The 1975 Italian epic Horcynus Orca was given a lavish reissue a couple months ago by BUR Rizzoli (an English translation is forthcoming from Deep Vellum). You can tell by the dark circles around the author's eyes (right) that it took its toll.

It did. A bit of back story in my review: theuntranslated.wordpress.com/2019/09/13/hor…

What divine providence would guarantee that the “groundbreaking” novel is translated by the specially gifted translator? Wouldn’t the more reliable sod’s law guarantee that fine novels will often be translated by poor translators and vice versa? the-tls.co.uk/regular-featur… The TLS

Walked to the Florentine suburb of Galluzzo to visit the tomb of Eugenio Montale, recipient of the 1975 Nobel Prize in Literature. He and his wife lie in a 1000-year-old church dedicated to Saint Felix of Nola, the patron saint of spiders.

New Schattenblog: Post 13: Mousetraps-- Mérode Altarpiece, tunnel of looking, self-making, mousetraps, burning Waymos, tempting images and more, link in reply tweet for algo

Lapham’s Quarterly is coming back this summer.

I have a math-loving poem in The Nation: thenation.com/article/cultur…

summer read

I read two or three sentences by Claudio Magris recently and instantly loved him. This feels like writing for writing’s sake, it has a subject because one needs one, of course, but it could just as well have been about something else

PRETTY COOL -- world's first excerpt of ON THE CALCULATION OF VOLUME, VOL. III by Solvej Balle in THE DRIFT ISSUE 15!!!!!!! thedriftmag.com/day1144-1167-1… The Drift New Directions

A TABLE FOR FORTUNE, William T. Vollmann’s long awaited novel on whatever we might call our national character - from Cold War to War on Terror - is available for preorder! 🔗 ⬇️ If not his masterpiece, then certainly yet another precious stone set in the crown of his oeuvre.

Party at my place in Florence for expat New Yorkers to come celebrate Mamdani’s win

Twenty years in the making.

I’m thrilled to announce that I’ll be serving as a judge for the 2025 US/Can Republic of Consciousness Prize! What a privilege to read and celebrate and share with you the best fiction that small presses have to offer! Find out more about USRofC at the link below:

Hiked to Curzio Malaparte’s mausoleum on the summit of Monte le Coste overlooking his Tuscan hometown, Prato. This was his wish and to honor it, workers installed a temporary track to haul up material.

Grave of Natalia Ginzburg and fam in Verano Cemetery, Rome.

A detailed list of all 146 women tried for witchcraft in Zagreb’s history.

Works of a genius in her original language

RIP to a legend. I've loved Black Sabbath since the eighth grade.

⁦⁦Gone to Prizren this summer with ⁦CHRISTIAN LORENTZEN,⁩ Suzana Vuljevic, Ph.D.⁩, Ryan Ruby, Josh Furst, and Ervina Halili.