Sam Sacks
@ssacks.bsky.social
Fiction critic at the Wall Street Journal (https://www.wsj.com/news/author/sam-sacks); editor at Open Letters Review, formerly Open Letters Monthly (https://openlettersreview.com/) sam_sacks [at] hotmail
Reposted by Sam Sacks
“With fawn-brown eyes and toothed gold collar” A poem by Marianne Moore.
January 17, 2026 at 1:39 AM
“With fawn-brown eyes and toothed gold collar” A poem by Marianne Moore.
Reposted by Sam Sacks
The @lareviewofbooks.bsky.social apparently has turned 15, which means I've been writing about TV for about that long. It's hard to overstate how much I owe to LARB. Happy anniversary! lareviewofbooks.org/celebrating-...
Celebrating 15 Years of LARB | Los Angeles Review of Books
lareviewofbooks.org
January 16, 2026 at 3:29 PM
The @lareviewofbooks.bsky.social apparently has turned 15, which means I've been writing about TV for about that long. It's hard to overstate how much I owe to LARB. Happy anniversary! lareviewofbooks.org/celebrating-...
In Open Letters Review, Steve Donoghue reviews Eve McDonald's "smooth, inviting" new history of Carthage, and explores the difficulty of writing accurately about a people whose story has been dictated by its conquerors openlettersreview.com/posts/cartha...
Carthage: A New History by Eve MacDonald — Open Letters Review
A new history of ancient Rome’s great enemy
openlettersreview.com
January 16, 2026 at 3:08 PM
In Open Letters Review, Steve Donoghue reviews Eve McDonald's "smooth, inviting" new history of Carthage, and explores the difficulty of writing accurately about a people whose story has been dictated by its conquerors openlettersreview.com/posts/cartha...
At On the Seawall, Cory Oldweiler writes an evocative introduction to the "Bergmanesque" postwar Swedish writer Birgitta Trotzig, who is getting the revival treatment from Archipelago Books in Saskia Vogel translations www.ronslate.com/on-queen-a-n...
January 16, 2026 at 3:03 PM
At On the Seawall, Cory Oldweiler writes an evocative introduction to the "Bergmanesque" postwar Swedish writer Birgitta Trotzig, who is getting the revival treatment from Archipelago Books in Saskia Vogel translations www.ronslate.com/on-queen-a-n...
At Liberties, the wonderfully eloquent Morten Høi Jensen wrestles again with the enigma of Thomas Mann, whose outward ordinariness allowed him to, as Mann perhaps flatteringly put it, "hide in the bourgeois realm without actually becoming bourgeois.” libertiesjournal.com/articles/hid...
Hidden in the Bourgeois - Liberties
The hero of The Magic Mountain — the perfectly ordinary, blond, blue-eyed Hans Castorp — is the typological bourgeois male. I spent seven years writing a book about the novel of which he serves as pr...
libertiesjournal.com
January 16, 2026 at 2:57 PM
At Liberties, the wonderfully eloquent Morten Høi Jensen wrestles again with the enigma of Thomas Mann, whose outward ordinariness allowed him to, as Mann perhaps flatteringly put it, "hide in the bourgeois realm without actually becoming bourgeois.” libertiesjournal.com/articles/hid...
At n+1, Justin Taylor is typically excellent on the oeuvre of Katherine Dunn--which, with the inclusion of some posthumously published work, is much more than that one famous book www.nplusonemag.com/online-only/...
You Are Who Eats You | Justin Taylor
Dunn was quite possibly the last writer anyone would have expected to resurface, after nearly two decades of silence, with the 1989 bestseller and finalist for the National Book Award.
www.nplusonemag.com
January 16, 2026 at 2:54 PM
At n+1, Justin Taylor is typically excellent on the oeuvre of Katherine Dunn--which, with the inclusion of some posthumously published work, is much more than that one famous book www.nplusonemag.com/online-only/...
At Granta, Aatish Taseer has a thoughtful essay on the small, yet all-defining, distinctions between the Urdu of Pakistan and the Hindi of India: "two fluid, shape-shifting sisters, yin and yang, each containing a measure of the other" granta.com/urdu/
Urdu
‘The word I used – janamdin, not saalgira – gave me away as someone who could only have grown up in India.’ Aatish Taseer on Urdu, Hindi and the cultural intricacies of sister languages.
granta.com
January 16, 2026 at 2:51 PM
At Granta, Aatish Taseer has a thoughtful essay on the small, yet all-defining, distinctions between the Urdu of Pakistan and the Hindi of India: "two fluid, shape-shifting sisters, yin and yang, each containing a measure of the other" granta.com/urdu/
Much fine lit-crit elsewhere on the internets. At the Hudson Review, Robert Archambeau has a fun, meaty piece on the kinships between Fitzgerald's Gatsby and Petronius's Trimalchio, the most "honest representation of an individual" in all of Roman literature. hudsonreview.com/2025/10/trim...
