The best of literary internet Today: 1816, at Villa Diodati, Lord Byron reads Phantasmagoriana Percy Shelley, Mary Shelley, Claire Clairmont and John Polidori then challenge each guest to write a ghost story, with Mary Shelley writing the novel at the end. frankensteinJohn Polidori is writing the short story “The Vampire” and Byron is writing the
by definition, utopia cannot exist. In 1516, educated readers of Thomas More’s Utopia would have appreciated the tension between two possible etymologies of this novel word: the Greek “eu-topos”, meaning good place, and “ou-topos”, meaning no place at all. It might have been a brief warning that one should never attempt to turn utopia into
Madeleine Schwartz recommends Bruna Dantas Lobato, Uwem Akpan, Maeve Brennan and others I’ve spent much of my career reporting outside the United States, but in recent years, many of my interviews have ended the same way: with me being asked questions about what’s happening at home. The world is watching the changing politics in the
The beloved British artist David Hockney, who died last week aged 88, was celebrated for his vibrant paintings, his innovative techniques and his delightful kookiness. He, like many visionary people and other people who know what is good for them, loved fairy tales. In 1969, Hockney made 39 carvings Based on six of her favorite
Hello, Lit Hubers. it’s been a while. But the spring sunshine has once again filled this employee with joy. What’s making us happy lately? earlier this month, Molly Odintz enjoyed Austin Psych FestWhich brought a group of indie rock icons and shoegazers to her hometown. And this week, drew brussard Gone analog. Our podcast editor