name, Goldsmith recasts the mundane as the iconic, creating a series of prose poems
that encapsulate seven pivotal moments in recent American history: the John F. Kennedy,
Robert F. Kennedy, and John Lennon assassinations, the space shuttle Challenger disaster,
the Columbine shootings, 9/11, and the death of Michael Jackson.
. . . its like nothing hes done. It knocks the air from your lungs. The New York Times
powerHouse Books TR 978-1-57687-636-7 176 pp. $19.95/$23.95 Can. Exam Copy: $3.00
LOVE SONNETS AND ELEGIES

by Louise Lab
Translated with an Afterword by Richard Sieburth Preface by Karin Lessing
ab, one of the most original poets of the French Renaissance, published her complete
Works around the age of 30 and then disappeared from history. Rediscovered in the
nineteenth century, her incandescent love sonnets were later translated into German by
Rilke, and appear here in a new English version by award-winning translator Richard
Sieburth.
Lab knew well the love poetry of Sappho, Propertius, Ovid, and Petrarch, but she herself
joined the ranks of these great Western tossers and turners by breaking with convention. Across five centuries,
thanks to Richard Sieburths beautiful translations, her urgent voice, her embodied images, and her rapid, somehow
breathless, lines come to us as if they were spoken yesterday. Susan Stewart
NYRB Poets TR 978-1-59017-731-0 144 pp. $12.95/$15.95 Can. Exam Copy: $3.00
74
AMERICAN LITERATURE
POETRY
PARADISE REGAINED, SAMSON AGONISTES, AND THE

COMPLETE SHORTER POEMS
by John Milton
Edited by William Kerrigan, John Rumrich, and Stephen M. Fallon
erived from the Modern Librarys The Complete Poetry and Essential Prose of John Milton,
this new volume, extensively revised and updated by its editors, contains Miltons two
late masterpieces, the brief epic Paradise Regained and the tragic drama Samson Agonistes. The
volume also contains Miltons complete shorter poems and the authors 24 influential sonnets.
For more books by John Milton, go to: http://tinyurl.com/n2k23v9
JACKLEG OPERA: COLLECTED POEMS, 1990 TO 2013

by BJ Ward
ard has brought together in one volume the fruits of his labor spanning over 20 years.
Winner of the 2014 Paterson Award for Literary Excellence, this rich collection of
thoughtful and often ironic reflections reveals both the reverence and irreverence of human
experience. Jackleg Opera contains material from Wards three previous books, as well as 35
new poems that are reminiscent of the clear simple style of Poet Laureate Billy Collins.
Ward blends poignancy and humor with downright good story telling, and takes his place
among the bright up-and-coming voices of his generation. Stephen Dunn, poet and
author of Different Hours, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
North Atlantic Books TR 978-1-58394-677-0 272 pp. $22.95/$25.95 Can. Exam Copy: $11.50
LINES IN LONG ARRAY: A CIVIL WAR COMMEMORATION: POEMS AND

PHOTOGRAPHS, PAST AND PRESENT
Edited by David C. Ward and Frank H. Goodyear III
ines in Long Array demonstrates the enduring impact of the Civil War on American
culture by presenting poems and photographs from the past and present, including
twelve new poems by contemporary poets created especially for this volume and includes
expert commentary to guide readers through historical contexts and verbal details, as well as
the larger political and philosophical implications. Includes previously unpublished poetry
by Jorie Graham, John Koethe, Yusef Komunyakaa, and Tracy K. Smith, among others. Also
includes historic poems by Emily Dickinson, Herman Melville, Walt Whitman, and more.
Smithsonian Books TR 978-1-58834-397-0 136 pp. $19.95/$22.95 Can. Exam Copy: $3.00
DIARIES OF EXILE
by Yannis Ritsos
Translated by Edmund Keeley and Karen Emmerich
Winner of a 2014 PEN Literary Award for Best Poetry in Translation
annis Ritsos is a poet whose writing life is entwined with the contemporary
history of his homeland. This volume presents a series of three diaries in poetry
that Ritsos wrote between 1948 and 1950, during and just after the Greek Civil War,
while a political prisoner first on the island of Limnos and then at the infamous camp
on Makronisos.
Archipelago TR 978-1-935744-58-0 120pp. $15.00/$15.00 Can. Exam Copy: $3.00
75
REFERENCE & LANGUAGE

