New Yorker Staff Picks Eight Great American Novels
New Yorker staffers each selected a Great American Novel, including Curtis Sittenfeld's 'American Wife,' Nathanael West's 'Miss Lonelyhearts,' Norman Rush's 'Mating,' Joan Didion's 'The Last Thing He Wanted,' James Welch's 'Winter in the Blood,' Alison Bechdel's 'Fun Home,' and Annie Proulx's 'Barkskins.' The list also features a bonus pick: Jane Smiley's 'A Thousand Acres.' The selections span from 1933 to 2016, covering themes of faith, expatriation, politics, Native American life, family secrets, and ecological destruction. The article was published in The New Yorker.
Key facts
- Curtis Sittenfeld's 'American Wife' is a fictionalized story of Laura Bush's life.
- Nathanael West's 1933 novella 'Miss Lonelyhearts' is described as a parable of faith.
- Norman Rush's 'Mating' (1991) is set in a utopian matriarchal colony in the Kalahari.
- Joan Didion's 1996 novel 'The Last Thing He Wanted' involves an arms dealer and covert government plots.
- James Welch's 1974 debut 'Winter in the Blood' follows a Blackfeet Tribe member in Montana.
- Alison Bechdel's 2006 graphic memoir 'Fun Home' explores family secrets and sexuality.
- Annie Proulx's 2016 novel 'Barkskins' traces three centuries of timber deals and ecological impact.
- Jane Smiley's 'A Thousand Acres' is a modern retelling of King Lear set in 1970s Iowa.
Entities
Artists
- Curtis Sittenfeld
- Nathanael West
- Norman Rush
- Joan Didion
- James Welch
- Alison Bechdel
- Annie Proulx
- Jane Smiley
- Harold Bloom
- Louise Erdrich
- Nicholas Henriquez
- Holden Seidlitz
- Victoria Uren
- Kyle Edwards
- Namara Smith
- Ryan Gellis
Institutions
- The New Yorker
- Pulitzer Prize board
- Oberlin College
Locations
- America
- New York
- Depression-era New York
- Kalahari
- Minnesota
- Florida
- Fort Lauderdale
- Costa Rica
- Montana
- Malta
- Havre
- Harlem
- Great Plains
- Greenwich Village
- Iowa
- California
- Lake Tenaya
- Big Chico Creek