Brendan Mathews

Latest news

“maniacs” included among “100 distinguished stories” in Best American short stories 2023

My story “Maniacs,” first published by Electric Literature, was included on the list of Distinguished Stories at the back of the new BASS 2023, guest edited by Min Jin Lee.

THIS IS NOT A LOVE SONG SHORTLISTED FOR WILLIAM SAROYAN INTERNATIONAL PRIZE FOR WRITING

The Stanford Libraries has announced the shortlist for the 9th William Saroyan International Prize for Writing, which encourages new or emerging writers and honors the Saroyan literary legacy of originality, vitality and stylistic innovation. Fifteen books were chosen for the fiction shortlist, including works by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, Tsitsi Dangarembga, Helen DeWitt, Kali Fajardo-Anstine, and De'Shawn Charles Winslow.

this is not a love song longlisted for the massachusetts book award in fiction

This Is Not a Love Song was one of 12 books named “Must Reads” by the Massachusetts Book Awards, alongside books by Whitney Scharer, Mona Awad, Ocean Vuong, Christopher Castellani, and many other amazing writers.

Coverage of This Is Not A Love Song

For Valentine’s Day, a roundup of books about love—in all its forms

This Is Not A Love Song is recommended, along with books by Jasmine Guillory, Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen, and Elizabeth McCracken.

Publishers Weekly

“Variety, both in style and subject matter, is a hallmark of Mathews’s quirky collection of 10 morally complex short stories…This is an eclectic, accomplished collection.”

Love-ly books to stoke your Valentine’s heart

“The title does not lie. Most of the marriages and romantic liaisons in Brendan Mathews’ first collection are short-lived and end badly.”

Short and sweet: Author's story collection more than worthy of readers' attention

“Mathews’ collection is an excellent example of how entertaining today’s short stories can be.”

Booklist

“Mathews excels at portraying the emotional pain felt by those without a clear place in the world and the universality of self-doubt. The versatility of literary techniques shows a writer in the process of sharpening his unique voice.”

THE BEST NEW BOOKS OF FEBRUARY 2019

This Is Not a Love Song makes the list of best new books for February—along with the latest from Marlon James, Elizabeth McCracken, Morgan Parker, Valeria Luiselli, and so many other greats.

WAMC Public Radio: The Book Show

I had a great time talking with Joe Donahue about big Irish families, what I learned from Deborah Eisenberg, and how good writing is like a stolen car.

Kirkus Reviews

“Mathews is a restless stylist…he isn’t satisfied even with his more accomplished conventional stories, and his talent suggests he shouldn’t be.”

Need a Read? Here are 4 new Books we’re loving

Vogue editors recommend This Is Not A Love Song, along with new books by Sophie Mackintosh, Katharine Smyth, and Aatish Taseer.

6 short story collections to look forward to in 2019

“This story collection…showcases Mathews’ knack for getting to the heart of a story through unusual structures and perspectives.”

Library Journal: Prepub Alert

“A half-dozen rising stars, from Mark Doten and Valeria Luiselli to Brendan Mathews and Esmé Weijun Wang, make their apearance in February 2019.”

Coverage of The World of Tomorrow

EW: Best Debut Novels of the Year

The World of Tomorrow makes the list of Entertainment Weekly's best debut novels for 2017.

Kirkus: 13 Fiction Debuts & Breakthroughs That Live up to the Hype

The World of Tomorrow joins debuts by Carmen Maria Machado, Margaret Wilkerson Sexton, and Tom Hanks on Kirkus Reviews's round-up of stellar debuts.

Oprah.com: 18 best books to pick up this month

"Mathews’s urban epic is as rich and raucous as the city it celebrates."

World of Tomorrow named an Indie Next pick for September

The World of Tomorrow is on the September Indie Next Great Reads list—along with new books by Claire Messud, Celeste Ng, Orhan Pamuk, Jesmyn Ward, and 15 other great writers.

