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Freeman's #8
Freeman's: Change
Featuring thrilling new work from Lauren Groff, Ocean Vuong, Rickey Laurentiis, and more, the latest installment of the acclaimed literary journal Freeman's explores the hope and pain of the ever-changing present
The Covid-19 pandemic forced many of us to reimagine our homes, work, relationships, and adapt to a new way of life-one with far fewer possibilities for interaction. And yet, in this period of intense isolation, we've faced dilemmas which are nearly universal. How to love, to care for aging parents, to find a home, attend to a planet in flux, fight for justice. This vast range of experiences is captured by our greatest storytellers, essayists, and poets, in the new issue of Freeman's: Change.
Some pieces explore the small moments that serve as new routines in a life lived at home, as in Joshua Bennett's essay, where a Coltrane playlist sets the stage for early morning dances with his newborn son as they watch the sun come up. Alejandro Zambra remembers the homes of his past, his dog and cat in New York, his old collection of Chilean literature, homes and possessions he lets go of when he makes a new family in Mexico.
Sometimes, it's the absence of change that drives us to the edge. In Lina Mounzer's "The Gamble," a father's incessant hope for a better life festers and sinks the whole family after they leave Lebanon during the Civil War. In Kamel Daoud's heartbreaking tale, a widow's attempt to retreat into the unchanging past edits her son right from her reality. And in "Final Days," Sayaka Murata imagines a future without aging, where people must choose how and when they want to die, consulting guidebooks like Let's Die Naturally! Super Deaths for Adults & The Best Spots.
With new writing from Julia Alvarez, Sandra Cisneros, Zahia Rahmani, Yoko Ogawa, Yasmine El Rashidi, Lina Meruane, and Aleksandar Hemon, and featuring work from never-before-published writers like Elizabeth Ayre, Freeman's: Change opens a window into the many-sided ways we adapt.
The Covid-19 pandemic forced many of us to reimagine our homes, work, relationships, and adapt to a new way of life-one with far fewer possibilities for interaction. And yet, in this period of intense isolation, we've faced dilemmas which are nearly universal. How to love, to care for aging parents, to find a home, attend to a planet in flux, fight for justice. This vast range of experiences is captured by our greatest storytellers, essayists, and poets, in the new issue of Freeman's: Change.
Some pieces explore the small moments that serve as new routines in a life lived at home, as in Joshua Bennett's essay, where a Coltrane playlist sets the stage for early morning dances with his newborn son as they watch the sun come up. Alejandro Zambra remembers the homes of his past, his dog and cat in New York, his old collection of Chilean literature, homes and possessions he lets go of when he makes a new family in Mexico.
Sometimes, it's the absence of change that drives us to the edge. In Lina Mounzer's "The Gamble," a father's incessant hope for a better life festers and sinks the whole family after they leave Lebanon during the Civil War. In Kamel Daoud's heartbreaking tale, a widow's attempt to retreat into the unchanging past edits her son right from her reality. And in "Final Days," Sayaka Murata imagines a future without aging, where people must choose how and when they want to die, consulting guidebooks like Let's Die Naturally! Super Deaths for Adults & The Best Spots.
With new writing from Julia Alvarez, Sandra Cisneros, Zahia Rahmani, Yoko Ogawa, Yasmine El Rashidi, Lina Meruane, and Aleksandar Hemon, and featuring work from never-before-published writers like Elizabeth Ayre, Freeman's: Change opens a window into the many-sided ways we adapt.
- GenresNonfictionAnthologies
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2021
8 people are currently reading
69 people want to read
About the author
John Freeman
55 books286 followersNote: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
John Freeman is an award-winning writer and book critic who has written for numerous publications, including The New Yorker, The New York Times Book Review, The Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, and The Wall Street Journal. Freeman won the 2007 James Patterson Pageturner Award for his work as the president of the National Book Critics Circle, and was the editor of Granta from 2009 to 2013. He lives in New York City, where he teaches at NYU and edits a new literary biannual called Freeman's.
