Elif Batuman
Turkish-American essayist and novelist known for literary criticism and travel writing.
Turkish-American essayist and novelist known for literary criticism and travel writing.
Elif Batuman values this essay for its profound connection to the landscape of Leukerbad and its potential for reinterpretation through a Jamesian lens.
“I just reread James Baldwin’s essay “The Stranger in the Village” (1953), which he wrote in/ about Leukerbad”
Elif Batuman recommends the work because she found the reading at the Berlin Poetry Festival amazing and deeply moving.
“It’s a text that she started writing in Italy in June 2023, it’s very time-specific to these long days and short nights.”
Elif Batuman values this novel for its depiction of the early career struggles of Thomas Mann, which resonates with Elif Batuman's current writing.
Elif Batuman recommends this work for its rare ability to acknowledge and analyze the phenomenon of reading slumps.
Elif Batuman values this novel for its historical role in triggering a public scandal and serving as a foundational example of the roman à clef genre.
“A sorry bird that besmirches its own nest.”
