Posts from the ‘History’ category

Shakespeare’s Wife

Harpy, ingrate, cradle robber? For centuries Anne Hathaway has been assailed by critics. Now two
acclaimed writers have cried “hold enough!” to the slings and arrows of outrageous Bardolatry.

Esteban in His Own Words

Never heard of him? An African slave and Spanish explorer? His contribution is the stuff of legend, but the man himself remains a puzzle. Is there a novelist in the house?

The Big Oakland Powwow

Tommy Orange’s explosive first novel invokes voices of tribal despair and lost heritage, as a growing number of Native Americans have migrated to the inner cities.

The Library Chronicles

Susan Orlean takes us back 33 years to the burning of the LA Public Library, when sprinklers failed, books became sparklers, and the thermometer soared way over Fahrenheit 451.

Metamorphosis Redux

Nigerian writer A. Igoni Barrett puts a new spin on Franz Kafka’s story. Riffing on the classics is still very much a thing.

Montezuma’s Sweet Revenge

Next year we celebrate the quincentennial of “The Meeting” between the Aztecs and the Spanish. A new miniseries is in the works. Here’s your primer.

The Great Pandemic

It’s been 100 years since the nightmare of 100 million deaths. Scientists, historians and a classic “short novel” bring it all back to life.

Rise of the New Francophones

French African writers inhabit a netherworld between culture and language—just ask Alain Mabanckou and Fatou Diome.

The Re-Framing of the Shrew

Feisty Kate and the swaggering Petruchio are still a hot ticket. How to explain the staying power of a politically incorrect classic?

Our Refugees, Our Enemies

Novelists Viet Thanh Nguyen and Bao Ninh stand on opposite ends of a cultural divide. Yet they are both Vietnamese. Should it be surprising they have so much in common?