In Memoriam: Authors We Lost in 2024
As we move into the new year, we look back on some of the great writers who passed away in…
A Life Remembered
Where to Start Reading Alice Munro
From Lorrie Moore (I am Homeless if This is Not My Home) to Claire Dederer (Monsters) and Khaled Hosseini (The…
Some of These Things are True and Some of Them Lies. But They are All Good Stories: Reading Hilary Mantel
It was Wolf Hall, her intimate, accessible, unforgettable novel set at the court of King Henry VIII, that put Hilary…
A Tribute to Literary Icon, Cormac McCarthy
Cormac McCarthy was notorious for not doing interviews about his writing; he was always very clear about letting the work…
Remembering Queen Elizabeth II
Queen Elizabeth II lived a long and full life in service to her country. The longest reigning monarch thus far,…
Remembering Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933-2020)
Known for her legendary dissents and stylish jabots, Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a cultural icon playfully dubbed the “Notorious R.B.G.” And while she happily embraced…
Remembering Lone Wolf and Cub Creator Kazuo Koike
With the passing of Kazuo Koike, who died last week at the age of 82, the manga world lost one…
Science Fiction Grand Master Gene Wolfe, 1931 – 2019
Science Fiction Grand Master Gene Wolfe, the author of more than two dozen novels—most famously the four-volume Book of the…
William Goldman Found Heart and Humor in a Fairy Tale
Novelist, screenwriter, and memoirist William Goldman has died at the age of 87 after a brief illness and a long…
With a Pen, Stan Lee Changed Lives and Created Universes
Stan Lee, who became a towering figure in pop culture over an extraordinary eight decades in comics, died this week…
A Conversation with Philip Roth (1933–2018)
Today we remember great American author Philip Roth, who entered public consciousness with the elegiac coming of age Goodbye, Columbus, inflamed…
Coming Home, Again, to Ursula K. Le Guin
I’ve long referred to Ursula K. Le Guin my literary grandmother, a polestar of my understanding of fiction, fantasy, and…
RIP George Romero, Monster of My Childhood
When I was at an impressionable age—say 13 or 14—I was traumatized by George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead.…
On the Passing of Master Manga-ka Jiro Taniguchi…
Jiro Taniguchi, whose manga celebrated the beauty of everyday life and the majesty of the highest mountains, has died at…
Goodbye to the Truly Unsinkable Debbie Reynolds
One day after her daughter, the legendary actress and author Carrie Fisher, passed away at age 60, Debbie Reynolds suffered…
Saying Goodbye to Richard Adams, Author of Watership Down
Some might say a life that included serious study, service during World War II, a stellar career, and a loving family…
Carrie Fisher Was Far More Than the Galaxy’s Most Iconic Princess
“If my life wasn’t funny it would just be true, and that is unacceptable.” Princess. Writer. Legend. Carrie Fisher, the…
Sheri S. Tepper Leaves a Legacy of Stunning Science Fiction & Fantasy
Sheri S. Tepper died on Saturday, October 22, 2016 at the age of 87. Like many women of her generation,…
Our Absolute Favorite Gene Wilder Moments
With the passing of Gene Wilder yesterday, at the age of 83, we’ve lost one of our culture’s constants, one of…
In Remembrance of Muhammad Ali, Boxing Legend
Muhammad Ali, legendary boxer and influential political figure, universally hailed as The Greatest, has died after a decades-long battle with…