In a study published in the journal Scientific Study of Literature, two English professors, Chris Gavaler and Dan Johnson, seek to prove that readers approach science fiction more “stupidly.”
The New York Times profiles a new generation of Nigerian writers, including Abubakar Adam Ibrahim, author of the award-winning novel Season of Crimson Blossoms. “A new wave of thematically and stylistically diverse fiction is emerging from the country,” writes Alexandra Alter, “as writers there experiment with different genres and explore controversial subjects like violence against women, polygamy and the rise of the Islamist militant group Boko Haram.”
Season of Crimson Blossoms
Jamelle Bouie, the chief political correspondent for Slate, ridicules the New York Times for “running a profile of a Nazi as if he’s just an odd curiosity and not part of a violent and dangerous movement.”
Pulitzer-winning author Jeffrey Eugenides, whose book of short stories Fresh Complaint has just been released, tells TheGuardian that he does not, as a writer, feel obliged to match the baroque oddness of our current political situation. “It’s not my main worry: trying to compete with the outrageousness of Trump with something outrageous of my own. Right now, I think we’re in need of a certain amount of calm and tranquillity, and that’s what I try to provide with writing. I’m more and more interested in clarity and thoughtfulness in fiction, rather than in spectacle or gimmickry. Just a voice that’s companionable and speaking to you on some reassuring level.”
O, the Oprah Magazine has released its list of the best books of 2017.