Paul La Farge

Luminous Airplanes (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

Novelist Paul La Farge (Haussmann, or the Distinction) visits Skylight for a reading and signing of his latest, Luminous Airplanes, a novel that was 10 years in the making. "This is one of the best works of fiction to come my way in a long time. Paul La Farge writes beautifully, with wit, humor and passion. He has created as thoroughly imagined a world as you would expect from Chekhov or Flaubert, and has bestowed upon two fictional families enough sympathy and care to rank himself among the best of parents. Luminous Airplanes is a quiet triumph of a book." --Gary Shteyngart, author of Super Sad True Love Story “Remarkable . . . brilliantly imagined . . . La Farge spins his tale with the grace of an acrobat and creates the thrill of watching a high-wire act when digressions begin to converge into a coherent story.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) “A page-turning pleasure . . . Where so much experimental fiction seems pessimistic or even cynical about its possibilities, this novel sustains a spirit of innocence and wonder.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Paul La Farge is the author of two previous novels: The Artist of the Missing (FSG,1999) and Haussmann, or the Distinction (FSG, 2001); and a book of imaginary dreams, The Facts of Winter. His short stories have appeared in McSweeney’s, Harper’s Magazine, Fence, Conjunctions, and elsewhere. His nonfiction has appeared in The Believer, Bookforum, Playboy, and Cabinet. He teaches at Bard College. Photo of the author by Carol Shadford. THIS EVENT WAS RECORDED LIVE AT SKYLIGHT BOOKS OCTOBER 28, 2011.