PanameThe City of Light’s Dark UnderbellyA new book praises the gritty, chaotic history lurking beneath Paris’s romantic image—but risks mythologizing the city’s urban poor. Lauren Elkin
Walking TourSearching Naples for Elena FerranteStrolling the streets of Naples, a fan of Ferrante’s magisterial quartet of novels about the lifelong friendship of two women discovers how the city itself is a major character.Lauren Elkin
Scenic RoutesCrazy CartographyMaps of places you’ve never been, maps of paper routes, maps of desktops: artists and writers conjure directions for heretofore uncharted Xanadus. Lauren Elkin
This Way and ThatTo Dream a DreamEveryone else’s dreams are boring, but for a writer like Georges Perec his dreams can be a way to understand his other writing. Lauren Elkin journeys into Neverland with the Oulipian writer.Lauren Elkin
Fan FictionWhat Jane Austen Missed<p>There have been numerous novels inspired by Jane Austen’s <i>Pride and Prejudice, </i>but Jo Baker’s depiction of what happens below stairs with the servants is the most intriguing yet. Lauren Elkin on a smart fan fiction.<br> </p> Lauren Elkin
'The Art of Joy'A Book Worth Saving?<p>Usually if a book was controversial or never published, we think it worthy of rescuing from the literary dustbin. But a sexually charged Italian novel leaves Lauren Elkin wondering if some novels are best left to history. Read her earlier essay on the <a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2013/08/16/the-art-of-rediscovery-muriel-rukseyer-s-savage-coast.html">opposite case</a>.</p> Lauren Elkin
Twice-Told TalesThe Art of Literary Rescue<p>What makes an old, forgotten book worth saving and reissuing? What literature stands the test of time to emerge from obscurity? Lauren Elkin reads two recently rediscovered books. Part One: Muriel Rukeyser’s novel about the Spanish Civil War, <i>Savage Coast</i>.</p> Lauren Elkin
The Face BookThe First Great Internet NovelA woman gets drawn into an online forum and is asked to impersonate someone else. Lauren Elkin salutes Lottie Moggach’s novel.Lauren Elkin
Rebecca SolnitThe Collector<p>From a history of walking to post-disaster stories, Rebecca Solnit has had one of the most varied literary careers. She talks punk, textual pleasure, Iceland, and her new book, <i>The Faraway Nearby</i>, with Lauren Elkin.</p> Lauren Elkin
Olivia ManningMarried to the WarUnderrated and underread British novelist Olivia Manning didn’t know she would be devoting her life to dramatizing WWII. By Lauren Elkin.Lauren Elkin