John Freeman is an award-winning writer and book critic who has written for numerous publications, including The New Yorker, The New York Times Book Review, The Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, and The Wall Street Journal. Freeman won the 2007 James Patterson Pageturner Award for his work as the president of the National Book Critics Circle, and was the editor of Granta from 2009 to 2013. He lives in New York City, where he teaches at NYU and edits a new literary biannual called Freeman's.
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January 25, 2023Pentru că în fața oricărei antologii îmi ia luni întregi să răzbat, din „Cele mai bune texte noi despre schimbare” de Freeman’s am să menționez doar acele texte care mi-au rămas în minte acum, când am terminat-o, la aproape jumătate de an de când am început-o. În ordinea apariției:
„Chitara” de Rick Bass, pentru cât de poetic vorbește despre pădure - „Dintre toate ființele vii, lemnul are cea mai frumoasă voce pentru că vocea lemnului are viața dincolo de el însuși. Fizicienii spun că lemnul vibrează, rezonează perpetuu, reverberând toate sunetele pe care le-a generat și le-a primit vreodată. Lemnul are memorie.”
„Un joc de noroc” de Lina Mounzer, pentru candoarea cu care scrie despre tatăl său și despre noroc „Foarte mult din ceea ce la prima vedere pare noroc este, de fapt, la o privire mai atentă, privilegiu, pentru că nu există niciun om căruia să-i fi fost refuzat care să nu poată identifica aura binecuvântării sale, mereu strălucind deasupra capului altcuiva. Dar norocul, adevăratul noroc i se poate întâmpla oricui.”
„Ultimele zile” de Sayaka Murata pentru cât de concisă e această poveste puternică despre moarte „aleasă”.
„Camioneta cu pui” de Yoko Ogawa pentru imaginea și hurducăielile camionetei, în fața unei fetițe care nu spune cuvinte.
„Biblioteca vieții” de Alejandro Zambra, pentru povestea personală de atașament față de cărți, cu care am rezonat puternic.
„Unde ești?” de Yasmine El Rashidi pentru durerea din imaginea casei din copilărie, pierdută/vândută unei alte familii.
„Pielea ei, atât de frumoasă” de Lina Meruane, pentru scenariul ușor absurd al sfârșitului de lume și al foametei, cu care nu știu dacă rezonez, dar care e descris cu forță.
„Pâine” de Lana Bastasic pentru cât de poetic scrie despre ceva atât de dureros și prea des întâlnit: hărțuirea stradală: „Trupul simte că trupul e de vină, (...) Trebuia să rămână înăuntru, fără picioare și fără un umăr.”
„Chitara” de Rick Bass, pentru cât de poetic vorbește despre pădure - „Dintre toate ființele vii, lemnul are cea mai frumoasă voce pentru că vocea lemnului are viața dincolo de el însuși. Fizicienii spun că lemnul vibrează, rezonează perpetuu, reverberând toate sunetele pe care le-a generat și le-a primit vreodată. Lemnul are memorie.”
„Un joc de noroc” de Lina Mounzer, pentru candoarea cu care scrie despre tatăl său și despre noroc „Foarte mult din ceea ce la prima vedere pare noroc este, de fapt, la o privire mai atentă, privilegiu, pentru că nu există niciun om căruia să-i fi fost refuzat care să nu poată identifica aura binecuvântării sale, mereu strălucind deasupra capului altcuiva. Dar norocul, adevăratul noroc i se poate întâmpla oricui.”
„Ultimele zile” de Sayaka Murata pentru cât de concisă e această poveste puternică despre moarte „aleasă”.
„Camioneta cu pui” de Yoko Ogawa pentru imaginea și hurducăielile camionetei, în fața unei fetițe care nu spune cuvinte.
„Biblioteca vieții” de Alejandro Zambra, pentru povestea personală de atașament față de cărți, cu care am rezonat puternic.
