TODAY: In 1884, William Wells Brown, author of the memoir the Narrative of William W. Brown, a Fugitive Slave, Written by Himself, dies.
- “The men behind Jackson’s candidacy convinced a plurality of the American that he was on their side, whatever side it was.” On Andrew Jackson, who’s… basically Trump, right? | Lit Hub
- More books, fewer weapons: five Latin American women writers to read in the wake of Jair Bolsonaro’s election. | Lit Hub
- “Not all great achievements are influential, or at least not on everybody.” William Gass on 12 of the most important books in his life. | Lit Hub
- “For tourists, what Rome was could not be allowed to obstruct the view of what Rome was supposed to be.” On the grand tradition of Englishmen complaining about Italy. | Lit Hub
- “I saw my whiteness, mocking me, daring me to understand it.” Eula Biss on the false comfort of belonging. | Lit Hub
- New poetry by Natasha Tretheway, from her new collection Monument. | Lit Hub
- “Something about my childhood in New York in the seventies was a kind of urban ferality…” Jonathan Lethem talks childhood, Southern California, and crime fiction. | CrimeReads
- The author of The Life of Saul Bellow Zachary Leader talks to Jane Ciabattari about his five favorite literary lives. | Book Marks
- A letter from Baudelaire to his mistress, announcing his plans to take his life, sells at auction for €234,000 | The Guardian
- “That’s what everyone wants from Lucia Berlin after first encountering her tragicomic oeuvre: more.” On Lucia Berlin’s posthumous literary superstardom. | Vogue
- “I’m in a hotel lobby. I’m doing my job. I’m here. When I breathe, the sun cracks open.” Read a new essay by Tommy Pico. | Powell’s
- An archive of Haruki Murakami’s work will be established at his alma mater, Waseda University, in Japan. | The Tribune
- “You’re on a plane. You’re on a train. Who are you going to read, in this condition? Henry James? No. You’re going to read Lee Child.” On the enduring relevance of Jack Reacher. | The Atlantic
- In Lifetime’s new Austen adaptation, Pride and Prejudice: Atlanta, Mr. Bennett is a pastor at a Southern Baptist church and Mrs. Bennett writes how-to books for husband hunters. Sign. Us. Up. | Deadline
Also on Lit Hub: Nuar Alsadir on the craft of writing empathy • Meet National Book Award in Poetry finalists Jenny Xie and Justin Phillip Reed • Read from The Feral Detective
