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The Paris Review, Issue 219, Winter 2016
Claudia Rankine on the Art of Poetry: "I don't trust the authenticity of any given moment by itself." Alasdair Gray on the Art of Fiction: "I think social justice is necessary for everybody."
New fiction by Tom Bissell, Amparo Dávila, Alexander Kluge, and Christine Lincoln.
Poems by Cyrus Console, Tadeusz Dabrowski, Timothy Donnelly, Stephen Dunn, Tony Hoagland, Fanny Howe, Sarah Manguso, and Frederick Seidel.
A lost interview with Albert Murray and a portfolio of work by Alice Neel, curated by Hilton Als.
New fiction by Tom Bissell, Amparo Dávila, Alexander Kluge, and Christine Lincoln.
Poems by Cyrus Console, Tadeusz Dabrowski, Timothy Donnelly, Stephen Dunn, Tony Hoagland, Fanny Howe, Sarah Manguso, and Frederick Seidel.
A lost interview with Albert Murray and a portfolio of work by Alice Neel, curated by Hilton Als.
- GenresPoetryShort Stories
204 pages, Perfectbound
First published December 1, 2016
1 person is currently reading
9 people want to read
About the author
Lorin Stein
45 books18 followersLorin Stein is an American critic, editor, and translator. He was an editor of The Paris Review.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 12, 2025
A very interesting interview with octogenarian Scottish author (and illustrator) Alasdair Gray.
Previously unknown to me, Gray is forthcoming and engaging, credit due to Gray and to the questions from Valerie Stivers, who actually listened to Gray's responses and followed up unscripted, about his craft and influences. He was unusually generous to fellow writers and artists, young and old; politically engaged, welcoming the advent of the welfare state after World War Two, later lamenting Thatcher's efforts to destroy it. Most famous for Lanark, a work he laboured over for three decades.
There's also some fiction of the deluded regretful kind, Christine Lincoln's What's Necessary to Remember When Telling a Story, about a lost love (his own fault) and Moses and Gaspar, a rather clumsily translated Spanish story of two brothers and a white elephant legacy in the form of two dogs, breed unspecified, left to the surviving sibling.
Previously unknown to me, Gray is forthcoming and engaging, credit due to Gray and to the questions from Valerie Stivers, who actually listened to Gray's responses and followed up unscripted, about his craft and influences. He was unusually generous to fellow writers and artists, young and old; politically engaged, welcoming the advent of the welfare state after World War Two, later lamenting Thatcher's efforts to destroy it. Most famous for Lanark, a work he laboured over for three decades.
There's also some fiction of the deluded regretful kind, Christine Lincoln's What's Necessary to Remember When Telling a Story, about a lost love (his own fault) and Moses and Gaspar, a rather clumsily translated Spanish story of two brothers and a white elephant legacy in the form of two dogs, breed unspecified, left to the surviving sibling.
February 4, 2017
I could probably dig up about how long it's been since I've read a Paris Review, but I won't, it's been a really long time; and I believe I only read one issue. I remember it though because it had a long story by Rick Moody in it, who would later become better known when the movie 'the Ice Storm' was made after his novel. Back then, I was impressed, but not impressed enough to read regularly. So, many years later, I'm here to discuss this issue of the Paris Review - the first of a one year subscription I recently decided to try on - and wow, if this is any indication of what's been going on for the past twenty or so years since I read that last issue, what a fool I've been. This is simply one of the finest anthologies of anything I've read, ever.
For the sake of brevity, I'll give attention to only the really good, and to the one 'what the hell' piece in here, but every word - the 'what the hell' piece aside - is worth reading.
The fiction: 'What's Necessary to Remember When Telling a Story' by Christine Lincoln. Here's a line: "The stark white of the pillow against her skin was beautiful, like walking the backwoods of Pennsylvania in a blizzard and no one in sight for miles and miles." I don't feel like much else needs to be said on this one. The story is short and amazing. Go to a bookstore and just hang out long enough to read it.
'Moses and Gaspar' by Amparo Davila. A quieter more subtle kind of awesome here. This begins as a snapshot of two brothers' relationship but shifts almost imperceptibly into something terrifying. A masterpiece.
The Interviews: Alasdair Gray's interview is whimsical and funny and really makes you think about what literature really is, its regional relevance and irrelevance, and almost begs the question, do we all take ourselves too seriously, which my answer would have to be: yes, absolutely - and I'm as guilty of it as anyone.
Albert Murray. Let me make a not so easy confession here. I hadn't heard of this guy. I hadn't heard of Amparo Davila either. Actually, looking down the table of contents, I hadn't heard of almost any of these people. Albert Murray though, from this interview, is someone I'm going to read. He vocalizes thoughts that an average person wouldn't be able to formulate on paper after a life-time of work. His interview in combination with Claudia Rankine's serve as a mini panel on literature and race, specifically Black America. Having read the Invisible Man at the same time as reading this issue, it really feels like this is a topic of discussion that needs to be happening not just in the media, but in classrooms, households, and study groups.
