Literary Conversation
Books do more than tell stories. They start conversations.
Literature has always been shaped by the people who write it, read it, teach it, study it, challenge it, and defend it. Literary Conversation explores the ideas and debates surrounding books and reading through the voices of authors, critics, scholars, educators, librarians, researchers, and other thoughtful contributors to our literary culture.
Here, we’ll consider questions about what makes literature matter, how reading is changing, which voices are heard or silenced, what belongs in our classrooms and libraries, and what role books continue to play in our culture.
Sometimes I’ll agree. Sometimes I won’t. But the goal is not to have the final word.
It’s to keep the conversation going.
When Novels Mattered
By David Brooks
In a recent The New York Times opinion essay, David Brooks considers the changing place of literary fiction in American culture.
David Brooks reflects on a time when literary fiction held a much more prominent place in American culture. He remembers the 20th century, particularly the 1960s through the 1980s, when authors such as Toni Morrison, Philip Roth, Saul Bellow, John Updike, and Alice Walker were not simply writers but cultural figures whose novels sparked widespread discussion and debate. Brooks argues that literature has gradually moved to the margins of public life, and he questions the common assumption that the internet and shortened attention spans are entirely responsible. In his view, the decline began before the internet became dominant and reflects a broader cultural shift away from the confidence, independence, and willingness to take creative risks that once characterized literary culture.
Brooks is particularly critical of what he sees as increasing conformity within the literary world, pointing to the rise of university-based MFA programs and social pressures that may discourage writers from taking intellectual or creative risks. He longs for the return of the “big, audacious” novel—books willing to wrestle with the complicated social, political, psychological, and moral realities of their time. Yet his essay ultimately ends on a hopeful note. Brooks believes literature still possesses something uniquely powerful: the ability to give readers access to the inner lives of other people and to capture the spirit of an era in ways other forms of media cannot. For him, the novel is not simply a form of entertainment; it is a means of understanding ourselves and one another, and its revival could help push back against what he describes as the dehumanizing forces of modern culture.
Who is Ann Patchett?
Ann Patchett has built an extraordinary literary career through novels that explore family, friendship, love, loss, human connection, and the complicated relationships that shape our lives. Her celebrated works include Bel Canto, Commonwealth, State of Wonder, The Dutch House, and Tom Lake, along with nonfiction and books for children. Her work has earned numerous honors, including the PEN/Faulkner Award, the Women’s Prize for Fiction, and the National Humanities Medal, while The Dutch House was a Pulitzer Prize finalist.
Beyond writing, Patchett is a passionate advocate for books and independent bookstores. She opened Parnassus Books in Nashville and founded the Parnassus Books Foundation, which provides books to children in Title I schools. In 2026, she was awarded the Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction, recognizing her distinguished body of work and lasting contribution to American literature.
Here is world-renowned author Ann Patchett’s response to Brook’s argument.
Entering the Conversation: My Take.
I find myself firmly on Ann Patchett’s side of this conversation. Patchett is not only a brilliant writer, but also someone who speaks thoughtfully about the enduring power of literature and the profound ways books can connect us to one another. I strongly agree with her central argument that meaningful literature has not disappeared. In fact, I believe some extraordinary novels are being written right now. Brooks and Patchett appear to agree on one fundamental point: literature still matters. Where they differ is in their assessment of its current health. Brooks sees literary fiction as having lost some of its cultural influence and creative boldness, while Patchett challenges the idea that meaningful literature has disappeared at all—and I find her argument much more convincing.
Perhaps the larger issue isn't whether literary fiction is declining, but whether the way we discover, discuss, and value books has changed. Are important novels still being written, but simply not receiving the widespread cultural attention that novels once commanded? Has our increasingly digital and fast-paced culture changed the way we read and talk about literature? And perhaps most importantly, who gets to decide which contemporary books truly matter? I don't think a book's cultural popularity—or lack thereof—determines its literary value. A powerful book can profoundly affect one reader, one classroom, or one community without becoming a national cultural phenomenon. To me, that is precisely why conversations like Brooks and Patchett's matter: they remind us not to confuse cultural visibility with literary significance. There are still stories worth telling, writers worth celebrating, and books capable of changing the way we see ourselves and one another.
Something to Consider
Has literary fiction actually lost its cultural power - or has the way we discover, discuss, and value books simply changed?
What contemporary novel do you believe people will still be reading fifty years from now?