The Colombian novelist mixed fiction and fact to capture the outsize reality of Latin America. Even if you’ve never watched a priest levitate, a carpet fly or a drop of blood climb over curbs, there’s something for you.
“Over the years,” says the historical novelist, whose new book is “The Trackers,” “I’ve come to realize that many great books we were assigned to read in school are far more enjoyable and have more to say when approached later in life.”
Playing Blanche DuBois is shattering, say the actresses featured in Nancy Schoenberger’s “Blanche.” But Tennessee Williams’s most indelible character is now a figure of sympathy.
Sarah Bakewell’s sweeping new survey of the philosophical tradition, “Humanly Possible,” says that putting your faith in human behavior means confronting complacency and nihilism — but it can be worth it.
A strip of lush land at the tip of India where spices grow wild, Kerala has long drawn the gaze of outsiders. Here’s Abraham Verghese’s guide to its literature, which nods at these influences but is very much its own.
Paul Theroux, the quintessential travel writer, has also enshrined his Massachusetts roots in his writing. Here are his recommendations for those who come to visit.
Hiromi Kawakami, one of Japan’s most popular contemporary novelists, travels with books that help her immerse herself in her destination. Here, she suggests reading for those coming to her hometown, Tokyo.
By Hiromi Kawakami and translated by Allison Markin Powell
