Inaugural Poet Richard Blanco: 'I Finally Felt Like I Was Home'
Blanco, who read his poem "One Today" at Obama's second inauguration, is the first immigrant, Latino and openly gay poet chosen to read at an inauguration.
Books
'Forcing The Spring' Tells One Chapter In Story Of Marriage Equality
The strategy of going to the Supreme Court to challenge Proposition 8 was controversial within the gay-rights movement. Now, Jo Becker's new book is proving to be controversial as well.
The Tawdry Ballad Of A Man, A Casino And A Game Of Chance
The Ballad of a Small Player is set in the murky underworld of Macau's casinos. Reviewer Tash Aw calls the novel a masterful and thrilling collision of old Asia and 21st century glamour.
A Love Letter To Literature: Reading Gabo In 'The Paris Review'
Gabriel Garcia Marquez died Thursday. It would be hard to overstate the importance of his novels, but author Gustavo Arellano recommends getting to know him in a different medium.
Colombia Mourns Death Of Favorite Son: Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Nobel Prize-winning author Gabriel Garcia Marquez, 87, died on Thursday. He made Colombia synonymous with literature, particularly the dreamlike, whimsical story-telling known as magical realism.
Writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Who Gave Voice To Latin America, Dies
The master of magic realism was the region's best-known writer. His novels were filled with miraculous events and characters; love and madness; wars, dreams and death. He died Thursday at 87.
'Bintel Brief' And 'Hellfighters': American Stories, Powerfully Illustrated
Critic Maureen Corrigan recommends two graphic novels — one about a Yiddish advice column in the early 1900s and another about a regiment of African-American soldiers who fought during World War I.
Book Review: 'Kinder Than Solitude'
Ellah Allfrey reviews Kinder Than Solitude, by Yiyun Li.
Exploring Life's Incurable Soiledness With The Father Of Italian Noir
A crackling new translation of Giorgio Scerbanenco's crime novel Private Venus has just been released. Critic John Powers read it in a single sitting.
Pakistan, The Taliban And The Real 'Enemy' Of The Afghanistan War
In a new book, New York Times correspondent Carlotta Gall offers new information about how Pakistan has helped the Taliban in Afghanistan and may have helped hide Osama bin Laden.