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Idiots!
by Paul La Farge
A new introduction to the 1926 novel
Moravagine by Blaise Cendrars, whose scariest alter ego was actually modernism’s biggest idiot.
Small Battles in a War of Attrition
by Stephen Elliott
Our president says he has made America better, richer, and safer. Never mind the lost jobs, torture scandals, and flaming fast food restaurants.
Lawrence, Aguirre, and the American Imperial Moment
by Jim Shepard
Tame the desert! Discover El Dorado! Invade Iraq! All it takes is a little suspension of disbelief.
Why Good Literature Makes Us Bad People
by Brock Clarke
Three debut novels agree: reading too much hurts more than it helps, and the life of the mind is no life at all.
The Believer Reading Group Guide for Bright Lights, Big City
by Chris Bachelder
McInerney’s first novel still reveals real pain, even though no one wears Ray-Bans anymore.
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George Meyer
interviewed by Eric Spitznagel
The Simpsons’ silent architect remembers a time when hobos were hilarious and cynicism was on the way out.
Mary Lynn Rajskub
interviewed by Carrie Brownstein
On the pleasures, advantages, and victories that can come from embracing discomfort.
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Ian Frazier
interviewed by Jason Roberts
The author of
On the Rez discusses his ideal writing style and his ideal woman—though only one is “heavy with hot bloatum.”
