Maureen Corrigan

Book Critic, Fresh Air at WHYY-FM (Philadelphia, PA)

Book Critic, "Fresh Air," NPR; The Nicky and Jamie Grant Distinguished Professor of the Practice in Literary Criticism, Georgetown University

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Articles

From the creator of ‘Broadchurch,’ a mystery novel on familiar ground

6 days ago | washingtonpost.com | Maureen Corrigan

From the creator of ‘Broadchurch,’ a mystery novel on familiar ground (washingtonpost.com) From the creator of ‘Broadchurch,’ a mystery novel on familiar ground By Maureen Corrigan 2025060214494300 Fans of classic British detective fiction know that no place in the world is more dangerous than ye olde village.
'The Emperor of Gladness' is a beautiful novel about hard work and found family

2 weeks ago | boisestatepublicradio.org | Maureen Corrigan

Ocean Vuong's 2019 debut novel, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous, was one of those novels that made me silently pledge, "I'll follow you anywhere, whatever you write." And, so I have into Vuong's 2022 poetry collection, Time Is a Mother, and, now, his second novel.
A filmmaker in Nazi Germany strikes a deal with the devil in 'The Director'

1 month ago | nhpr.org | Maureen Corrigan

In the German legend, Faust signs a contract with the devil, exchanging his immortal soul for vast knowledge and other earthly rewards. It's a cut-and-dried transaction. In Daniel Kehlmann's new novel, The Director, the demonic deal-making is murkier, more drawn out. Little by little, a series of compromises eat away like acid at the integrity of a once-great artist.
These 2 funny books give readers a reason to smile in tough times

1 month ago | mprnews.org | Maureen Corrigan

Create an account or log in to save stories. Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories. As the saying goes: “It’s a marathon, not a sprint.” And what better way to maintain stamina and mental equilibrium during tense times than a dose of wit? Two women writers — one a long-deceased legend; the other a debut novelist — give readers reason to keep calm and smile on.
‘The Great Gatsby’ is a classic. But a century ago, it flopped.

2 months ago | washingtonpost.com | Maureen Corrigan

‘The Great Gatsby’ is a classic. But a century ago, it flopped. (washingtonpost.com) ‘The Great Gatsby’ is a classic. But a century ago, it flopped. By Maureen Corrigan 2025040923300000 F. Scott Fitzgerald would be flabbergasted to hear that on the 100th anniversary of its publication, "The Great Gatsby" is being celebrated around the world.
100 years later, 'The Great Gatsby' still speaks to the troubled dream of America

2 months ago | wesa.fm | Maureen Corrigan

The Great Gatsby — 100 years old? How can that be? To borrow the words F. Scott Fitzgerald used to describe New York City in the 1920s, The Great Gatsby possesses "all the iridescence of the beginning of the world."The novel's main characters are young in a restless America reveling in the excess of the new Modern Age — an age whose anxieties have resurfaced with fresh intensity in our own moment.
Karen Russell’s ‘The Antidote’ is an American epic - and well worth the wait

2 months ago | mprnews.org | Maureen Corrigan

No one summons up the “old weird America” in fiction like Karen Russell does. Her tall tales of alligator wrestlers in Florida, homesteaders on the Gothic Great Plains and female prospectors digging for gold mash up history with the macabre in a cracker barrel aged with dry humor. Russell’s celebrated debut novel “Swamplandia!” came out in 2011. Since then, she’s published a couple of excellent short story collections; but, the wait for another novel was growing a little strained.
Karen Russell's 'The Antidote' is an American epic - and well worth the wait

2 months ago | kuow.org | Maureen Corrigan

No one summons up the "old weird America" in fiction like Karen Russell does. Her tall tales of alligator wrestlers in Florida, homesteaders on the Gothic Great Plains and female prospectors digging for gold mash up history with the macabre in a cracker barrel aged with dry humor. Russell's celebrated debut novel Swamplandia!came out in 2011. Since then, she's published a couple of excellent short story collections; but, the wait for another novel was growing a little strained.
Review | Why do characters in mystery novels keep falling into the same traps?

Mar 2, 2025 | washingtonpost.com | Maureen Corrigan

Why do characters in murder mysteries continue to accept invitations to isolated islands? And, once there, why do they always turn to each other and say something like, “It might be better if we split up”? I’m not complaining, just wondering.
'Last Seen': After slavery, family members placed ads looking for loved ones

Feb 26, 2025 | wunc.org | Maureen Corrigan

In 2017, historian Judith Giesberg and her team of graduate student researchers launched a website called Last Seen: Finding Family After Slavery. It now contains over 4,500 ads placed in newspapers by formerly enslaved people who hoped to find family members separated by slavery. The earliest ads date from the 1830s and stretch into the 1920s.