The Silence of Classical Literature’s Women
Pat Barker’s retelling of The Iliad imagines the Trojan War from the perspective of a female slave fought over by two Greek heroes.
Book Review
How To Write About Royalty
In 99 Glimpses of Princess Margaret, the author Craig Brown captures Queen Elizabeth’s younger sister perfectly.
An Intergalactic Tale Populated by Women
With the graphic novel On a Sunbeam, Tillie Walden has created a science-fiction universe of queer love, crumbling ruins, and magical forests. It might piss off the genre’s purists.
How to Live Better, According to Nietzsche
John Kaag’s fascinating new book about the German thinker seeks to tether philosophy back to the mess of daily experience.
The Gradual Disappearance of Jane Ashland Casts an Unlikely Spell
Nicolai Houm’s third novel unspools the mystery of a writer who abandons fiction and winds up alone on the top of a mountain in Norway.
The Brilliant, Playful, Bloodthirsty Raven
A new book from Christopher Skaife is a beguiling, fascinating, and highly amusing account of the strangely magical birds.
The Lie of Little Women
Peering into the secrets of Louisa May Alcott’s real life sheds light on her treasured coming-of-age tale.
Who Gets to Claim Kafka?
A court battle between German and Israeli archives over his manuscripts raised literary, not just legal, questions.
Sight Is an Unusual Meditation on Motherhood That’s Hard to Put Down
Jessie Greengrass’s debut novel about an unnamed pregnant woman blends ruminative prose with historical insight.
How Lolita Seduces Us All
A new book about a terrible crime sheds light on the novel’s enduring allure.