Edwin Frank Livres

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of NYRB Classics, a handpicked anthology of selections from the series. In Greek mythology, Ariadne gave Theseus a ball of red thread to guide him through the labyrinth, and the Red Thread offers a path through and a way to explore the ins and outs and twists and turns of the celebrated NYRB Classics series, now twenty years old. The collection brings together twenty-five pieces drawn from the more than five hundred books that have come out as NYRB Classics over the last twenty years. Stories, essays, interviews, poems, along with chapters from novels and memoirs and other longer narratives have been selected by Edwin Frank, the series editor, to chart a distinctive, entertaining, and thought-provoking course across the expansive and varied terrain of the Classics series.

Focusing on the evolution of the novel throughout the twentieth century, this work by Edwin Frank explores how key literary figures shaped modern fiction. Starting with Dostoevsky's innovative narrative style, it highlights the contributions of writers like Stein, Hemingway, and Achebe, examining themes such as gender roles and cultural identity. Blending biographical insights with cultural history, Frank offers a rich analysis of influential works, renewing appreciation for the novel as a vital art form in a changing literary landscape.

Exploring themes of longing and existential reflection, this collection weaves together diverse elements such as Kabbalist hymns, a Futurist dragon, and philosophical musings. The poetic sequences and longer works, along with one piece of prose, reveal a landscape filled with echoes of the past and future, set against the backdrop of contemporary life marked by both vibrancy and decay. Edwin Frank's unique voice captures the essence of waiting and wanting amid the ghosts of memory and the complexities of modern existence.