Nathan Englander’s new short story collection self-consciously references the two poles of his work: Jewish life and American prose.
The title refers to the late Raymond Carver, whose What We Talk About When We Talk About Love redefined the short story. By replacing love with Anne Frank (i.e., Jewishness), Englander signals what the New York Times called his “trademark blend of the breezy and the biblical.” Englander’s past works – For the Relief of Unbearable Urges and The Ministry of Special Cases – established him as a master.
Jonathan Franzen lauded Englander for combining “fine-grained comedy and large-scale tragedy.” This was Englander’s second visit to the Institute, after his first in 2007.
