On public lives, secret memoirs, and censoring the dead.
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Posted inArts & Culture, Books, History, Nonfiction, Story
The Corpse Rider
“I could see the ghosts,” recalled Lafcadio Hearn about his early childhood. Late in life, he became a celebrated chronicler of Japan’s folk tales: stories of strange demons and lingering visitations.
Posted inNonfiction
Longreads Best of 2019: Essays
We asked writers and editors to choose some of their favorite stories of the year in various categories. Here is the best in essays.
Posted inEssays & Criticism, Feature, Nonfiction, Story
The Art of Losing Friends and Alienating People
Laura Lippman, admittedly a rotten friend, is bummed by the ways in which friendships end as one gets older.
Posted inNonfiction
Lloyd’s Mattress
Scott Korb contemplates disgust — his own, yours — at the kind of magical thinking that promises (with fingers crossed) to protect us from all the causes of dying.
Posted inArts & Culture, Books, Culture, Essays & Criticism, Feature, profile, Story, Writing
Beautiful Women, Ugly Scenes: On Novelist Nettie Jones and the Madness of ‘Fish Tales’
Edited by Toni Morrison, the 1983 novel ‘Fish Tales’ by Nettie Jones was supposed to set the literary world on fire. It didn’t.
Posted inFeature
Tea, Biscuits, and Empire: The Long Con of Britishness
The soft-focus Britain of Downton Abbey bears little resemblance to the real Britain collapsing under the weight of racism, austerity, and COVID-19. As Brexit plods on, it’s time for an honest reckoning of the history and future of this outsize little island.
Posted inNonfiction, Top 5
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
This week, we’re sharing stories from Jane Mayer, Michael J. Mooney, Elisa Gabbert, Nicole Chung, and Ashley Fetters.
Posted inEssays & Criticism, Story
Cross Talk
Jacqueline Alnes wrestles with identity, belonging, and privilege after a crisis of faith at a Missouri-based Christian Kamp 9,000 miles from her Indonesian home.
Posted inBooks, Nonfiction, Profiles & Interviews, Story
Shapes of Native Nonfiction: ‘The Basket Isn’t a Metaphor, It’s an Example’
The editors of “Shapes of Native Nonfiction” talk about the craft of writing, the politics of metaphor, and resisting the exploitation of trauma.
