TODAY: In 1897, “The Katzenjammer Kids,” the pioneering comic strip by Rudolph Dirks, debuted in the New York Journal.
- “If he’d been a character in fiction, he’d have been unbelievable, less a convincing person than a constellation of symbols, a dream that a certain population of America had of itself.” Hanya Yanagihara, Marilynne Robinson, and other writers share thoughts on Obama’s legacy. | The Guardian
- I recognize that I am in very rare company, to say the least: Bob Dylan’s Nobel Prize acceptance speech, which he did not deliver in person (although Patti Smith performed on his behalf). | Nobelprize.org, YouTube
- Talking and talking and reflecting and then digressing with Javier Marías. | The New Yorker
- The longlist for the 2017 Tournament of Books, from Leila Aboulela to Nell Zink, has been announced. | The Morning News
- “Given the sheer tonnage of books already devoted to the Nazis and Hitler, you might assume that everything interesting, terrible and bizarre is already known,” and yet: A new book delves into the drug use of the Third Reich. | The New York Times
- In a just world, every single person who was in favor of invading Iraq would have to read this book: On the speculative fiction collection Iraq + 100, which asked contributing writers to imagine Iraq 100 years in the future. | NPR
- Shrew. Witch daughter. A short story by Wendy C. Ortiz. | Joyland
