Guernica Editions

Bipin Aurora, author of Notes of a Mediocre Man was interviewed on Bloom.

The questions increasingly entered my mind: Who am I? What am I? How do I fit into this world? I began writing fiction at age twenty-seven, and the second thing that I wrote, way back in 1981, became, appropriately, the title story from my first collection, Notes of a Mediocre Man. The first paragraph summarizes nicely what I was feeling:

I am a product of my age: mean, jealous, vindictive. I hate my neighbors, I hate their successes. I hate Justices of the Supreme Court: I find them dull. I hate schools of government: I find them silly. I hate law schools: I find them limited. I hate Aristotle: he would, if living, be a professor of law—at least on a part-time basis. I hate the black and women’s movements: I find them aggressive. I hate movements in general: I find them vulgar. I hate The New York Times and The Washington Post: I find them smug. I hate people who ride bicycles and go to museums: I find them phony.

The style and tone of these words is, of course, borrowed from Dostoevsky’s Notes from Underground. (Dostoevsky and Tolstoy are both writers whom I admire greatly.) In the rest of this story, the narrator talks explicitly about this “culture of success” and what it means to live in it. The style continues in quite the Dostoevskian vein: angry, ready for a fight, yes, but also self-mocking, ironic, and even funny. So, to answer your question directly: No, I never wanted to “write and publish fiction.” America, this culture of success, pushed me into the field.

Read the full interview:

https://bloomsite.wordpress.com/2022/07/19/stories-of-the-overlooked-an-interview-with-bipin-aurora/

McGreal’s writing is raw and straightforward. It attacks the senses and overwhelms the reader by conveying Anthony’s experiences through constant repetition. McGreal personifies Anthony’s mental health through obsessive inner monologues that create a paradoxical sense of depersonalization.

The full review is available in BP Issue 95:

https://brokenpencil.com/current-issue/

The world of the southern States under Jim Crow laws comes sharply into focus in Theresa Shea’s The Shade Tree ... If you have ever looked at photographs taken at the time of lynchings in the South, you have to believe that Shea is accurate in scenes that may well make you cringe—or weep. While the horrors perpetrated by men are forefront in her narrative, she also underlines the part played by white women who let it happen, remaining mute as Black women were raped by their husbands and sons, turning a blind eye to the mulatto children amongst their workers.

Read the full review:

https://albertaviews.ca/the-shade-tree/

A fabulous review of Gina Roitman's Don't Ask appeared in the most recent issue of the Montreal Review of Books. Carefully and generously layered, Roitman’s novel, outwardly labelled as a literary thriller, is a powerful story of a daughter dealing with her mother’s death while reckoning with a family past so traumatic its truth is haunted by history.

Read the full review:

https://mtlreviewofbooks.ca/reviews/gina-roitman-dont-ask/?fbclid=IwAR3IZzOvRNThs80Ogje9luc3OVexdskql-4NvVQNcQNvNM0QP3U6F8MnHXU

[Cut Road] grabs readers quickly but it’s the emotional tenor that lingers like smoke.

Read the full review:

http://westtradereview.homestead.com/westendstaalduinenreview22.html

In celebration of the publication of Cut Road, we're excited to speak to Brent today about his writing journey through the lens of the books that have made an impact in his life. Our WAR: Writers as Readers series invites authors to share the books that have shaped them. Brent tells us about the beloved book that first made him want to write a novel, reveals the author whose books he considers "masterclasses in economical, lyrical prose", and shares his all time favourites series reads as both a writer and a reader.