DANCING ON THE HEAD OF A PEN: THE PRACTICE OF A WRITING LIFE
by Robert Benson
igging deeply into his own writing habits, failures, and successes, Benson helps readers
choose the ideal audience for their work, commit to it, and overcome the hurdles that
inevitably confront both aspiring artists and accomplished professionals. The book also
includes a discussion on the relationship between spirituality and art. Including wisdom
from revered writers past and present, Dancing on the Head of a Pen is a mosaic of inspiration,
practical help, and a glimpse into the disciplines that shape one writers life.
A gem. It is wise, witty, and inspiringa trifecta seldom achieved by a book on the writing life.
James Scott Bell, author of Plot & Structure
WaterBook Press HC 978-1-4000-7435-8 192 pp. $14.99/$17.99 Can. Exam Copy: $7.50
For more books by Robert Benson, go to: http://tinyurl.com/mfoq49m
THE BEST PUNCTUATION BOOK, PERIOD.
JUNE CASAGRANDE
A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE FOR EVERY WRITER,

EDITOR, STUDENT, AND BUSINESSPERSON
by June Casagrande
his all-in-one reference from grammar columnist June Casagrande covers the basic
rules of punctuation for all styles plus the finer points not addressed anywhere else,
offering clear answers to perplexing questions about semicolons, quotation marks, periods,
apostrophes, and more. Its also the only guide that uses icons to show how punctuation
rules differ for book, news, academic, and science style.
Invaluable reference work for professional proofreaders, editors, and writers because it is the only book that presents
Chicago, AP, APA, and MLA conventions side by side. Amy Einsohn, author of The Copyeditors Handbook
Ten Speed Press TR 978-1-60774-493-1 256 pp. $14.00/$17.00 Can. Exam Copy: $3.00
IT WAS THE BEST OF SENTENCES, IT WAS THE WORST OF SENTENCES
A WRITERS GUIDE TO CRAFTING KILLER SENTENCES
by June Casagrande
his guide goes beyond punctuation or grammatical correctness to focus on constructing

effective, reader-serving sentences. Only by paying attention to writings unit of
meaningthe sentencewill writers be able to create memorable prose.
Ten Speed Press TR 978-1-58008-740-7 224 pp. $14.00/$17.00 Can. Exam Copy: $3.00
SIN AND SYNTAX: HOW TO CRAFT WICKED GOOD PROSE

by Constance Hale
ully revised and updated with challenges and writing prompts in every chapter, Sin
and Syntax covers grammars ground rules while revealing countless unconventional
syntax secrets that both makes for good writing and improves readers command of the
English language.
Hale has put together a writing/grammar manual that is fresh and fun. The basic rules
are here, and they are well explained. . . . Easy to understand and appealing to a
broad range of readers, this book is highly recommended. Library Journal
Three Rivers Press TR 978-0-385-34689-4 320 pp. $15.00/$17.00 Can. Exam Copy: $3.00
76
REFERENCE
AMERICAN&LITERATURE
LANGUAGE

THANK YOU FOR ARGUING: WHAT ARISTOTLE, LINCOLN, AND HOMER SIMPSON
CAN TEACH US ABOUT THE ART OF PERSUASION

by Jay Heinrichs
Revised and Updated Edition
hank You for Arguing is a master class in the art of persuasion, taught by professors
ranging from Bart Simpson to Winston Churchill. The time-tested secrets this book
discloses include Ciceros three-step strategy for moving an audience to action as well as
Honest Abes shameless trick of lowering an audiences expectations by pretending to be
unpolished. But its also replete with contemporary techniques such as politicians use of
code language to appeal to specific groups and an assortment of popular-culture dodges.
This expanded and revised edition includes new chapters on leadership, Obamas oratorical
mastery, the pitfalls of apologiesand an Argument Lab section to put your new skills to the test.
For more books by Jay Heinrichs, go to: http://tinyurl.com/mady7kh
GOOD PROSE: THE ART OF NONFICTION

