The Paris Review, Issue 207, Winter 2013

by Lorin Stein (Editor), Rachel Cusk, J.D. Daniels

Geoff Dyer on the art of nonfiction: "The process of book writing for me is entirely one of trial and error." And Edward P. Jones on the art of fiction: "Until I can read a story physically, with the eyes, it doesn’t seem to exist for me."

The first installment of a novel by Rachel Cusk. New fiction from J. D. Daniels, Jenny Offill, Nell Freudenberger, Ottessa Moshfegh, and Lydia Davis, and the winner of the NPR Three-Minute Fiction Contest.

Poems by Kevin Prufer, Susan Stewart, Hilda Hilst, Charlie Smith, Monica Youn, Sylvie Baumgartel, Emily Moore, and Linda Pastan. A portfolio of nudes by Chuck Close.

Genres: Poetry

244 pages, Perfectbound

First published January 16, 2014

About the author

Lorin Stein is an American critic, editor, and translator. He was an editor of The Paris Review.

Reviews

[Daniel Chaikin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The interview of Edward P. Jones was fascinating. If you believe the calmness in his words, then he is just someone who is manifestly unperturbed by the basic troubles and stresses with life. And he's had numerous troubles and stresses.

As for the rest:

Part one of four of Rachel Cusk's novel was interesting enough that I hope to read it.

Geoff Dyer's interview (Art of Nonfiction) was interesting. He is oddly arrogant, which I don't think I minded, but he stubbornly insists he is breaking down the split between fiction and nonfiction, then
contradicted himself by making statements about their difference. I guess I didn't quite buy into him.

I liked Jenny Offill's fictional diary-like entries about being a new mother.

Mixed on Sylvie Nell Freudenberger's Hover and Lydia Davis's The Seals.

Poetry with one or two poems between each story simply doesn't work well for me. Nothing sticks. But I know I really liked Charlie Smith's Bus to Tuxtla, Sylvie Baumgartel's Gramercy Park and Caprice. And I also like Linda Pastan's - Last Rites.

But, outside Jones, and maybe Cusk, it wasn't the kind of magazine that makes me want to read these kings of magazines.

[Ned · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Lydia Davis story "The Seals" is good. But the bulk of this is the first part of Rachel Cusk's Outline series which I liked as well.

[John]

Uhh nudes. This issue is full of naked pictures. So. Read it. For, uhh, the articles.
"Nudes," by photographer, Chuck Close. A Okay.

And an interesting interview in this issue with author Geoff Dyer who's books merge the two categories of fiction and non-fiction in interesting ways.

[Ann Douglas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highlights of this issue include the author interviews -- Geoff Dyer (non-fiction) and Edward P. Jones (fiction) -- and the excerpt from Rachel Cusk's forthcoming novel Outline.

[P. E. Hudson · Rating 5 out of 5]

So glad I've picked up the Paris Review again. Very much enjoy it. What wonderful weekend reading.