John Keene's Counternarratives (New Directions) takes classic American narratives and stands them on their heads. In North and South American tales, he writes about the "others" (Indians, blacks, queers) to re-examine stories we think we know. Characters change sexes. A Brazilian monastery is haunted by witchcraft and voodoo. Keene's stories create a complex portrait of the past that becomes a window on the present.
Photo: Alex Pieros