Literature in the Time of Suicide

By Megan CumminsAugust 19, 2026

“In both these Spanish-language novels, thinking about suicide is not only to grapple with someone else’s decision to die, but also inevitably with one’s own decision to go on living.” The post Literature in the Time of Suicide appeared first on Public Books.

Read article

Literature & Essays

Comments

No comments yet.

Dorthe Nors on Striving to Write Emotionally Resonant Fiction

I published my first novel twenty-five years ago. It was not a masterpiece, but to me it was a miracle. Unboxing was still a private phenomenon back then and I remember looking at the book in disbelief. There it was

Dorthe NorsAug 24, 2026

Literary Hub

How Talking About Death Helps Us Live a Fuller Life

The first time I realized I was going to die I was cutting out an obituary for a project for my 6th grade class. I was working on the living room floor, as my father slouched nearby on the brown

E. K. SchraderAug 21, 2026

Public Books

“Our Guns Make the Violence That People Are Fleeing”: Ieva Jusionyte on Guns & Violence in Mexico

“I was already there, and I was already an ethnographer. I was interested in borders as sites of state violence. I became very curious and I thought I would like to follow the guns south.” The post “Our Guns Make the Violence That People Are Fleeing”: Ieva Jusionyte on Guns & Violence in Mexico appeared first on Public Books.

Megan CumminsAug 20, 2026

The Conversation

Australian poetry classics: Francis Webb, the 20th century’s ‘most unjustly neglected poet’, is our best kept literary secret

Francis Webb was the first Australian poet to openly discuss mental health crises and the stigmatisation of mental patients.

Toby Davidson, Senior Lecturer in Literary Studies, Macquarie UniversityAug 20, 2026

Public Books

Birds Beyond Birding

“Looking at birds helps us notice connections, imagine better worlds, and build new solidarities across differences, including across species.” The post Birds Beyond Birding appeared first on Public Books.

Megan CumminsAug 21, 2026

The Paris Review

If You Build It, Will They Come? On the Sperm Racing World Cup

Onto Sperm Racing’s elegantly vulgar premise, the company has grafted a lame higher purpose intended to justify and temper the joyful stupidity of the enterprise.

Paul McAdoryAug 21, 2026