Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sides | 2007 | Peter Straub | Buy |
| 2 | American Poetry: States of the Art | 2000 | Peter Straub | N/A |
| 3 | Conjunctions #39: The New Wave Fabulists | 2002 | Peter Straub | N/A |
Straub took his role as a literary citizen seriously throughout his career, and his non-fiction reflects that engagement. American Poetry: States of the Art (2000) grew out of his deep knowledge of poetry, the form in which he began his writing life in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The volume collects contemporary American poetry with commentary that positions Straub as a thoughtful reader of the form even after he had moved on from writing it himself.
The guest-edited issue of Conjunctions (2002) focused on New Wave Fabulism, a term associated with writers including Kelly Link, Jonathan Lethem, and others who were blurring the line between literary fiction and genre. Straub’s involvement in that project helped legitimize the conversation between horror, fantasy, and the literary mainstream at a time when those borders were genuinely contested.
Sides (2007) is the most directly useful volume for readers interested in understanding Straub’s thinking. The essays collected there discuss his development as a writer, his reading habits, and his views on the authors and works that shaped him, making it a practical companion to his fiction for anyone who wants more than the novels alone can offer.