The Novel, Murdered

Tony Soprano did it.

Dalrymple 1, Ferguson 0

Here's a diverting little exchange of letters between historians Niall Ferguson and William Dalrymple over whether the former "encouraged the US to embrace empire", as alleged by the latter. (For epistolatory rancour, though, nothing equals the Le Carre-Rushdie stand-off, with a guest appearance by Christopher Hitchens.)

Both Good And Delicious

Good news for those who were enchanted by Anne Fadiman's Ex Libris: she has another collection out, entitled At Large and At Small, of which Heller McAlpin says: "A typical Fadiman essay begins with an engaging personal anecdote before branching out into the history of the subject in question. As her extensive bibliography indicates, research aplenty goes into each piece. But it's all so delightful, it's like eating a meal that is both good for you and delicious."

Match The Comments To The Commentors

1. "Rushdie's book is an insult."
2. "I suspect that Salman Rushdie, if he is not caught in a chain of events of which he has completely lost control, might, by now, be ready to consider asking his world publishers to stop producing more or new editions of The Satanic Verses."
3. "[Rushdie is] a dangerous opportunist."
4. "It seems to me he has nothing more to prove except his own insensitivity."


A. Roald Dahl
B. John Berger
C. John Le Carre
D. Jimmy Carter

(Answers here.)

Shteyngart-istan

From being brought up as a poor Russian immigrant in Queens "with no television in the apartment and no spoken English" to becoming one of America's most interesting young authors, Gary Shteyngart's come a long way. Here's a profile and interview.