The Poetry: it's all really good. The Seven Poems by Frederick Seidel and Sarah Manguso's 'The Bear' really stood out for me. 'The Bear' is the final work in the issue, and is well placed as such. This is my favorite kind of poem, the kind that demands you stop reading for awhile and just let your mind go where it's been led.
Cyrus Console's two poems were challenging and worth several re-reads. I love the pay off on effort spent this way, and these deliver.
The 'what the hell' is Alexander Kluge's 'In Medieval Angelology,...'. Not even worth reading. There may be an infinitesimally small audience that is very familiar with the countless references in this story and that also simultaneously like obscurest pseudo-intellectualism while disliking sense and narrative, but for the life of me, I don't know what this is doing in here. Skip it, and you have a fantastic way to spend a weekend with this issue.
For the sake of brevity, I'll give attention to only the really good, and to the one 'what the hell' piece in here, but every word - the 'what the hell' piece aside - is worth reading.
The fiction: 'What's Necessary to Remember When Telling a Story' by Christine Lincoln. Here's a line: "The stark white of the pillow against her skin was beautiful, like walking the backwoods of Pennsylvania in a blizzard and no one in sight for miles and miles." I don't feel like much else needs to be said on this one. The story is short and amazing. Go to a bookstore and just hang out long enough to read it.
'Moses and Gaspar' by Amparo Davila. A quieter more subtle kind of awesome here. This begins as a snapshot of two brothers' relationship but shifts almost imperceptibly into something terrifying. A masterpiece.
The Interviews: Alasdair Gray's interview is whimsical and funny and really makes you think about what literature really is, its regional relevance and irrelevance, and almost begs the question, do we all take ourselves too seriously, which my answer would have to be: yes, absolutely - and I'm as guilty of it as anyone.
Albert Murray. Let me make a not so easy confession here. I hadn't heard of this guy. I hadn't heard of Amparo Davila either. Actually, looking down the table of contents, I hadn't heard of almost any of these people. Albert Murray though, from this interview, is someone I'm going to read. He vocalizes thoughts that an average person wouldn't be able to formulate on paper after a life-time of work. His interview in combination with Claudia Rankine's serve as a mini panel on literature and race, specifically Black America. Having read the Invisible Man at the same time as reading this issue, it really feels like this is a topic of discussion that needs to be happening not just in the media, but in classrooms, households, and study groups.
The Poetry: it's all really good. The Seven Poems by Frederick Seidel and Sarah Manguso's 'The Bear' really stood out for me. 'The Bear' is the final work in the issue, and is well placed as such. This is my favorite kind of poem, the kind that demands you stop reading for awhile and just let your mind go where it's been led.
Cyrus Console's two poems were challenging and worth several re-reads. I love the pay off on effort spent this way, and these deliver.
The 'what the hell' is Alexander Kluge's 'In Medieval Angelology,...'. Not even worth reading. There may be an infinitesimally small audience that is very familiar with the countless references in this story and that also simultaneously like obscurest pseudo-intellectualism while disliking sense and narrative, but for the life of me, I don't know what this is doing in here. Skip it, and you have a fantastic way to spend a weekend with this issue.
January 10, 2017
Five stars for Claudia Rankine interview though.
August 29, 2019
This one seemed a bit thin on actual literature. There were three interviews and a collection of portraits. I don't mind a bit of this, but when these take up well over half the issue of a literature magazine, it's easy to be a bit disappointed. Still, as always, I did enjoy the interviews, especially Alasdair Gray. "Creative Types" by Tom Bissell was the clear highlight of the issue for me. This Carveresque tale of a couple hiring a hooker to spice up their life and thus discovering the things all humans share. It was brilliant. I always enjoy a good Tony Hoagland poem.
January 5, 2017
Seidel and Alice Neel were great, the fiction was a dud.
April 7, 2017
The Art of Fiction No. 232: Alasdair Gray = 3
What's Necessary to Remember When Telling a Story by Christine Lincoln = 4
Creative Types by Tom Bissell = 5
Moses and Gaspar by Amparo Davila = 5
What's Necessary to Remember When Telling a Story by Christine Lincoln = 4
Creative Types by Tom Bissell = 5
Moses and Gaspar by Amparo Davila = 5
April 7, 2017
I can only really comment on the fiction because that's the reason I read "The Paris Review." So on that note I declare creative types, one of the short fiction pieces inside, is the best fiction I've read so far in 2017. I recommend picking up this specific issue because wow!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews