"Ivanov's fear was of a literary nature. That is, it was the fear the afflicts most citizens who, one fine (or dark) day, choose to make the practice of writing, and especially the practice of fiction writing, an integral part of their lives. Fear of being no good. Also fear of being overlooked. But above all, fear of being no good. Fear that one's efforts and striving will come to nothing. Fear of the step that leaves no trace. Fear of the forces and chance of nature that wipe away shallow prints. Fear of dining alone and unnoticed. Fear of going unrecognized. Fear of failure and making a spectacle of oneself. But above all fear of being no good. Fear of forever dwelling in the hell of bad writers."
~~ from 2666 by Roberto Bolano
Alex Kudera’s award-winning novel, Fight for Your Long Day (Atticus Books), was drafted in a walk-in closet during a summer in Seoul, South Korea. Auggie’s Revenge (Beating Windward Press) is his second novel. His numerous short stories include “Frade Killed Ellen” (Dutch Kills Press), “Bombing from Above” (Heavy Feather Review), and “A Thanksgiving” (Eclectica Magazine).
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Short Stories by Alex Kudera
"Going to Hell," Russian trans. from Sergey Katukov, East West Literary Forum , Jan. 28, 2026 "A Separate Piece," Cityw...
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In theory, a book isn't alive unless it's snuggled comfortably in the reading bin in the bathroom at Oprah's or any sitting Pres...
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"Going to Hell," Russian trans. from Sergey Katukov, East West Literary Forum , Jan. 28, 2026 "A Separate Piece," Cityw...
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(For my favorite novels and short story collections, I limited myself to fiction but cheated so I could add Richard Wright's Black Boy a...
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And, finally, near the end of Journey , Celine arrives at his Slovak beauty, a far cry from the meth-infested psychotic " no-neck Slova...
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This essay on austerity and the illegal consolidation of power in Romania in included in the latest print issue of Contemporary Literary Ho...
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