Literary Fiction

Reviews

John Banville in Venice: On Not Caring About the World

John Banville's new novel arrives from Venice with the author's declaration that 'society, wars, and the world matter little' to him as a writer. A meditation on what literature owes—or doesn't—to the present.

News

Go Gentle, Maria Semple's Return with Oprah's Blessing

Fourteen years after Where'd You Go, Bernadette?, Maria Semple is back with Go Gentle, Oprah's latest Book Club pick. On the long wait, comedy as serious craft, and novels that ripen slowly.

Literature

Four Debuts and a Prize: The 2026 Women's Prize for Fiction Shortlist

The Women's Prize for Fiction 2026 shortlist arrives with four debut novels among six finalists — a signal that something is opening up in literary fiction written by women.

News

Raven Leilani's Second Novel Finds Its Home at FSG

Six years after Luster announced one of the most arresting debut voices in American fiction, Raven Leilani's second novel — about women artists — has been acquired by Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

News

Han Kang Wins the NBCC Fiction Prize, and Other Literary Inevitabilities

Han Kang's We Do Not Part has taken the NBCC Fiction prize, adding another trophy to an already extraordinary run. The question, as James Whitmore sees it, is what we expect from a literary award once the Nobel has already spoken.