Dallas Morning News: In a madcap, sprawling debut, Brendan Mathews revives the American Dream

DMN Culture Critic Chris Vognar calls the book "a madcap rollick tinged with a touch of menace" and "a dazzling literary debut."

seattle times: Books to Disappear into this Fall

"I didn’t want this book to end; though it’s just as well that it did, or I might still be sitting in my armchair with it, lost to the world."

Bill's Books Recommends The World of Tomorrow

On NBC New York, Bill Goldstein compares the novel to Doctorow's Ragtime and Herman Wouk's The Winds of War and calls it "insane...in the best possible way."

Entertainment Weekly calls the world of tomorrow a "must-read book"

The World of Tomorrow is listed at #5 on EW's rundown of the fall's top 20 books, joining Stephen King, Te-Nehisi Coates, Jennifer Egan, and Celeste Ng.

Bookpage names The World of Tomorrow their Top Pick in Fiction for September

"The World of Tomorrow is a sweeping, impressive accomplishment...Mathews has written an insightful immigrant epic, not to mention a first-class literary thriller."

Chicago Tribune: 'The World of Tomorrow' gyrates with zany energy

"Mathews has a big, rambunctious talent that promises great things."

WBUR: The Writing in 'The World of Tomorrow' lives up to its notable title

“This is his first novel, but you would not know it from the depth of its characters or the tight-as-a-snare-drum pacing."

New York Times Book Review: Editors' Choice

The World of Tomorrow joins books by Nathan Englander, Nicole Krauss, and Hillary Clinton on the NYTBR's Editor's Choice list.

NYTBR: A Debut Novel Imagines Political Intrigue at the 1939 world's fair

In a full-page review in The New York Times Book Review, Kevin Baker calls the novel "admirably fearless...Mathews has talent in buckets."

starred review in booklist

"As everything rolls toward an adrenaline-fueled finale, Mathews brilliantly creates characters who embody the esprit de corps of immigrants and movingly explores themes of class, society, race, and family. For fans of Michael Chabon and E. L. Doctorow."

Wall street Journal: the best new fiction

Sam Sacks spotlights three new releases where characters are haunted by ghosts: Jesmyn Ward's Sing, Unburied, Sing; Antonio Tabucchi's For Isabel; and The World of Tomorrow.

NPR: 'The World of Tomorrow' is a huge story, told intimately

"His entire novel takes place over the course of one week in June...culminating at the Fair itself, in a fast-paced finale worthy of a Scorsese long-take. And I love this about the book. I love the bright-eyed joy of it."

Bustle: 10 long books to help you make the most of the season

"This fast-paced and expansive debut novel is 500-plus pages of storytelling that will keep you captivated from beginning to end."

Platform: An Interview with Soumya Mukerji

A discussion about old New York, optimism and catastrophe, writing and teaching, and a few of my favorite writers.

NPR Weekend Edition: In 'World of Tomorrow,' A novelist found echoes of 1939, today

I sat down with Lulu Garcia-Navarro to talk about big Irish families, charming rogues, and parallels between 1939 and 2017.

Aspen public radio: first draft with Mitzi Rapkin

WAMC Albany: The Book Show with Joe Donahue

WCBS New York: Author Talks with Lisa Tschernkowitsch

Berkshire Magazine: Find Him In a Cafe

In a profile in the September issue, Berkshire Magazine writes about my ghostly encounter and the family stories that inspired the novel.

Starred Review in Publishers Weekly

“Three Irish brothers tumble through New York during an eventful two weeks in June 1939, in Mathews’s masterful debut novel... a remarkably fast and exhilarating read, reminiscent of Michael Chabon’s The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay... With the wit of a ’30s screwball comedy and the depth of a thoroughly researched historical novel, this one grabs the reader from the beginning to its suspenseful climax.”

Starred review in Library Journal

“Mathews’s first novel is all you could want...The tension never lets up, and the story is fast and mind-spinningly complicated… There’s suspense, humor, love, of both the doomed and requited varieties… This novel should prove irresistible to anyone wanting a diverting read. It’s quality stuff—and fun.”