I'm looking forward to my death,” she said.I sat upright. I watched her blond hair sway,this college girl who taught our Sunday School.

The tail, held back along the spine, keeps them—most times—from kicking you. I don’t know why.

In 1984, Bill Buford, an American literary editor in his late twenties, began devoting his spare time to following “football hooligans”—a distinctive tribe of fans known for committing acts of ...

Each week, The Paris Review unlocks stories, poems, and interviews for our readers from our archive. Sign up for the Redux newsletter to receive these pieces to your inbox every Sunday morning.

I listened hard. I do not believe in ghosts. The house was changing. Indeed, I never saw ...

The Paris Review is a literary magazine featuring original writing, art, and in-depth interviews with famous writers.

“After my best friend jumped off the bridge, I knew that I was next. So—Paris. With forty dollars and a one-way ticket.” ...

The spark for Hélène Bessette’s third book came while she was on holiday with her two sons on the northern coast of France. One night, they heard a gunshot in the hotel where they were staying; ...

Only a decade ago, just mentioning the photographer Peter Hujar required explanation. “He took that famous picture of Susan Sontag, recumbent with tired eyes.” Or: “He made gorgeous black-and-white ...

César Aira coined the term “the flight forward” (huirhacia adelante) to describe his deceptively simple writing process. Every morning he writes for one hour at a local Buenos Aires café and then in ...

Once we had ventured far enough into America to no longer be anywhere near the mood-lit wine bars and overrun coffee shops of North Brooklyn, where I live, secession began to strike me as not only ...

It is axiomatic that countries hosting the World Cup try to put their best face forward. During the monthlong tournament, streets are cleared of anything (and anyone) that might offend the eye, ...