The Paris Review Issue 253

by Emily Stokes (Editor), Kelley Deane McKinney (Managing Editor), Dennis Zhou (Senior Editor)

Eliot Weinberger on the Art of the Essay: “I have no interest in first-person investigation. Personally, I’ve never found myself an interesting person.”

Maggie Nelson on the Art of Nonfiction: “It’s important to notice when the spark of magic or curiosity is there and what snuffs it out, and being around too many writers, for me, snuffs it out.”

Prose by Anne Carson, Renny Gong, Aurora Huiza, Jordy Rosenberg, Bud Smith, and Yan Lianke.

Poetry by Roque Dalton, Ishion Hutchinson, Patricia Lockwood, Mariano Melgar, Eileen Myles, Katie Peterson, and authors unknown.

Art by Talia Chetrit, Martha Diamond, and Jamian Juliano-Villani; cover by Issy Wood.

245 pages, Paperback

Published September 1, 2025

Reviews

[Olivia Kane]

favorite stories

“eiffel towers”
“skyhawks”

favorite poetry

“cave paintings”
“i wasn’t always this ugly”

[Bri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is by far my favorite edition of The Paris Review I’ve ever read. As far as contemporary everything goes, I am definitely the target demographic of these wonderfully considerate stories, which broach the everyday now with precision, care, and humor. Get this one if you get any!! Skyhawks made me cry, while reading, and while thinking about it while driving. Masterfully, masterfully done. The Maggie Nelson interview probably changed my life. Thank you to the editor for this one <3

[Sarah Foulc · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m hooked and want all the seasons 😍

[Maggi Z · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Art of Non-Fiction #13 - Maggie Nelson

[Jerry Muzsik · Rating 4 out of 5]

I LIKED (in order of liking):

1. YAN LIANKE: https://www.theparisreview.org/fictio...
2. RENNY GONG (PING PONG STORY): https://www.theparisreview.org/fictio...
3. EVERYTHING ELSE

WHY DO I LIKE CHINESE FICTION SO MUCH????

[Julia Atkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maggie Nelson's interview stood out, as did Renny Gong's Ping-Pong Kids.

[Jessica Roberts]

poll: is it socially acceptable to add the paris review to my goodreads? still trying to figure that out

[Timothy · Rating 4 out of 5]

pretty good literature in here this issue

[Bryce]

another solid edition. The Hittite poetry was neat. Interview with Eliot Weinburger appreciative. Every prose story was a delight.

[william · Rating 4 out of 5]

so so varied and so so illustrative