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MFA Vs. NYC: The Two Cultures Of American Fiction (2014)

by Chad Harbach(Favorite Author)

3.64 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

0865478139 (ISBN13: 9780865478138)

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

n + 1

review 1: Fails to address the question raised by the title. The primary takeaway seems to be that an MFA alone is not enough without a strong link to New York City, and that New York City is not always a substitute for an MFA. Perhaps this volume could have looked for more dispatches from the hinterland or more concrete examples from New Yorkers who aren't linked to the academy. That isn't to say the essays and their narratives aren't excellent and smartly written. Most are. However, they might be better presented with a slightly different package.
review 2: Great series of essays from writers/publishing professionals. I think DFW's somewhat-anti-MFA essay makes the most concise point: the MFA world is insular and tends to produce less exciting fiction. But in practice... more, I don't think there's as much of as distinction between the MFA and publishing worlds as the title suggests, because it seems like many writers with publishing success, such as Rachel Kushner and Anthony Marra to name a few, have MFAs. less

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