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The Unprofessionals: New American Writing from The Paris Review
An energetic collection celebrating the bold writers at the forefront of today’s literary world—featuring stories, essays, and poems from “America’s greatest literary journal” (Time)
For more than half a century, the Paris Review has launched some of the most exciting new literary voices, from Philip Roth to David Foster Wallace. But rather than trading on nostalgia, the storied journal—reconceived in 2010 by editor Lorin Stein—continues to search outside the mainstream for the most exciting emerging writers. Harmonizing a timeless literary feel with impeccable modern taste, its pages are vivid proof that the best of today’s writing more than upholds the lofty standards that built the magazine’s reputation.
The Unprofessionals collects pieces from the new iteration of the Paris Review by contemporary writers who treat their art not as a profession, but as a calling. Some, like Zadie Smith, Ben Lerner, and John Jeremiah Sullivan, are already major literary presences, while others, like Emma Cline, Benjamin Nugent, and Ottessa Moshfegh, will soon be household names. A master class in contemporary writing across genres, this collection introduces the must-know voices in the modern literary scene.
For more than half a century, the Paris Review has launched some of the most exciting new literary voices, from Philip Roth to David Foster Wallace. But rather than trading on nostalgia, the storied journal—reconceived in 2010 by editor Lorin Stein—continues to search outside the mainstream for the most exciting emerging writers. Harmonizing a timeless literary feel with impeccable modern taste, its pages are vivid proof that the best of today’s writing more than upholds the lofty standards that built the magazine’s reputation.
The Unprofessionals collects pieces from the new iteration of the Paris Review by contemporary writers who treat their art not as a profession, but as a calling. Some, like Zadie Smith, Ben Lerner, and John Jeremiah Sullivan, are already major literary presences, while others, like Emma Cline, Benjamin Nugent, and Ottessa Moshfegh, will soon be household names. A master class in contemporary writing across genres, this collection introduces the must-know voices in the modern literary scene.
304 pages, Paperback
First published November 17, 2015
18 people are currently reading
212 people want to read
About the author
The Paris Review
119 books310 followersFounded in Paris by Harold L. Humes, Peter Matthiessen, and George Plimpton in 1953, The Paris Review began with a simple editorial mission: “Dear reader,” William Styron wrote in a letter in the inaugural issue, “The Paris Review hopes to emphasize creative work—fiction and poetry—not to the exclusion of criticism, but with the aim in mind of merely removing criticism from the dominating place it holds in most literary magazines and putting it pretty much where it belongs, i.e., somewhere near the back of the book. I think The Paris Review should welcome these people into its pages: the good writers and good poets, the non-drumbeaters and non-axe-grinders. So long as they're good.”
Decade after decade, the Review has introduced the important writers of the day. Adrienne Rich was first published in its pages, as were Philip Roth, V. S. Naipaul, T. Coraghessan Boyle, Mona Simpson, Edward P. Jones, and Rick Moody. Selections from Samuel Beckett's novel Molloy appeared in the fifth issue, one of his first publications in English. The magazine was also among the first to recognize the work of Jack Kerouac, with the publication of his short story, “The Mexican Girl,” in 1955. Other milestones of contemporary literature, now widely anthologized, also first made their appearance in The Paris Review: Italo Calvino's Last Comes the Raven, Philip Roth's Goodbye Columbus, Donald Barthelme's Alice, Jim Carroll's Basketball Diaries, Peter Matthiessen's Far Tortuga, Jeffrey Eugenides’s Virgin Suicides, and Jonathan Franzen’s The Corrections.
In addition to the focus on original creative work, the founding editors found another alternative to criticism—letting the authors talk about their work themselves. The Review’s Writers at Work interview series offers authors a rare opportunity to discuss their life and art at length; they have responded with some of the most revealing self-portraits in literature. Among the interviewees are William Faulkner, Vladimir Nabokov, Joan Didion, Seamus Heaney, Ian McEwan, and Lorrie Moore. In the words of one critic, it is “one of the single most persistent acts of cultural conservation in the history of the world.”
Decade after decade, the Review has introduced the important writers of the day. Adrienne Rich was first published in its pages, as were Philip Roth, V. S. Naipaul, T. Coraghessan Boyle, Mona Simpson, Edward P. Jones, and Rick Moody. Selections from Samuel Beckett's novel Molloy appeared in the fifth issue, one of his first publications in English. The magazine was also among the first to recognize the work of Jack Kerouac, with the publication of his short story, “The Mexican Girl,” in 1955. Other milestones of contemporary literature, now widely anthologized, also first made their appearance in The Paris Review: Italo Calvino's Last Comes the Raven, Philip Roth's Goodbye Columbus, Donald Barthelme's Alice, Jim Carroll's Basketball Diaries, Peter Matthiessen's Far Tortuga, Jeffrey Eugenides’s Virgin Suicides, and Jonathan Franzen’s The Corrections.