„Unde ești?” de Yasmine El Rashidi pentru durerea din imaginea casei din copilărie, pierdută/vândută unei alte familii.
„Pielea ei, atât de frumoasă” de Lina Meruane, pentru scenariul ușor absurd al sfârșitului de lume și al foametei, cu care nu știu dacă rezonez, dar care e descris cu forță.
„Pâine” de Lana Bastasic pentru cât de poetic scrie despre ceva atât de dureros și prea des întâlnit: hărțuirea stradală: „Trupul simte că trupul e de vină, (...) Trebuia să rămână înăuntru, fără picioare și fără un umăr.”
March 28, 2023
I really enjoyed this collection! Lots of standouts from a great group of authors, going to stay with me for a while
January 23, 2022
Freeman's: Change is a great compilation of stories, essays and poetry focusing on the concept "change" in various scenarios and countries. I treated this as a sample text that introduced to some brilliant writers and poets of our age. I requested for this book from @netgalley knowing that there were a list of fantastic writers from all over the world and was thrilled to receive a digital arc of this. I did not read this book in one stretch but decided to dip in and out of it in the last few months which worked perfectly for me. Every time I picked it up I would be nothing but impressed.
The best part about the book was how it represented the same concept but in various different forms, perspectives, countries and people. If you are looking at hearing different voices from authors & poets around the world, please pick this up right away! I think my favourites were the compilation of stories/essays/poetry that came in the second half of the book. Through this book for the first time in my life, I read poetry and actually enjoyed it.
Some of my favourites were
Algeria Held in Reserve by Zahia Rahmani
Chick Truck by Yoko Ogawa
Library or Life by Alejandro Zambra
Bread by Lana Bastasic
Dream Man by Cristina Rivera Garza
Kunstlerroman by Ocean Vuong
Poetry collection by Siarhiej Prylucki
Definitely pick it up if you want a new perspective and discover an amazing list of authors, poets translated text from around the world!
The best part about the book was how it represented the same concept but in various different forms, perspectives, countries and people. If you are looking at hearing different voices from authors & poets around the world, please pick this up right away! I think my favourites were the compilation of stories/essays/poetry that came in the second half of the book. Through this book for the first time in my life, I read poetry and actually enjoyed it.
Some of my favourites were
Algeria Held in Reserve by Zahia Rahmani
Chick Truck by Yoko Ogawa
Library or Life by Alejandro Zambra
Bread by Lana Bastasic
Dream Man by Cristina Rivera Garza
Kunstlerroman by Ocean Vuong
Poetry collection by Siarhiej Prylucki
Definitely pick it up if you want a new perspective and discover an amazing list of authors, poets translated text from around the world!
January 26, 2022
While not every story or poem landed for me, some were incredibly powerful -- including my friend Christie NaMee Ericksen's short piece on grief and avalanches! A beautiful and diverse collection that exposed me to writers, ideas, people, and places I would not otherwise have found, and filled me with a new and renewed sense of the changing world.
December 14, 2022
-The Power of Absence: Childhood Business Ventures in a Refugee Camp by Sulaiman Addonia
-The Gamble by Lina Mounzer
-Chick Truck by Yoko Ogawa
-Library or Life by Alejandro Zambra
-Dream Man by Cristina Rivera Garza
-The Gamble by Lina Mounzer
-Chick Truck by Yoko Ogawa
-Library or Life by Alejandro Zambra
-Dream Man by Cristina Rivera Garza
January 2, 2022
Impeccably curated.
September 15, 2024
Una raccolta di racconti sul cambiamento, un insieme di voci potentissimo
February 9, 2025
Change is seeking
March 24, 2025
First anthology - Pleasantly surprised by how many new authors I resonated with.
September 11, 2022
Am făcut greșeala să citesc antologia ca pe un roman, cred că ar trebui lăsat un timp oarecare între povestiri.
October 9, 2022
some stories were really nice but others too hard to follow
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews