TODAY: In 1886, Pierre-Jules Hetzel, the French editor and publisher known for publishing lavishly illustrated editions of Jules Verne’s novels, dies.
- David Barnes meditates on The White Lotus, literary tourism, and Tennyson’s “The Lotos-Eaters.” | Lit Hub TV
- “For me, the Little Marquise was my first porno, my first dildo, and my first love.” Gabriela Wiener on José Donoso’s The Mysterious Disappearance of the Marquise of Loria. | Lit Hub Criticism
- Kenneth Roth on the challenges of reporting on the abuses of Israel’s government: “Although few informed observers take these one-sided partisans seriously, many people want to believe that the Israeli government does no wrong.” | Lit Hub Politics
- Diane Mehta reflects on racism, religious experiences, and how visions of freediving helped her finish her novel. | Lit Hub Craft
- “Who gets to come back and who doesn’t – that’s the mystery of grace, which Shane sang about, praying that the hauntings would abate.” Ed Simon on Shane MacGowan and The Pogues.| Lit Hub Criticism
- Librettist Gene Scheer discusses the process of transforming Moby-Dick and (more novels!) into operas. | Lit Hub Music
- Diana Wagman on finding her grandfather’s rejection letters and submission as an act of hope. | Lit Hub Craft
- Ben Ratliff considers the connections between music, family and the formation of the self. | Lit Hub Music
- “— And why here rather than elsewhere? I imagine you’ve applied all over, even at the competition.” Read from Claire Baglin’s novel On the Clock, translated by Jordan Stump. | Lit Hub Fiction
- On Sarah Wynn-Williams’ memoir, Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism (and why Mark Zuckerberg doesn’t want you to read it). | Vox
- Some sestinas to consider by Louise Glück, Terrance Hayes, Elizabeth Bishop, Patricia Smith and other modern and contemporary poets. | JSTOR Daily
- “…as Alareer’s entire oeuvre shows, he felt that testifying was the writer’s ultimate responsibility.” Yasmin Desouki meditates on Refaat Alareer’s If I Must Die: Poetry and Prose. | Full Stop
- “It’s pretty human, but it’s still bad.” Ezra D. Feldman weighs in on AI-penned metafiction. | Vulture
- Joumana Khatib considers Clarice Lispector’s children’s stories. | The New York Times
- Kelly Jensen traces a recent history of librarian criminalization bills. | Book Riot
