Rob Spillman

I confess I did not read through this entire volume. I will echo what many others have offered: the selection here is very inconsistent. I somewhat enjoyed to loved: Jane Avrich, Aimee Bender (always), Sarah Shun-Lien Bynum, Mary Caponegro, Julia Elliott, Samantha Hunt, Miranda July, Kelly Link, Lydia Millet, Alissa Nutting, Paisley Rekdal, Stacey Richter, Gina Zucker, and the Rick Moody essay on Angela Carter. The rest I found kinda boring or too muddled and glossed over. Still, this was a good read for being holed up with shin splints, and I've got a few more authors to add to the future readings list.… (meer)

The Literary Output of 1.1 Billion People Reduced to 386 Pages

Unfortunately, "Gods and Soldiers" does not present a very broad range of voices in African literature. While there is good geographic representation, most of the stories, excerpts, and essays have a limited focus. With just a few exceptions, the reader only receives political commentary.

It is impossible to reduce the entire literary output of any continent to a mere 386 pages. The depth and breadth of African writing is enormous, from small press publishers to magazines to scientific journals, there is simply too much. Thus, to represent all "Contemporary African Writing" as political in nature is disingenuous. While I applaud Penguin for trying, I really wish they hadn't gone with tiny excerpts from novels and edited short stories.… (meer)