About this item
In the public imagination, Midwestern literature has not evolved far beyond heartland laborers and hardscrabble immigrants of a century past. But as the region has changed, so, in many ways, has its fiction. In this book, the author explores how shifts in work, class, place, race, and culture has been reflected or ignored by novelists and short story writers. From Marilynne Robinson to Leon Forrest, Toni Morrison to Aleksandar Hemon, Bonnie Jo Campbell to Stewart O'Nan this book is a call to rethink the way we conceive Midwestern fiction, and one that is sure to prompt some new must-have additions to every reading list.
About the Author
I've written on books---a lot of subjects, but mostly books---for a variety publications, including the New York Times Book Review, Washington Post Book World, Chicago Sun-Times, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Barnes and Noble Review. For six years I served as a board member of the National Book Critics Circle, twice chairing its fiction committee. But beyond all that I'm a reader, with a particular interest in stories about my native Chicago and the broader Midwest. My new book is "The New Midwest," a brief survey of contemporary fiction set in the region. Here are some nice things that some smart people have said about it:
"In vigorous, supple, and readable prose, Mark Athitakis surveys the 21st century cultural landscape of a Midwest not defined by old pieties or prejudices, or its past canonical literary expression. Most importantly, perhaps, the scope of this survey will leave its readers hungry rather than sated, anxious to read about a region that might once have seemed familiar, even routine, but can be understood in new and different ways." --Bill Savage, Northwestern University
"The very best criticism delights as it elucidates. Athitakis does both with his dead-on look at the fiction of the Midwest, from Cather to Franzen, and Midwesterners' eternal conflict between person and place. I loved this book." - Robert Goolrick, author of A Reliable Wife
"Mark Athitakis is among the greatest of the new critics: the wit of his perception is perfectly matched by the elegance of his expression. He does the thing you need: tells what you need to read, and why. And reminds us why we read - because his stuff is such thrilling, brain-enhancing fun." -David Lipsky, author of Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself: A Road Trip With David Foster Wallace
