Books & Fiction: The Italian Novelist Who Envisioned a World Without Humanity

Plus: the archives of an unfulfilled genius, and rereading “The Age of Innocence.” View in browser | Update your preferences Books The Italian Novelist Who Envisioned a World Without Humanity In “Dissipatio H.G.,” Guido Morselli probes the border between blissful solitude and extreme loneliness. By Alejandro Chacoff Essays & Criticism Culture Desk The Archives of an Unfulfilled Genius Edward Stringham was a collator at The New Yorker for forty years. Was he trying to collate the world? By Mary Norris Cultural Comment “The Age of Innocence” at a Moment of Increased Appetite for Eating the Rich Edith Wharton’s novel, now a hundred, made its author wealthier than ever by offering up her own people for derision and envy. By Hillary Kelly Books Briefly Noted “The Kidnapping Club,” “Dark, Salt, Clear,” “Ordesa,” and “The Sun Collective.” Poetry Poems “I Catch Sight of the Now” “Suddenly there is no more of what there / was.” By Jorie Graham Poems “Final Poem for My Father Misnamed in My Mouth” “Death means / everything has become / possible.” By Phillip B. Williams The Writer’s Voice The Writer’s Voice: Fiction from the Magazine Andrea Lee Reads “The Rivals” The author reads her story from the January 4 & 11, 2021, issue of the magazine. More from The New Yorker Cultural Comment The Hidden Depths of Alex Trebek’s Banter with “Jeopardy!” Contestants What those mid-game chats revealed about being ordinary. By Beth Blum Screening Room An Animated Short Film About Outcasts in a Cruel World When the protagonist of Florian Grolig’s “Friends” brings home a giant, a sizable chunk of hell breaks loose. By Douglas Watson This e-mail was sent to you by The New Yorker. To insure delivery, we recommend adding newyorker@newsletters.newyorker.com, to your contacts, while noting that it is a no-reply address. Please send all newsletter feedback to tnyinbox@newyorker.com. For more from The New Yorker, sign up for our newsletters, shop the store, and sign in to newyorker.com, where subscribers always have unlimited access. Contact us with questions. View our Privacy Policy Unsubscribe Copyright © Condé Nast 2020. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.