| In which I muse on writing biography, criticism, and other random happenings in the world of books.

Oct 3, 2012 by ruth

Today at TNR.com, I wrote about J.K. Rowling’s new novel for adults. The Casual Vacancy certainly qualifies as R-rated, if not...

Sep 24, 2012 by ruth

While looking up a piece Stanley Edgar Hyman wrote for the magazine Tomorrow in 1947, I stumbled upon this article. With a title...

Jun 29, 2012 by ruth

Below is a letter I sent today to the editors of Bookforum: senior editors Michael Miller, Albert Mobilio, and Chris Lehmann and...

Jun 12, 2012 by ruth

I was honored to receive the 2012 Roger Shattuck Prize in literary criticism from the Center for Fiction. Below is a lightly edited...

Literary resolutions for 2013