Literary New Orleans

by Judy Long

An anthology of fiction and nonfiction about New Orleans

Genres: History

320 pages, Paperback

First published October 27, 1999

Reviews

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

A satisfying anthology. The editor did a great job of selecting a wide variety of authors, many lesser known. New Orleans seems to bring out everyone's fun side - even the excerpt from an 18th-centry missionary is pretty funny, and there is a humorous excerpt from an early novel by Faulkner (I admire Faulkner and all, but he's not exactly a thigh-slapper). I liked a story by Ellen Gilchrist (with whom I was unfamiliar) so much that I put a hold on one of her books at the library, so by that criterion this anthology succeeded. Let the good times roll!

[Andrew Epperson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very solid compilation of New Orleans literature, nonfiction and fiction. The passage from Confederacy of Dunces made me laugh and reminded me of the joy I had reading that book, which I recommend to everybody. Everything else was new to me.
The feelings of these writers throughout NO’s long history match those felt by me every time I’m down there. The city’s grown on me. Capote, Percy, Faulkner and others got it, and many still do. Great book!