James Wood is a staff writer at The New Yorker and a visiting lecturer at Harvard. In addition to How Fiction Works, he is the author of two essay collections, The Broken Estate and The Irresponsible Self, and a novel, The Book Against God.
This is a masterclass in the art of reading. -- Robert Murphy Metro Wood is the most engaging of current commentators on literature. -- John Sutherland Spectator Impressive breadth of reading (especially contemporary East Europeans here) and perceptively close attention to texts. -- Peter Kemp Sunday Times It is a pleasure to follow his education and learn something in turn. Economist The gift of the great critic is to be able to explain complex concepts to the reader in a manner that is neither bamboozling nor patronising... Wood has this gift. -- Andrew Anthony Observer