The Paris Review

“We live in a society that is in transition from oral to written. There are oral stories that are still there, not exactly in their full magnificence, but still strong in their differentness from written stories. Each mode has its ways and methods and rules. They can reinforce each other; this is the advantage my generation has—we can bring to the written story something of that energy of the story told by word of mouth. This is really one of the contributions our literature has made to contemporary literature.” —Chinua Achebe, the Art of Fiction No. 139

• Chinua Achebe has died at eighty-two.
• The Guardian rereleases a stirring interview with the Nigerian literary giant. 
• (Yes, the words “things have fallen apart” have been, appropriately, invoked.) 
• An Oxford University librarian has been fired after students staged a textbook Harlem shake on her unwitting watch. 
• It’s been a while since we gawked at literary tattoos. If you feel this lack keenly, this one’s for you. 

Portrait of Roald Dahl, 1954, by Carl Van Vechten.

A cultural news roundup.