In this edition a huge preview of books coming in the second half of 2023 and my review of Catherine Lacey’s Biography of X.
Book news
The first half of 2023 has been a treat for book lovers. Here are some of the books I am really excited about in the second half of the year. I will be adding to this list so if you have a recommendation get in touch.
June
MARIETTE NAVARRO - Ultramarine - Heloise
England’s Hidden Reverse - David Keenan - Strange Attractor
Soldiers, Hunters, Not Cowboys - Aaron Tucker - Coach House Press
Paul Murry - Bee Sting - Hamish Hamilton
Backmask - O F Cieri- Malarkey Books
July
September and the Night - MAICA RAFECAS - Fum D’estanpa Press
Lee Klein - Chaotic Good - Sagging Meniscus
Audition - Pip Adam - Giramondo
The Plotinus - Rikki Dicornet - Coffee House Press
A Little Luck - Claudia Piñeiro - Charco Press
The Country of Toó - Rodgirgo Rey Rosa - Biblioasis
Not Even The Dead - Juan Goméz Barcena Open Letter
The Vegan - Andrew Lipstein - FSG
Crook Manifesto - Colton Whitehead - Doubleday
The Gold Seekers - Augusto Monterroso - Sublunary
August
Violent Solutions to Popular Problem - M.J. Nicholls - Sagging Meniscus
Café Purgatorio - Frederick Mark Kramer - Sagging Meniscus
Sublunar- Harald Voetmann New Directions
Lars Iyer - My Weil - Melville House
September
Summa Kaotica - VENTURA AMETLLER - Fum D’estanpa Press
The Pole - J.M. Coetzee
Marshland - Otohiko Kaga - Dalkey
Meyer Clemens - While We Were Dreaming - Fitzcaraldo
Confession - Martín Kohan - Charco Press
Nefando - Mónica Ojeda - Coffee House Press
Juan Cárdenas - Devil of The Provinces - Coffee House Press
The Future - Catherine Leroux Biblioasis
The Love of Singular Men- Victor Heringer - New Directions
My Work - Olga Ravn
October
A Shining - John Fosse - Transit Books
Miss Mackintosh, My Darling - Dalkey
Antagonist - Jean-Pierre Attal - Dalkey
The Delivery - Margarita García Robayo - Charco Press
DAYS & DAYS & DAYS - TONE SCHUNNESSON - Heloise
November
Love Training - Andrés Neuman - Phoneme Media
Commission of Tears by Antonio Lobo Antunes - Dalkey
Forgotten Manuscript - Sergio Chejfec - Charco Press
Taming The Devine Heron - Sergio Pitol (part 2 of the trilogy begun in The Love Parade) Deep Vellum
The New Animals - Pip Adam - The Dorothy Project
Skeletons in The Closet - Jean-Patrick Manchette - NYRB
The Annual Banquet of the Gravediggers’ Guild - Mathias Énard - New Directions
Retranslation of Apple In The Dark - Clarice Lispector - New Directions
December
New Collection of Robert Coover short stories from Dalkey
Review
Biography of X - Catherine Lacey FSG
As many of you may know, two of my favourite books over the last year have been The Unauthorised Biography of Ezra Maas by Daniel James and Roar by Bruce Wagner. Both novels feature a central character who is fictional but they are inserted into the real world of art and cinema and writing. This made the Biography of X pretty appealing for me.
The basic set up is the book is a biography of an an artist known as X written by her widow, CM, in an attempt to right the record. It is put together from previous interviews, archives, and X’s widow’s investigation into the the life her mysterious partner. X’s artistic life is rich and features a range of famous collaborators including Bowie, Warhol and even Merve Emre makes an appearance. There are photos footnotes and this book had me frantically googling to find out who was real and who was not. X’s identity is mysterious and the reader soon realises that the book is set in an alternate America in which the North and South of North America have split in two and the north have become highly progressive and the south has morality police. As it turns out X grew up in the south and there is a focus on her involvement with radical movements in the oppressed states. The book has strong affinities with Underground Railroad, Yiddish Policeman’s Union and The Man in the High Castle and it does share similarities with Roar and Maas. Conceptually the books is adventurous and it is certainly ambitious but there is so much in the book I am not sure she quite manages to pull everything off. At times the characters and concepts seem underdeveloped and the book feels crammed with so many details the narrative struggles under the weight. That said it is well worth a read and if you enjoy it do seek out The Unauthorised Biography of Ezra Maas and Roar.
Biography of X by Catherine Lacey is out now from FSG and Granta.