William Giraldi’s debut novel, Busy Monsters, was one of the first books I reviewed on this blog, more than seven years ago now. It was a bold and inventive comedy, emblematic of the mind behind it, and I doubt I […]

Given that I am reviewing a collection of essays entitled American Audacity, let me begin by being audacious: there are perhaps two or three English-language critics alive today who are the equal of William Giraldi – in judgment, depth of […]

Tucked away in a nondescript building, in an industrial park in East Rutherford, New Jersey, there is a gym famous the world over for transforming fledgling high school and college athletes into muscled monsters: hard-hitting batters or high-flying basketball players, […]

I have fallen in love with William Giraldi. I discovered him haphazardly during an insomnia-fueled whirlwind tour of literary blogs I frequent. Amidst the usual detritus was an essay entitled “Letter to a Young Critic,” which gave me the uncomfortable […]