In Search of the best American Novel
The challenge:
A big country demands big books. To ask for the best work of American fiction, therefore, is not simply – or not really – to ask for the most beautifully written or the most enjoyable to read. We all have our personal favorites, but I suspect that something other than individual taste underwrites most of the choices here. The best works of fiction, according to our tally, appear to be those that successfully assume a burden of cultural importance. They attempt not just the exploration of particular imaginary people and places, but also the illumination of epochs, communities, of the nation itself. America is not only their setting, but also their subject.
A.O Scott, in the NY Times
The winners. But can I say I never have been able to read Toni Morrison?
[x]#1814 fan dinsdag 16 mei 2006 @ 10:55:41