by Tracy Kidder and Richard Todd
idder and Todd pull back the curtain on some great books and great writing, revealing
principles and mechanics that form the bedrock of good prose. Character, narration,
action, voice, and so much more are interwoven with stories from their own careers.
A gem . . . The finer points of creative nonfiction are molded into an inspiring read
that will affect the would-be writer as much as Anne Lamotts Bird by Bird or Stephen
Kings On Writing. . . . This is a must read for nonfiction writers.
Library Journal
For more books by Tracy Kidder, go to: http://tinyurl.com/kfsloc2
THE ELEMENTS OF JOURNALISM, Revised and Updated 3rd Edition

WHAT NEWSPEOPLE SHOULD KNOW AND THE PUBLIC SHOULD EXPECT
by Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel
evised and fully updated to tackle the challenges journalists face in the world of digital
media, this third edition contains new material covering the rise of social media,
sponsored content, and much more, making it an essential read for journalists, students, and
anyone hoping to stay informed in the digital age.
Of the many books that have been written about reporting the news, this one best
captures the shortcomings, subtleties, and possibilities of modern journalism. It deserves to
become as indispensable to journalists and journalism students as The Elements of Style.
Tom Goldstein, Dean, Graduate School of Journalism, Columbia University
YOUR LIFE IS A BOOK: HOW TO CRAFT & PUBLISH YOUR MEMOIR

by Brenda Peterson and Sarah Jane Freymann
n Your Life is a Book, Brenda Peterson, a memoirist, and Sarah Jane Freymann, a literary
agent, help writers shape their experiences into cohesive and compelling stories to prepare
for publication or to share with others. With helpful tips on developing a story arc, point
of view, dialogue, and advice on the publishing process, the authors help students move
through the process of self-exploration and personal awareness, using the writing exercises
and prompts that have worked for them.
Unusually affecting and radiant . . . a witty, enrapturing account of a spiritual journey
of great relevance to us all. Donna Seaman, Booklist (starred review)
Sasquatch Books TR 978-1-57061-930-4 272pp. $18.95/$18.95 Can. Exam Copy: $3.00
77
INDEX
Adler, H.G. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Against the Country . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Against World Literature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Age of Miracles, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Agee, James . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Agostino . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Aimless Love . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
All Days Are Night . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
All Quiet on the Western Front . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay . . 11
Amis, Kingsley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Ancients and the Postmoderns, The . . . . . . . 56
And Sons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Andalucian Friend, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Andrews Brain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Antinomies Of Realism, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Apter, Emily . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Arrows of Rain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38, 47
Augustus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Aw, Tash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Baldwin, James . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Balestrini, Nanni . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Beckett, Chris . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Beecroft, Alexander . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Bell, Matt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Benson, Robert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Best Punctuation Book, Period, The . . . . . . . 76
Bingos Run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Black Count, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Black Moon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Blanco, Richard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Blas De Robles, Jean-Marie . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Blood and Beauty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Boianjiu, Shani . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Bomb Magazine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Bomb: The Author Interviews . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Bond, Cynthia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Bone Clocks, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Book of Legendary Lands, The . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Bourgeois, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Boyne, John . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Breakfast at Tiffanys & Other Voices,
Other Rooms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Brief Encounters with the Enemy . . . . . . . . . 69
Brooks, Max . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Brotherly Love . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Brunt, Carol Rifka . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Burgess Boys, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Calhoun, Kenneth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Capote, Truman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10, 56, 66
Carpentier, Alejo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Cartwheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Casagrande, June . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Chabon, Michael . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Chaon, Dan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
China Dolls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
City of God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Clara . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Clement, Jennifer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Cline, Ernest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Cold Song, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Cole, Teju . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Collected Short Stories of Louis LAmour,
The Volume 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Collins, Billy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
78
Complete Stories, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Congratulations, by the way . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Conn, Andrew Lewis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Conroy, Pat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Constellation of Vital Phenomena, A . . . . . . . 8
Cotton Tenants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Gods Pocket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Going After Cacciato . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Goldsmith, Kenneth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Good Prose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Gordon, Charlotte . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Gray Notebook, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Dancing on the Head of a Pen . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Hale, Constance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Dark Eden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Dead Do Not Improve, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Death of Santini, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Dee, Jonathan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Demson, Michael . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Devil in Silver, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Dexter, Pete . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11, 12
Diamond as Big as the Ritz, The . . . . . . . . . 14
Diaries of Exile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Diary of the Fall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Dinner, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Distant Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Doctorow, E.L. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Dominczyk, Dagmara . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Dubois, Jennifer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Dunant, Sarah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Dunham, Lena . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Eco, Umberto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Ecology of World Literature, An . . . . . . . . . . 55

