The Shakespeare and Company Book of Interviews

Twenty conversations with notable authors that took place at the esteemed Parisian bookstore are collected in this smart, tasteful volume from Biles, the shop’s literary director. When George Whitman opened Shakespeare and Company in 1951, he understood that hosting events was a cornerstone of the bookseller’s trade, as his daughter and the store’s current owner, Sylvia Whitman, writes in her introduction. Nowadays the events are recorded, and the authors whose words are transcribed here—among them Annie Ernaux, Percival Everett, George Saunders, and Jesmyn Ward—constitute a formidable literary lineup. There’s a high bar set for Shakespeare and Company events; after all, as Whitman also notes, it’s the place where Allen Ginsberg once gave a reading of Howl completely naked. If nothing here rises to that level of rowdiness, it’s merely a testament to the fact that Shakespeare and Company has grown into a venerable institution worthy of admiration. “I’m absolutely thrilled to be here,” says Olivia Laing. “It’s kind of epic being in Shakespeare and Company,” says Marlon James. “I’m very honoured to be here,” says Colson Whitehead. (When Karl Ove Knausgaard doesn’t immediately compliment the space, it feels provocative.) Biles, who conducts the interviews himself, is an insightful interlocutor, and these authors make for fascinating subjects. It’s a glorious tribute to the timeless appeal of gathering to celebrate literature. (July)