Literature

Statue of renowned Kurdish historian, author, and poet Mastoureh Ardalan (1805–1848) in Erbil / Photo by Levi Meir Clancy / Unsplash Even though they appear to have a lot to say about the historical, political, cultural, and literary situation of the Middle East, Kurdish female novelists and short-story writers have remained unknown to an international

Winter can be a difficult season, but luckily I know the cure for the winter blues: cozying up with a great book. But with all these “Best Of” and “Most Anticipated” lists that just came out, it’s hard to pick the right read. What a relief for you that this horoscope contains the definitive, perfect

My husband likes to tell a story from when he was eight years old, in Los Angeles, in 1975: His parents dropped him and his seven-year-old brother at the movies to see Disney’s animated 1942 classic Bambi, then in its fourth re-release. Their parents drove home, and as they walked in the door, the phone

Houston’s Second Poet Laureate (2015–2017) and a member of the Texas Institute of Letters since 2019, Robin Davidson is the author of three books of poetry: Kneeling in the Dojo (2013), City That Ripens on the Tree of the World (2013), and Luminous Other (2013), for which she received the Ashland Poetry Press 2012 Richard

Houston’s Second Poet Laureate (2015–2017) and a member of the Texas Institute of Letters since 2019, Robin Davidson is the author of three books of poetry: Kneeling in the Dojo (2013), City That Ripens on the Tree of the World (2013), and Luminous Other (2013), for which she received the Ashland Poetry Press 2012 Richard

At some point you’ve likely read about swashbuckling explorers or intrepid sea-farers who’d made arduous but gutsy journeys into the vast dark unknowns, to sniff out spices, unearth precious metals, or to fight for their freedoms. The Americas, Asia, Australia, Africa—we have almost certainly once read (and learnt)—were discoverable.  With a growing sense of clarity,

This Mangy Mouth Could Swallow You Whole Spooks (the state who replaces religion doesn’t want to adopt a dog with me) As I grow older I like looking at chaos like the Westminster shows. You fight me with your omniscience—dogs who look like dogs are bred that way. Like I’m supposed to love a rescue

A playwright in Pune, India, considers the contemporary relevance of the fifty-year-old cult play that remains one of the most written about and discussed plays in the history of modern Indian theater. Ghashiram Kotwal (1972), the Marathi play written by one of the finest playwrights of modern times, Vijay Tendulkar (1928–2008), has been around for

Take a break from the news We publish your favorite authors—even the ones you haven’t read yet. Get new fiction, essays, and poetry delivered to your inbox. YOUR INBOX IS LIT Enjoy strange, diverting work from The Commuter on Mondays, absorbing fiction from Recommended Reading on Wednesdays, and a roundup of our best work of

When the narrator of White on White arrives at the apartment, they assume that they will have the rooms to themselves, a beautiful light-filled place to serve as home base while they conduct their research on Gothic nudes. But soon after arriving, their landlady Agnes suddenly appears and explains that, for unexplained reasons, she and

Poetry and astrology are both tools that can help us understand our lives. Astrology gives us a framework to better see ourselves and locate our gifts. Poetry gives us the freedom to dream and the invaluable reassurance that someone out there has felt our feelings before; we’re not alone in our sorrows, our happiness and

Debut poetry books are often forecasters of a poet’s potential but every so often, a true masterwork seemingly springs forth fully formed as if the goddess Athena, armor flashing and sword raised. Paul Tran’s full-length collection, All the Flowers Kneeling, arrived ready for war. This is an exquisitely crafted labyrinth of a book that deconstructs,

Grief is the Family Business Ella Baxter Share article At eleven a.m., the landscape already crackles on its way to reaching forty degrees before lunch, and the sound of Kathmandu water bottles being refilled ricochets between the three major holiday parks. Radiant heat beams off the coastline in long fumes, shuddering over highways and interstate

Comma House. Photo by Tom Little Tuhin Das is a Bengali poet, essayist, activist, and short-story writer. Currently a writer-in-residence of City of Asylum Pittsburgh, he recently completed his Comma House, part of CAP’s commissioned murals project, House Publications, a library of houses featuring text-based artwork on their façades. The houses are located on Sampsonia

Humans have been working with the moon for millennia, from using its phases for the calendar to farmers using the moon to determine planting and harvesting schedules. We have worshipped her light. We have dedicated holidays to her glory. Who doesn’t love the moon? When I first began basing a lot of my own schedule

Julie Otsuka / Photo © Jean-Luc Bertini With the 2022 publication of The Swimmers (Knopf), Julie Otsuka has moved into more personal territory, drawing on her experience as a daughter watching her mother move further into dementia. Her previous two novels focused on the experience of Japanese Americans: When the Emperor Was Divine (Knopf, 2002),

I can’t remember how I happened upon my copy of Radclyffe Hall’s The Well of Loneliness, which is a shame because it’s a first edition. The story in my mind is that it was sent to me by one of my mother’s friends shortly after I came out, but I’m pretty sure I first read

In the early stages of writing Castaway Mountain, I recall the narrative taking shape very slowly. My book is set in a world made of Mumbai’s garbage, one that may seem unreal, but is very much rooted in reality. I had written up to the moment when fires burned on the vast Deonar garbage mountains