Elders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Elements of Journalism, The Revised and
Updated 3rd Edition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Ellis, M. Henderson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Enon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Eskens, Allen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Espinoza, Alex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Essential Prose of John Milton, The . . . . . . . 58
Every Day Is for the Thief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Evil and the Mask . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Expedition to the Baobab Tree, The . . . . . . . 51
Fagan, Jenni . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Family Hightower, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Fare Forward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Fawkes, Ray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Fiddler on the Roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
First True Lie, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Fitzgerald, F. Scott . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Five Acts of Diego Leon, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Five Star Billionaire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Footloose American, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
For All of Us, One Today . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Ford, Jamie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Foreign Gods, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Forgiven, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Fortier, Anne . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Frangipani Hotel, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Furst, Alan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Gaffney, Elizabeth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Gapper, John . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Gass, William H. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Get in Trouble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Ghost Shift, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Gifford, Barry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Gilbert, David . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Gilgi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Girl at War . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Half the Kingdom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Harding, Paul . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Harlem Hellfighters, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Heinrichs, Jay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Hope, Anna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare . 28
Hsieh, Liu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Hunter, Aislinn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Hunting Gun, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
I Am Forbidden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
I Await the Devils Coming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
If I Die in a Combat Zone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Imperfectionists, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
In the Heart of the Heart of the Country . . 15
In the House Upon the Dirt Between
the Lake and the Woods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Inoue, Yasushi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Iron Bridge, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
It Was the Best of Sentences, It Was
the Worst of Sentences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Iyer, Lars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
J 24
Jackleg Opera: Collected Poems,

1990 to 2013 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Jacobson, Howard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
James Baldwin: The Last Interview . . . . . . . 72
Jameson, Fredric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Jansson, Tove . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Jimmys Blues and Other Poems . . . . . . . . . . 72
Johnson, Adam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Johnson, Mat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Johnston, Bret Anthony . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Joseph Anton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Journey, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Joyce, Rachel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Kafka, Franz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Kahakauwila, Kristiana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Kang, Jay Caspian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Karl Marx and World Literature . . . . . . . . . 49
Keeping Bedlam at Bay in the
Prague Cafe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Keun, Irmgard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Kevin, Brian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Kidder, Tracy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Kinder Than Solitude . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Kissing List, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Koch, Herman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Kovach, Bill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Kupersmith, Violet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Kurt Vonnegut . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Labe, Louise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
LAmour, Louis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Laub, Michel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Lavalle, Victor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Let the Great World Spin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
AMERICAN LITERATURE
INDEX
Levine, James A. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Li, Yiyun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Life We Bury, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Lines in Long Array . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Link, Kelly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67, 68
Lisettes List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Literary Mind and the Carving of
Dragons, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Little Failure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Lost Sisterhood, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy, The . 27
Love Sonnets and Elegies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Ludwig, Ken . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Lullaby of Polish Girls, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Machiavelli . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
MacLane, Mary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Magic for Beginners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Mailer, Norman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57, 65
Mander, Marina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Map of the Invisible World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Markovits, Anouk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Markulin, Joseph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Marra, Anthony . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Martian, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Masks Of Anarchy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Masters, Ben . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
McCann, Colum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Mccracken, Elizabeth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
McHugh, Laura . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
McIlvain, Ryan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Mead, Rebecca . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Mendelsohn, Daniel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Mendelson, Edward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Metamorphosis, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Metcalf, Ben . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Midnight in Europe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Milton, John . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58, 75
Mind of an Outlaw . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Mitchell, David . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Moore, Alan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Moral Agents: Eight Twentieth-Century
American Writers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Moravia, Alberto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Moretti, Franco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Morris, Edmund . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Morte . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Mother, Mother . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Mukasonga, Scholastique . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Mundo Cruel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
My Life in Middlemarch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Nakamura, Fuminori . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of

