A new translation of the poem by Swedish novelist and poet Karin Boye (1900–1941) — Of course it hurts when the buds burst Why otherwise would they hesitate? Why would all our fiery longing be bound by that frozen, bitter pallor? The bud was a casing all winter. What is this new thing that consumes and ruptures? …

And then compel you to put down your coffee and open your computer (or pick up a pen) — One of the best moments when reading a book is when a sentence hits you in that soft spot. You stop, maybe you look up, close your eyes, turn the book over on your lap. You let the words sink in. …

And Make You Want to Read (Reread) it — Many writers view Leo Tolstoy as the best writer in the world. …

A Review of Andrey Kurkov’s Grey Bees — The act of reading any novel is a personal experience. Joyce Carol Oates describes it as slipping into another’s skin, another’s soul. Vladimir Nabokov goes to another obvious but overlooked point: readers are not alike. No matter how many accolades or good reviews a novel has received, it will still…

The One-Year Correspondence that Would Change the Course of History — After the reports of the atrocities in Bucha and Mariupol, I had a hard time processing my relationship to Russian literature. The more I thought of it, however, the more I realized that while Russian literature cannot explain or forgive the war crimes committed by Vladimir Putin and Russian soldiers…

The literary giants were not so different —