January 16, 2026 at 2:47 PM
Much fine lit-crit elsewhere on the internets. At the Hudson Review, Robert Archambeau has a fun, meaty piece on the kinships between Fitzgerald's Gatsby and Petronius's Trimalchio, the most "honest representation of an individual" in all of Roman literature. hudsonreview.com/2025/10/trim...
Julian Barnes says that his new novel, "Departure(s)," will be his final book. Or is it actually "Julian Barnes," a character in the novel, saying that? For the WSJ, I look at the last (or is it?) work in a career that has been both highly fastidious and slyly anarchic. www.wsj.com/arts-culture...
Fiction: ‘Departure(s)’ by Julian Barnes
A novelist whose works have long contemplated final things turns in his last book.
www.wsj.com
January 16, 2026 at 2:40 PM
Julian Barnes says that his new novel, "Departure(s)," will be his final book. Or is it actually "Julian Barnes," a character in the novel, saying that? For the WSJ, I look at the last (or is it?) work in a career that has been both highly fastidious and slyly anarchic. www.wsj.com/arts-culture...
Reposted by Sam Sacks
The Washington Post Guild is alarmed and appalled by federal law enforcement’s search and seizure of reporter Hannah Natanson’s property and personal devices. Hannah is a valued member of our union whose work covering the federal workforce has been essential (1/3)
January 14, 2026 at 5:52 PM
The Washington Post Guild is alarmed and appalled by federal law enforcement’s search and seizure of reporter Hannah Natanson’s property and personal devices. Hannah is a valued member of our union whose work covering the federal workforce has been essential (1/3)
Reposted by Sam Sacks
My latest for The Boston Globe, a review of Daniyal Mueenuddin's THIS IS WHERE THE SERPENT LIVES.
www.bostonglobe.com/2026/01/13/a...
www.bostonglobe.com/2026/01/13/a...
A Dickensian saga set in modern Pakistan - The Boston Globe
The novel opens in an almost Dickensian vein: In the mid-1950s, a 3-year-old boy is found alone in the market of a small town.
www.bostonglobe.com
January 14, 2026 at 12:07 AM
My latest for The Boston Globe, a review of Daniyal Mueenuddin's THIS IS WHERE THE SERPENT LIVES.
www.bostonglobe.com/2026/01/13/a...
www.bostonglobe.com/2026/01/13/a...
I’m saddened to have learned of the death of Mark Mirsky, who passed in December. The founding editor of Fiction magazine, he was a tremendous friend to writers, and even more to literature students. He taught for over 50 years, until literally his final days. www.legacy.com/us/obituarie...
MARK MIRSKY Obituary (1939 - 2025-12-05) - Sharon, MA - Boston Globe
View MARK JAY MIRSKY's obituary, send flowers and sign the guestbook.
www.legacy.com
January 13, 2026 at 5:51 PM
I’m saddened to have learned of the death of Mark Mirsky, who passed in December. The founding editor of Fiction magazine, he was a tremendous friend to writers, and even more to literature students. He taught for over 50 years, until literally his final days. www.legacy.com/us/obituarie...
Reposted by Sam Sacks
They're beating children.
ICE Trump regime agents kidnapped a 17 year old boy working at Target, the regime thugs beat and tortured him then dropped him off 9 minutes away from his job site when they realized he was a US citizen, he was bloodied and bruised when witnesses helped him.
January 13, 2026 at 1:04 AM
They're beating children.
Reposted by Sam Sacks
WSJ investigation: In the past 6 months ICE agents have fired at vehicles 13 times, leading to:
* 8 people shot
* 5 of which were U.S. citizens
* 2 died
* no victims drew a weapon
The playbook: Agents box in a vehicle, block attempts to flee, then fire
www.wsj.com/us-news/vide...
* 8 people shot
* 5 of which were U.S. citizens
* 2 died
* no victims drew a weapon
The playbook: Agents box in a vehicle, block attempts to flee, then fire
www.wsj.com/us-news/vide...
Videos Show How ICE Vehicle Stops Can Escalate to Shootings
A WSJ visual investigation found that the Minneapolis ICE killing is one of 13 incidents where federal immigration agents have used deadly force against civilians in vehicles since July.
www.wsj.com
January 10, 2026 at 3:44 PM
WSJ investigation: In the past 6 months ICE agents have fired at vehicles 13 times, leading to:
* 8 people shot
* 5 of which were U.S. citizens
* 2 died
* no victims drew a weapon
The playbook: Agents box in a vehicle, block attempts to flee, then fire
www.wsj.com/us-news/vide...
* 8 people shot
* 5 of which were U.S. citizens
* 2 died
* no victims drew a weapon
The playbook: Agents box in a vehicle, block attempts to flee, then fire
www.wsj.com/us-news/vide...
Reposted by Sam Sacks
Absurdly lengthy post on Walcott's "Omeros". If only you had time to read it!
profadamroberts.substack.com/p/walcotts-o...
profadamroberts.substack.com/p/walcotts-o...
