Critical Notes

Roundup: Carlos Fuentes, Richard Ford, Emily Bernard, Esi Edugyan

By Mark Athitakis

Mexican novelist Carlos Fuentes, whose work pioneered the “Boom” in Latin American literature in the mid-20th Century, died last week at 83. Marcela Valdes delivers an extended obituary and appreciation; Arts and Letters Daily has a roundup of obituaries from various international publications.

Matt Jakubowski reviews John Kinsella’s story collection In the Shade of the Shady Tree: Stories of Wheatbelt Australia for the National.

Michael Gorra reviews Richard Ford’s novel Canada for the Daily Beast.

Morris Dickstein reviews Emily Bernard's Carl Van Vechten and the Harlem Renaissance for the Times Literary Supplement.

Rayyan Al-Shawaf reviews Esi Edugyan’s novel Half-Blood Blues for Paste.

Cody Corless reviews Eyal Press’ Beautiful Souls: Saying No, Breaking Ranks, and Heeding the Voice of Conscience in Dark Times for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Jim Carmin reviews Deni Y. Bechard’s memoir Cures for Hunger for the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

Your reviews and recommendations help seed these roundups: If you’re an NBCC member with a review you’d like considered for inclusion, please email nbcccritics@gmail.com. You can also get our attention by using the Twitter hashtag #nbcc, posting on the wall of our Facebook page, or joining our members-only LinkedIn group.