Some months ago I read in The New Yorker a description of an event that took place at the 92^nd Street Y in New York City: a staged reading of Philip Roth’s novel, The Plot Against America. The producers of the event felt that there were some striking parallels between the plot of Roth’s novel, published more than fifteen years ago, and the political climate of America that has prevailed since late 2016. [Read more…]

I think one of the healthiest things I’ve already heard in 2019 came from one of our authors, who, in all candor, said to me, “You think I should write a memoir? Aren’t I a bit young for that?” My response to her, “Have you heard of So-and-So? She is only a few years older than you and she’s already published five of them?” Our author was astonished. She quickly went to Good Reads to look this person up. [Read more…]

I read the four Neopolitan Novels by Elena Ferrante around two years ago. I am one of the few men I know who have actually read them. The novels took the American literary world by storm and have been championed by women writers worldwide. Ferrante is a pseudonym, and the author’s real identity was fiercely protected by her publisher until an Italian journalist publicized her real name to an international uproar. [Read more…]