Freeman's: The Best New Writing on Arrival: 1 - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0802124410 ISBN 13: 9780802124418

Publisher: Grove Press / Atlantic Monthly Press, 2015

Synopsis

We live today in constant motion, traveling distances rapidly, small ones daily, arriving in new states. In this inaugural edition of Freeman's, a new biannual of unpublished writing, former Granta editor and NBCC president John Freeman brings together the best new fiction, nonfiction, and poetry about that electrifying moment when we arrive. Strange encounters abound. David Mitchell meets a ghost in Hiroshima Prefecture; Lydia Davis recounts her travels in the exotic territory of the Norwegian language; and in a Dave Eggers story, an elderly gentleman cannot remember why he brought a fork to a wedding. End points often turn out to be new beginnings. Louise Erdrich visits a Native American cemetery that celebrates the next journey, and in a Haruki Murakami story, an aging actor arrives back in his true self after performing a role, discovering he has changed, becoming a new person. Featuring startling new fiction by Laura van den Berg, Helen Simpson, and Tahmima Anam, as well as stirring essays by Aleksandar Hemon, Barry Lopez, and Garnette Cadogan, who relearned how to walk while being black upon arriving in NYC, Freeman's announces the arrival of an essential map to the best new writing in the world.

About this title

Review:

Praise for Freeman's: Arrival

"There's an illustrious new literary journal in town . . . [with] fiction, nonfiction, and poetry by new voices and literary heavyweights--Haruki Murakami, Lydia Davis, Louise Erdrich--alike."--Vogue.com

"A terrific anthology . . . Haruki Murakami, David Mitchell and a host of other lively writers let loose their imaginations in editor John Freeman's first outing with a new literary journal that is sure to become a classic in years to come."--San Francisco Chronicle

"Looking at what John [Freeman] has put together in this first edition, I'm struck by how many names I don't know and how diverse and global it is. My only disappoint is that it's going to be twice a year--I think we need it 4 times a year."--James Wood, Radio Boston

"Illuminating new work . . . Perfect reading for our ever-accelerating times."--NPR's Book Concierge

"[Freeman] wants writers to be seen. He believes in the stories they tell . . . While the roster of writers included in the first issue is impressive--in addition to Mr. Keret, Ms. Carson, Mr. McCann and Mr. Hutchinson, you'll also find the likes of Haruki Murakami and Dave Eggers--and the stories they tell in Freeman's feel like hands reaching out from the ether to save the reader from everyday life, they connect . . . Freeman's is very much like New York, a melting pot where folks can be themselves . . . The world has certainly arrived in the pages of Freeman's."--New York Observer

"Freeman's is fresh, provocative, engrossing."--BBC.com, "Ten books to read in October"

"A first-rate anthology of bold, searching and personal writing by emerging and established writers on the theme of arrival . . . If this first installment is anything to go by, it has all the hallmarks of a promising new project . . . Prepare to be transported."--Minneapolis Star-Tribune

"Freeman's sets a new standard for literary journals. It's a welcome addition to the ever-growing roster of publications out there today. It's refreshing and full of nuanced stories that will linger with you long after you finish them. I can't wait to see how this publication takes off."--Chicago Literati, 4/5 stars

"[An] infinitely relatable and beautifully crafted prose and poetry anthology . . . Freeman has assembled a thoughtful and profoundly accessible collection of work that connects our vulnerabilities, our expectations and our hopes."--Newcity Lit

"Arrival is not a gimmick; it's a heartbeat. Listening for its pulse from one page to the next encourages dual enjoyment, first with each individual piece, and then the pieces in conversation . . . From Bangladesh to the West Bank, Bosnia to Jamaica, Sudan to Iceland, the focus is refreshingly global. Reading Arrival feels like sitting in an airport cafe eavesdropping on the conversations of fellow travellers--journeys beginning and ending, lives intersecting and diverging; a group of people brought together by transit, but united through storytelling: that most human of impulses . . . This geographic breadth, and profound sense of borderlessness is what most distinguishes Freeman's in the increasingly crowded marketplace of literary journals."--Australian

"[Freeman's] latest project . . . might be his most remarkable achievement to date . . . [A] thrillingly unique collection of voices."--Toronto Star

"It can safely be said that [John] Freeman is a guide whom a savvy subset of passionate readers trust. His plan for this new project is simple: Twice a year, he'll present 'a collection of writing grouped loosely around a theme.' This first installment of poems, stories, and narrative nonfiction does not disappoint. There's excellent work by literary luminaries and popular favorites--Lydia Davis and Haruki Murakami, Louise Erdrich and Dave Eggers--as well as work from writers who will be new to many . . . A diverse and diverting anthology for fans of short fiction, verse, and long-form essays."--Kirkus Reviews

"A perfect companion for travelers."--Sacramento Bee

"What a hypnotic set of stories, really linked excursions that have an inexplicable but perfect rightness to their placement within the confines of the cover so that something builds from beginning to end. Open it at page one and just read. An amazing collection of gifted writers. Call it what you will it is simply in its entirety a very good book."--Sheryl Cotleur, Copperfield's Books

About the Author:

John Freeman was the editor of "Granta" until 2013. His books include "How to Read a Novelist" and "Tales of Two Cities: the Best of Times and Worst of Times in Today's New York." He is an executive editor at The Literary Hub and teaches at the New School. His work has appeared in the "New Yorker," the "New York Times" and the "Paris Review."

About this edition

• Publisher: Grove Press / Atlantic Monthly Press
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 0802124410
• ISBN 13: 9780802124418
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 304
• Editor: Freeman Professor Of Psychology John