Myth Milk

They shot him like a dog, and me they slapped. That’s how it always is—they shoot the men like dogs and the women get slapped. “I don’t have the… More

Bwana Burton’s Binoculars

“Tell me, Baba Sidi, I’ve never understood, what exactly did you do on that journey?”“Good question.”“You didn’t carry…”“True.”“You didn’t fight…”“True.”“You didn’t cook…”“True.”“You didn’t wash clothes…”“There were others to do… More

Realist Fiction

Last night, in a biker bar, I overheard two men discussing what distinguished “realist” fiction from more “experimental” work. Although one shouldn’t generalize, I never expect bikers to be… More

Etgar Keret & George Saunders

I was amazed by your stories, by the quality and quantity of imagination, and the unbelievable overflow of ideas. So I wanted to ask a question that’s probably unfair.… More

The Messiness of Now: A Conversation

Amitava Kumar: There was a man in the nineteenth century who anticipated everything that Ilija was going to do and write, and lived his life accordingly: Richard Francis Burton.… More

Excerpt of The Lion Dreaming

I invented Rome. The new Rome. The Rome where life is sweet, the place people imagine when they hear the name—that was my idea. It was just an idea,… More

The Acrobat

Palm Springs, California, 18 January 1954Sharpen the blade on the strop fixed to the wall, moisten the soap in the bowl with hot water, remove any loose bristles from… More

Inventing the Past: A Conversation

Suddenly, one day, I felt a certain pleasure, and this pleasure was greater than the sorrow of the therapeutic writing that I was doing. Suddenly I recovered my sense… More

Horacio Castellanos Moya: Senselessness

Translated from the Spanish by Katherine SilverKatherine Silver is the recipient of a 2007 PEN Translation Fund Grant for her translation of Horacio Castellanos Moya's Senselessness (New Directions, 2008). CHAPTER… More