Books & Fiction: The Man Who Became His Diary

Plus: Rebecca Solnit discusses her new book, and new poetry by Eileen Myles and David Baker. View in browser | Update your preferences Life and Letters The Most Ambitious Diary in History Claude Fredericks, a Bennington classics professor, knew Anaïs Nin and James Merrill, and taught Donna Tartt. He kept a journal for eight decades, and persuaded many in his orbit that he was writing a titanic masterpiece. Did he? By Benjamin Anastas Q. & A. Rebecca Solnit on the Politics of Pleasure The author discusses her new book “Orwell’s Roses” and the role of art and beauty as forms of resistance. By Helen Rosner Books Early Civilizations Had It All Figured Out A contrarian account of our prehistory argues that cities once flourished without rulers and rules—and still could. By Gideon Lewis-Kraus Books Briefly Noted “The Morning Star,” “Imminence,” “Things I Have Withheld,” and “Orwell’s Roses.” Poetry Poems “pencil & pen” “A minute is so / long.” By Eileen Myles Poems “Can You Say It” “There was a busyness. Yes, in the apple tree.” By David Baker The Writer’s Voice The Writer’s Voice: Fiction from the Magazine Jamil Jan Kochai Reads “The Haunting of Hajji Hotak” The author reads his story from this week’s issue of the magazine. More from The New Yorker Culture Desk The Velvet Underground Eludes Todd Haynes The long-awaited documentary about the Velvet Underground is very good, but we had reason to expect more. By Kevin Dettmar Infinite Scroll We Already Live in Facebook’s Metaverse Who among us wants to inhabit an even more virtual world of Mark Zuckerberg’s creation? By Kyle Chayka You’re receiving this e-mail because you signed up for Books & Fiction from The New Yorker. Was this e-mail forwarded to you? Sign up. Unsubscribe | Manage your e-mail preferences | Send newsletter feedback | View our Privacy Policy Copyright © Condé Nast 2021. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.