In addition to the focus on original creative work, the founding editors found another alternative to criticism—letting the authors talk about their work themselves. The Review’s Writers at Work interview series offers authors a rare opportunity to discuss their life and art at length; they have responded with some of the most revealing self-portraits in literature. Among the interviewees are William Faulkner, Vladimir Nabokov, Joan Didion, Seamus Heaney, Ian McEwan, and Lorrie Moore. In the words of one critic, it is “one of the single most persistent acts of cultural conservation in the history of the world.”
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
November 6, 2016
The ones I liked I liked a lot. When TPR find a good author and you like their opening paragraph, it's so nice to read something and know you're in safe hands. But a lot of this was total 'Huh?' You think it's going somewhere and then the story just ends, and always with words that are supposed to sound mysteriously profound but since I was convinced on many an occasion the story didn't mean anything, they could have been any words at all! 'And then she said to me, "Pokemon Go."' #OMG #TenStars #InstaClassic
at the weekend I was in bookshops and looked at the new must-reads of 2016, then the authors in this book. The same! So like three people are determining what new literature everyone needs to read? Ah go fuck yourself, and haven't I given these people more attention than due already anyways?
I have a weird affection for Ottessa Moshfegh's writing despite not having found a piece I like all that much just because I appreciate the creepiness, and I will read her short story collection when it comes out next year.
Ben Lerner? What the hell is that guy talking about? Garth Greenwell? Takes a particular talent to make an anonymous gay hookup that tedious. Emma Cline? Emma DEClined ahaha... I don't wanna read these guyses novels?
Anyways Angela Flournoy and Davy Rothbart I hadn't heard of and they were great and I'll get their books when they're out, but in general for having been so duped by TPR I'm a bit resentful and will be looking out for its authors in future if only to avoid, because there's more than one way to be great, and it more often than not means writing stories that have a point.
I'll just start worshiping the choices of a different three people instead :)
at the weekend I was in bookshops and looked at the new must-reads of 2016, then the authors in this book. The same! So like three people are determining what new literature everyone needs to read? Ah go fuck yourself, and haven't I given these people more attention than due already anyways?
I have a weird affection for Ottessa Moshfegh's writing despite not having found a piece I like all that much just because I appreciate the creepiness, and I will read her short story collection when it comes out next year.
Ben Lerner? What the hell is that guy talking about? Garth Greenwell? Takes a particular talent to make an anonymous gay hookup that tedious. Emma Cline? Emma DEClined ahaha... I don't wanna read these guyses novels?
Anyways Angela Flournoy and Davy Rothbart I hadn't heard of and they were great and I'll get their books when they're out, but in general for having been so duped by TPR I'm a bit resentful and will be looking out for its authors in future if only to avoid, because there's more than one way to be great, and it more often than not means writing stories that have a point.
I'll just start worshiping the choices of a different three people instead :)
June 12, 2019
An exquisitely diverse collection ranging from short fiction to essays to poems from a beloved publication - The Paris Review - The Unprofessionals offers a glimpse into modern American literature and its significant voices. Even as it has already established writers like Zadie Smith, Emma Cline, Ben Lerner and Ottessa Moshfegh, some previously unknown (to me) voices like Garth Greenwell (whose shocking story about a BDSM encounter gone wrong is perhaps the highlight of the collection), Matt Sumell's Toast, April Ayers Lawson's Virgin and Benjamin Nugent's God (another touchingly told queer coming of age story) made the collection quite unputdownable. Other highlights include Emma Cline's Marion (on growing up as a vulnerable girl) and Zadie Smith's Miss Adele Amidst the Corsets (on homophobia in a Corset shop). In the non-fiction essay section, the extreme beauty of John Jeremiah Sullivan's Mister Lytle: An Essay and Davy Rothbart's Human Snowball almost choked me with their narrative strength. Overall, an extraordinarily coherent collection of solid work from the able editors of one of the world's prominent literary magazines.
January 31, 2020
I've read this collection off-and-on for five years, so it's hard for me to remember how I felt about many of its stories and poems.
Although called "New American Writing" it includes a (completely unreadable) story by Zadie Smith, who is British, but does live in the U.S. Her story is based there too, so maybe that's one of the conditions for being considered American writing.
Looking back now, stories that stood out for me were Angela Flournoy's Lelah, about a gambler, and Garth Greenwell's Gospodar, about a hook up that goes horribly wrong. Style varied across the stories, non-fiction pieces and poems featured here, to the extent that each reader will probably come away with their own particular favourites.
Although called "New American Writing" it includes a (completely unreadable) story by Zadie Smith, who is British, but does live in the U.S. Her story is based there too, so maybe that's one of the conditions for being considered American writing.
Looking back now, stories that stood out for me were Angela Flournoy's Lelah, about a gambler, and Garth Greenwell's Gospodar, about a hook up that goes horribly wrong. Style varied across the stories, non-fiction pieces and poems featured here, to the extent that each reader will probably come away with their own particular favourites.
January 15, 2020
Some really great stories in here that will stick with me for some time mixed in with some forgettable ones. The poetry never resonated with me, but I suppose that's just poetry in general. Of the entire collection, these six stood out to me.
