What's Happening to the Novel?

Hortense Calisher, president of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and James Atlas, writer and editor for multiple publications, including The Atlantic magazine, discuss the modern novel and its potential trajectory, moderated by Hugh Southern, Deputy Chairman of Programs for the National Endowment for the Arts. Calisher examines the attributes that constitute a writer. She discusses how writers develop and the role of critique in the art of writing. Atlas provides an overview of how writing has changed in recent history, reflecting on Tom Wolfe’s 1973 essay, “The New Journalism,” throughout his talk. Atlas notes that many of the greatest books from the 1970s were non-fiction. Following their individual remarks, Atlas, Calisher, and Southern discuss the ways in which a writer’s environment impacts their subject matter, as well as the kinds of books that tend to draw in greater audiences. The discussion concludes with audience questions. The series is presented in cooperation with The New Criterion magazine.