Nantucket, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Ndibe, Okey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38, 47
Negron, Luis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Night Film . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Nikolaidou, Sophia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Northern Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Not That Kind of Girl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Noughties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Novic, Sara . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
O, Africa! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Obreht, Ta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
OBrien, Tim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Olive Kitteridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
One Fat Englishman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Open City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Orphan Masters Son, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Osborne, Lawrence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Our Lady of the Nile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Owen, Lauren . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Palka, Kurt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Panopticon, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Panorama . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Paradise Regained, Samson Agonistes,
and the Complete Shorter Poems . . . . . . 75
Paris Trout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Partial History of Lost Causes, A . . . . . . . . . 13
Pearl, Matthew . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
People of Forever Are Not Afraid, The . . . . . 43
Perez-Reverte, Arturo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Pessl, Marisha . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Peterson, Brenda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Piatigorsky, Anton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Pla, Josep . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Poe, Edgar Allan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Portraits and Observations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Prakash, Uday . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Prawer, S.S. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Prayers for the Stolen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Pym: A Novel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Quick, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Rachman, Tom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Rachman, Tom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Ready Player One . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Reasons of State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Reents, Stephanie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Reiss, Tom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Remarque, Erich Maria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Remember Me Like This . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Repino, Robert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Rise & Fall of Great Powers, The . . . . . . . . . 40
Ritsos, Yannis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Romantic Outlaws . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Roy Stories, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Roy-Bhattacharya, Joydeep . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Ruby . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Rushdie, Salman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Ryan, Donal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
S. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Saunders, George . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58, 69

Sayrafiezadeh, Sad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Scapegoat, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
See, Lisa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Segal, Lore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Selected Letters of Norman Mailer . . . . . . . . 57
Selected Letters of William Styron . . . . . . . . 59
Sendker, Jan-Philipp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Seven American Deaths and Disasters . . . . 74
Shteyngart, Gary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Siege, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Sims, Laura . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Sin and Syntax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Sisterland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Sittenfeld, Curtis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Slattery, Brian Francis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Soderberg, Alexander . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Son of a Gun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Songs of Willow Frost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Soto, Gary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Spectral Engine, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Spinning Heart, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
St. Germain, Justin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Stamm, Peter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Stay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Stay Awake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Stein, Joseph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Steinberg, Janice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Stockenstrom, Wilma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Storytellers, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Strout, Elizabeth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Styron, William . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Summer House with Swimming Pool . . . . . 46
Taylor, Elizabeth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Technologists, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Tell the Wolves Im Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Tenth of December . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Thank You For Arguing, Revised
and Updated Edition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
This House is Haunted . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
This Is Paradise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
This Living Hand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Thompson Walker, Karen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Thousand Pardons, A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Thunderstruck & Other Stories . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Tigers Wife, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Tin Horse, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Tomcat in Love . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
TransAtlantic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Tristano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Ullmann, Linn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Updike, John . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
V for Vendetta New (New Edition TPB) . . . 54
Vidal vs. Mailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Vonnegut, Kurt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22, 59
Vreeland, Susan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Waiting for the Barbarians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Wake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Wall, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Walls of Delhi, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Ward, BJ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Ward, David C. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Watch, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Watchmen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Weight of Blood, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Weir, Andy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Welcome to the Monkey House:
The Special Edition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Well-tempered Heart, A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Wendt, Selena . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
What Poets Are Like . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
When the World Was Young . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Where Tigers are at Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Williams, John . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Wittgenstein Jr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Woman Who Borrowed Memories, The . . . 45
World War Z . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Youll Enjoy It When You Get There . . . . . 69

Your Life is a Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Zailckas, Koren . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
79
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