False Spring by Ben Lerner
William Wei by Amie Barrodale
Virgin by April Ayers Lawson
Toast by Matt Summell
Human Snowball by Davy Rothbart
Letter from Williamsburg by Kristin Dombek
False Spring by Ben Lerner
William Wei by Amie Barrodale
Virgin by April Ayers Lawson
Toast by Matt Summell
Human Snowball by Davy Rothbart
Letter from Williamsburg by Kristin Dombek
October 7, 2025
Still can’t really dive in to contemporary poetry in the way I can with Yeats or Eliot, but the fiction and CNF, as expected, is top notch
I originally read this when it came out, and re-reading A Dark and Winding Road from Ottessa Moshfegh further cements her (to me at least) as one of the most creative voices in fiction of the past 25 years. Being able to know what she’s produced since makes it all the more enjoyable to revisit these older pieces
I originally read this when it came out, and re-reading A Dark and Winding Road from Ottessa Moshfegh further cements her (to me at least) as one of the most creative voices in fiction of the past 25 years. Being able to know what she’s produced since makes it all the more enjoyable to revisit these older pieces
August 30, 2021
Really liked this book, I read all the fiction and poetry but couldn't get much into the essays except for Davy Rothbart's Human Snowball, which read like fiction. Some of the pieces I had read in other books, particular Ben Lerner and Emma Cline. Anyway, I don't know if this book is still in print but it's worth checking out.
March 9, 2019
senang bacanya karena hehe
December 22, 2019
It's been a little over two years but I remember the time reading this book as intensely estimulating. I enjoyed the diversity of style and the boldness of the stories.
May 22, 2021
I liked one or two stories; the rest, though well written, I disliked. Ugh.
July 8, 2017
A book that I read almost exclusively during my commutes, the length of these pieces renders it perfect for that.
November 16, 2015
"...the must-know voices in the modern literary scene."
If that's the case, kill me and kill me...
The short story is not meant to be collected...
Jammed together, each tale's spirit is not resurrected...
Competing words and author egos...
Congregate, congeal and conceal...
A sense of separateness is lost...
The essays share a vapidness...
And might come nearest to espousing...
On aluminum siding and the weather (yawn better)...
You get what you pay for and pay for, no surprise...
O. Henry was first a convicted embezzler...
How inspiring a prize named for a thief...
And second he was a nonsensical short storyist...
"The Gift of the Magi" (laugh hard here)...
Is a story jarringly simplistic and mostly forgettable...
In the same vein of this assemblage of packed tales...
Chris Roberts, God of the Short Story
December 25, 2016
This was really quick writing. Not only were the stories really small arcs, with not too much going on, but the style itself was quick, gut-punching, no-holds-barred, smart and smart-ass. I could tell I was reading young folks and I loved it. Human Snowball is one of my favorite stories of all time, certainly on my top three essays. Now I will not give this a five stars since the anthology lacked a bit of variety in terms of fiction plotlines, all revolving around some unhealthy romantic relationship, and the poetry was a bit washy, but damn, everything else was bright and early. Paragraphs that can kill a man in quality.
December 4, 2015
While some authors - Zadie Smith, Garth Greenwell - have produced good short-stories for this anthology as collated by The Paris Review, others - e.g. John Jeremiah Sullivan - are navel-gazing in the extreme, using words like "jostle" in a bad way while accosting the reader with modern-day Americana suitable for non-readers.
Also, Sarah Manguso's collection of one-liners is interesting and irritating, simultaneously. Prize her for it.
Also, Sarah Manguso's collection of one-liners is interesting and irritating, simultaneously. Prize her for it.
March 13, 2016
Perfect bedtime reading. I only enjoyed about a third of the stories, but I enjoyed them so much that it was worth it. Ben Lerner's short story False Spring might be the best I've ever read. It's exactly the kind of reflective, rhapsodic fiction I once aspired to write myself. And it convinced me to read his novel 10:04 soon. I also enjoyed Human Snowball by Davy Rothbart, God by Benjamin Nugent, and Miss Adele Among the Corsets by Zadie Smith. Chances are I'll enjoy anything by Zadie Smith.
June 20, 2016
After reading a few books about old people, it was refreshing to read a collection of energetic, invigorating work from young American writers. This collection has some great short stories. And it reminded me again that I need to learn more about poetry to become a better poetry reader.
December 17, 2015
A taste of the next gen. of American writers. Some to look into and follow, some to skip.
December 31, 2015
I liked the John Jeremiah Sullivan essay.
January 2, 2016
Stunningly original fiction that recapitulates your favorite movies and TV from the 90s. Oh, and a title likely unconsciously borrowed from Julie Hecht. Plus a few good bits.
March 12, 2016
There were a few pieces that didn't quite land for me but the rest were straight bangers
March 19, 2016
Duh. Several total stunners in here.
August 15, 2016
I'm halfway through it and am feeling a bit underwhelmed frankly. I love the ability of a short story to transport you in just a few pages and most of these just aren't grabbing me.
October 6, 2016
Loved "William Wei"
October 13, 2016
gold: william wei, letter from williamsburg, false spring, toast, gospodar, god.
then there's everything else.
then there's everything else.
February 19, 2016
Loved the variety. Discovered a new poet.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews