The shock that then jolts the reader is the substitution in the reader’s mind of the rats by people... Published May 20, 2018 08:02am

It is cold midwinter and the line from Percy Bysshe Shelley’s ‘Ode to the West Wind’ — “If Winter comes,... Published Mar 18, 2018 07:09am

When John Ashbery died last summer, I was reminded of the novel he co-wrote with James Schuyler, A Nest of Ninnies,... Updated Jan 14, 2018 06:42pm

At another time in another place, a writer complained in the preface to his novel. Updated Nov 13, 2017 11:47am

Half a century ago, a competition for a first book of poems, to be judged by W.H. Auden and Stephen Spender, for... Published Sep 17, 2017 07:01am

A literary agent once said to me that a paragraph in People magazine with some trivial gossip about a writer sold... Updated Jun 04, 2017 11:03am

There’s many a neglected genius in literary history. Sometimes, chance leads one to discover a work of... Updated Apr 10, 2017 05:24pm

REVIEWING a new play on the radio, a drama critic described it at length — a soldier returning from Afghanistan... Updated Feb 05, 2017 09:32am

There may be several reasons why a writer reaches the heights of popularity, but great writing is not necessarily one of Published Dec 25, 2016 07:18am

On some of the best short story writers and how their craft is executed Published Oct 30, 2016 07:27am

John Dryden and Alexander Pope’s expressions of what constituted a great poem set an example that has been followed by Published Aug 28, 2016 07:24am

A look at the German legend of Faust and an array of artistic and literary works it has influenced throughout history Updated Jul 10, 2016 08:45am

The poet whose life coincided with one of the most important periods in the history of European poetry called Published May 29, 2016 08:11am

On writing in a foreign language — English — and the penchant for using quotations Published Apr 10, 2016 06:58am

On the brilliance of Joseph Conrad and what his correspondence reveals about his literary struggles and writing process Published Feb 21, 2016 07:11am

Translated works of foreign-language authors open up a whole new world of literature for writers and readers alike Published Nov 15, 2015 06:59am

On the storytelling skills of the Nobel Prize-winning Russian writer Updated Oct 05, 2015 03:07pm

Despite his current obscurity the Uruguayan writer’s work is incomparably original and influential Published Aug 09, 2015 07:55am

A reflection on what makes the Brazilian author’s work so brilliant Published Jul 13, 2015 12:35am

On the great American poet, “a major voice” among his contemporaries Updated May 17, 2015 01:23pm