"There is always the risk that we will forget we are merely playing pretend and begin living inside our own fictions. Or that we become so resigned to this state of affairs that we forget that things used to be different, and could still be."
In the short stories of Louise Erdrich's 'Python's Kiss,' our expectations are constantly upended—but we always remain in the hands of an expert storyteller.
The neglected Danish author Henrik Pontoppidan leaves no section of human society—government, church, rural life, city living, commerce, romance—untouched by his critical eye.
“What better way to quell our fears than to tame them into stories and draw our loved ones near by sharing them—say, around a fire, with a cup of mulled cider?”
A Commonweal Christmas tradition: Editors and friends of the magazine offer book recommendations that may just be the perfect gift for someone on your list.
“So, the reason I love her so much, Billie, is that she knows, she knows everything, she knows about love, and she knows about hate, and she sees everything.”
The editors read nonfiction about the escapist fantasies of the ultra-wealthy, novels about the Redwoods, and a memoir on Sikh teachings of service and love.
