The Paris Review, Issue 226, Fall 2018

by Emily Nemens (Editor), Pilar Fraile Amador, Nell Freudenberger

Penelope Lively on the Art of Fiction: "A novel should reflect its society and its circumstances." Frederick Wiseman on the Art of Documentary: "Before the film is finished, I have to be able to put into words why I have selected each shot and the meaning I attach to the order of the sequences."

New fiction by Pilar Fraile Amador, Pilar Fraile Amador, Nell Freudenberger, Rachel Khong, Mary Miller, and Diane Williams.

Poems by Lucie Brock-Broido, Jericho Brown, Grady Chambers, Marilyn Chin, Henri Cole, Louise Glück, Ishion Hutchinson, William Logan, Sharon Olds, Carl Phillips, Spencer Reece, Martha Ronk, Noah Warren, and Adam Zagajewski.

Nonfiction by Mitchell S. Jackson. A portfolio curated by Charlotte Strick, with an essay by Claire Vaye Watkins. And five poems by Max Jacob translated by Elizabeth Bishop with an essay by Rosanna Warren.

Genres: Poetry, Short Stories, Anthologies, Nonfiction

212 pages, Perfectbound

First published September 1, 2018

About the author

Emily Nemens’s debut novel, The Cactus League, was a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice and named one of NPR’s and Lit Hub’s favorite books of 2020. Her stories have appeared in BOMB, The Gettysburg Review, n+1, and elsewhere; her illustrations have appeared in The New Yorker and in collaboration with Harvey Pekar. Nemens spent over a decade editing literary quarterlies, including leading The Paris Review and serving as co-editor and prose editor of The Southern Review. She held the 2022–23 Picador Professorship (University of Leipzig) and teaches in the MFA program at Bennington College. She lives in central New Jersey with her husband and dog.

Reviews

[Jessie]

Louise Glück is so brilliant. Finishing one of her poems, I am often compelled to cry with relief. Grateful for her voice. Grateful for her mind. Jericho Brown’s first poem, especially, touched me: “Hero.” I’m proud to share an alma mater with him. And, Noah Warren. He was an unexpected discovery. I wonder if the winter issue is out yet.

[Amelie]

This is my first time reading The Paris Review, and as far as the magazine itself goes, it was a very nicely designed and crafted thing to read. The ‘Land Forms’ portfolio was interesting - not the style of art I would usually be drawn to, but the chosen installations and accompanying essay were well-selected, and thought-provoking.

The literary features were a mixed bag. Most of the poetry was brilliant and made me want to find out more about the more obscure poets. My favourite of the poems featured were those of Louise Glück, Sharon Olds, Jericho Brown and Adam Zagajewski. The translation of Max Jacob’s work by Elizabeth Bishop was very different to the others, a bit more surreal, with an intriguing story behind it.

However, none of the fiction really grabbed me. There were a couple with sci-fi/futuristic themes that were not my thing at all. The more ‘contemporary’ themed ones didn’t interest me enough. I’m not really a short-story person, but I have read multiple that I’ve enjoyed in the past. This selection just wasn’t for me.

The single non-fiction piece by Mitchell S. Jackson was very good.

I didn’t know either of the interviewees very well, so the conversations didn’t mean a lot to me. I’ll probably explore their work then come back to the interviews another time.

[Kaiju Reviews]

This issue felt considerably weaker than previous issues. New editor testing the waters maybe. The heavy focus on poetry from guest editor Henri Cole (who included one of his own poems, which I think is strange and off-putting, despite the fact that he appears in PR all the time) does pay out with some great poems, but still as a percentage game comes across as weaker.

Nothing in this issue is bad. But it felt safer. I don't read the Paris Review for safe, typically. The fiction is solid, but for me, not memorable.

'Have Many Rabbit' by Lucie Brock-Broido was my favorite read this issue. I dug the mini Rabbit theme (this poem follows an unrelated short story Rabbits).

The Carl Phillips poems are also excellent.

Everything else is good. Solid. Just safe.

[Ylenia]

F I C T I O N
Rachel Khong, The Freshening: 4 stars
Nell Freudenberg, Rabbits: 3.5 stars
Diane Williams, O Fortuna, Velut Luna: 2 stars
Venita Blackburn, Fam: 4 stars
Pilar Fraile Amador, Partners: 3.75 stars
Mary Miller, Festival: 3.75 stars

Amazing portfolio (Land Forms).

[Kurishin]

Noah Warren's poem is excellent.

[Olesya Lyuzna]

Favourites:
Rabbits by Nell Freudenberger
Festival by Mary Miller
Three Poems by Adam Zagajewski
The Art of Documentary with Frederick Wiseman
The Denial of Death by Louise Glück

[Erika Dreifus]

Highlights in this issue: An "Art of Fiction" interview with Penelope Lively (conducted by Lucy Scholes). A short story by Nell Freudenberger that I knew would be creepily unforgettable as soon as I read the epigraph (from Joyce Carol Oates's "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?"). And an introduction to the poetry of Max Jacob, as translated by Elizabeth Bishop, with a preliminary essay by Rosanna Warren.

[DeadWeight]

(this issue kinda sucked)

[Reid]

The Freshening and Rabbits were my favourites in this one.