The Invisible Manuscript: Ralph Ellison died leaving four decades' worth of scribbled notes, thousands of typed pages and 80 computer disks filled with work on an ambitious second novel. For 14 years, a pair of literary detectives labored to fit the pieces together. Now they're ready to share with the world. The hound of hell: Mikhail Bulgakov's satirical fantasy A Dog's Heart was written in 1925 but - thanks to Soviet censorship - went unpublished until 1987. James Meek reflects on its prophetic vision of Stalinist hubris. A master of rough crossings: A review of The Several Lives of Joseph Conrad by John Stape and Joseph Conrad: A Life by Zdzislaw Najder.
From Sibila, an interview with Jerome Sala, though slight of frame, the first " heavyweight champion of poetry". Science fiction writer William Gibson has a reputation for forecasting the future. From The Atlantic Monthly, an article on Great Moments in Literary Baseball (1987). Behold, The Washington Post's "Book World" presents a sampling of the current crop of top picture books. What creates a great artist like Gentileschi, Van Gogh or Manet? Talent or training? Artists are both born and taught. Backstage with Rene Pollesch: Theater with a biting view of society.
A review of Dandy in the Underworld: An Unauthorised Autobiography by Sebastian Horsley. A review of Painting Chinese: A Lifelong Teacher Gains the Wisdom of Youth by Herbert Kohl. A review of Get Smashed: The Story of the Men Who Made the Adverts That Changed Our Lives by Sam Delaney. A review of Lonely Avenue: The Unlikely Life and Times of Doc Pomus by Alex Halberstadt. A review of The Source: The Untold Story of Father Yod, YaHoWa 13 and the Source Family by Isis Aquarian.
