Books & Literary Life

Literary criticism, author interviews, and book culture from within and beyond Harvard.

For This Poet, AI is a Writing Partner

Sasha Stiles trained a chatbot on her manuscripts. Now, her poems rewrite themselves.

by Lydialyle Gibson

Adam Kirsch reviews "The Art of the Sonnet," by Stephen Burt and David Mikics

Adam Kirsch reviews The Art of the Sonnet, by Stephen Burt and David Mikics

by Adam Kirsch

Recent books with Harvard connections

Recent books with Harvard connections

Yamamoto at Harvard, and a Harvard Community Garden

What Admiral Yamamoto learned at Harvard, and a new community garden

Alfred Alcorn's museum mystery books

Alfred Alcorn ’64 sets his Harvard-flavored murder mysteries in one of his favorite places: a museum. With audio from an interview with Alcorn.

by Craig Lambert

Profile of literary agent Andrew Wylie

Andrew Wylie '70 runs a powerful literary agency that mixes hardball business and highbrow tastes. With audio from an interview with Wylie.

by Craig Lambert

Updike papers at Houghton Library

Taking a look at the Houghton Library holdings

Harvard Headlines: Books by Melvin Konner, Steven Shapin, and Thomas Bisson

Three recent reviews of books by Harvard-affiliated scholars (two faculty members and one alumnus).

New Yorker writer John McPhee's listener, Gordon Gund '61

A Paris Review article describes how renowned author John McPhee reads his drafts to his friend Gordon Gund ’61.

Articles on the urban plantscape; a prestigious math award; Commencement humor

Our news roundup includes articles on landscape architecture professor Peter del Tredici and mathematics professor John Tate, and Commencement humor from The Onion.