Walcott's ‘Omeros’ (1990)
Another Brick in the Walcott
profadamroberts.substack.com
January 10, 2026 at 3:26 PM
Absurdly lengthy post on Walcott's "Omeros". If only you had time to read it!
profadamroberts.substack.com/p/walcotts-o...
profadamroberts.substack.com/p/walcotts-o...
Reposted by Sam Sacks
Maradona hand-of-God flickerbook
January 10, 2026 at 3:40 PM
Maradona hand-of-God flickerbook
“The Minneapolis shooting shares characteristics with others the Journal reviewed: Agents box in a vehicle, try to remove an individual, block attempts to flee, then fire.” www.wsj.com/us-news/vide...
Videos Show How ICE Vehicle Stops Can Escalate to Shootings
A WSJ visual investigation found that the Minneapolis ICE killing is one of 13 incidents where federal immigration agents have used deadly force against civilians in vehicles since July.
www.wsj.com
January 10, 2026 at 3:02 PM
“The Minneapolis shooting shares characteristics with others the Journal reviewed: Agents box in a vehicle, try to remove an individual, block attempts to flee, then fire.” www.wsj.com/us-news/vide...
Reposted by Sam Sacks
My dad was in the FBI, and he told me that the thing he was proudest of was that he never had to use his gun. He also said that in his day, if an agent discharged their weapon, they had to account for and justify every bullet fired. He would be disgusted today.
January 7, 2026 at 8:59 PM
My dad was in the FBI, and he told me that the thing he was proudest of was that he never had to use his gun. He also said that in his day, if an agent discharged their weapon, they had to account for and justify every bullet fired. He would be disgusted today.
Reposted by Sam Sacks
It is now confirmed from multiple sources that ICE shot a legal observer dead on Portland in Minneapolis between 34th and 33rd street. The victim is dead
January 7, 2026 at 4:28 PM
It is now confirmed from multiple sources that ICE shot a legal observer dead on Portland in Minneapolis between 34th and 33rd street. The victim is dead
Reposted by Sam Sacks
Witness describes an ICE murder in Minnesota today. If police won't arrest him, DHS will lie about it and destroy evidence as they did during murders and attempted murders elsewhere in the United States
January 7, 2026 at 5:44 PM
Witness describes an ICE murder in Minnesota today. If police won't arrest him, DHS will lie about it and destroy evidence as they did during murders and attempted murders elsewhere in the United States
Reposted by Sam Sacks
“After my fellows are done with them, these bastards will salute you by shitting their pants when you pass by.”
Hired muscle, corrupt police, a boy made of good luck and more combine in Daniyal Mueenuddin's terrific novel of Pakistan's haves and have-nots:
Me on This is Where the Serpent Lives:
Hired muscle, corrupt police, a boy made of good luck and more combine in Daniyal Mueenuddin's terrific novel of Pakistan's haves and have-nots:
Me on This is Where the Serpent Lives:
Expect to see this epic novel all over prize lists in 2026
This Is Where the Serpent Lives by Daniyal Mueenuddin is a tale full of human emotions and lovingly created characters with big personalities
www.thetimes.com
January 6, 2026 at 9:53 PM
“After my fellows are done with them, these bastards will salute you by shitting their pants when you pass by.”
Hired muscle, corrupt police, a boy made of good luck and more combine in Daniyal Mueenuddin's terrific novel of Pakistan's haves and have-nots:
Me on This is Where the Serpent Lives:
Hired muscle, corrupt police, a boy made of good luck and more combine in Daniyal Mueenuddin's terrific novel of Pakistan's haves and have-nots:
Me on This is Where the Serpent Lives:
"When he masturbates in church, thinking of a friend’s daughter: ‘(God forgive me), my mind did courir upon Betty Mitchell so that I doth hazer con mi cosa in la eglise.’" Deborah Friedell with a great piece on Pepys and his hilariously 'coded' diaries. www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Deborah Friedell · Lifted Up: Pepys Deciphered
Pepys was a meticulous – some might say compulsive – record-keeper. Into his diary’s pages went social debts (who...
www.lrb.co.uk
January 6, 2026 at 6:31 PM
"When he masturbates in church, thinking of a friend’s daughter: ‘(God forgive me), my mind did courir upon Betty Mitchell so that I doth hazer con mi cosa in la eglise.’" Deborah Friedell with a great piece on Pepys and his hilariously 'coded' diaries. www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Sandy Denny's birthday! She would have been 79. I often have in my head the cover of 'Bird on a Wire' she did and Iain Matthews sang with Fairport Convention. www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhtH...
Fairport Convention "Bird On A Wire"
YouTube video by sbritt
www.youtube.com
January 6, 2026 at 6:26 PM
Sandy Denny's birthday! She would have been 79. I often have in my head the cover of 'Bird on a Wire' she did and Iain Matthews sang with Fairport Convention. www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhtH...