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Liepman Literary Agency
Marc Koralnik
Original language
English
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https://daniellevevans.com/

THE OFFICE OF HISTORICAL CORRECTIONS

Danielle Evans

The award-winning author of Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self brings her signature voice and insight to the subjects of race, grief, apology, and American history.
Danielle Evans is widely acclaimed for her blisteringly smart voice and x-ray insights into complex human relationships. With The Office of Historical Corrections, Evans zooms in on particular moments and relationships in her characters' lives in a way that allows them to speak to larger issues of race, culture, and history. She introduces us to Black and multi-racial characters who are experiencing the universal confusions of lust and love, and getting walloped by grief--all while exploring how history haunts us, personally and collectively. Ultimately, she provokes us to think about the truths of American history - about who gets to tell them, and the cost of setting the record straight.

In “Boys Go to Jupiter” a white college student tries to reinvent herself after a photo of her in a confederate flag bikini goes viral. In “Richard of York Gave Battle in Vain” a photojournalist is forced to confront her own losses while attending an old friend's unexpectedly dramatic wedding. And in the eye-opening title novella, a black scholar from Washington DC is drawn into a complex historical mystery that spans generations and puts her job, her love life, and her oldest friendship at risk.

Danielle Evans was born in 1983 in Northern Virginia. She received a B.A. from Columbia University, and an MFA in fiction from the Iowa Writers' Workshop. Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self was awarded the PEN/Bingham Prize. She has had three stories included in different editions of Best American Short Stories. Her short fiction has appeared in The Paris Review, Public Space, Black Renaissance Noire, Phoebe and The L Magazine. Danielle is an Assistant Professor in The Writing Seminars at Johns Hopkins University.
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Book

Published 2020-11-01 by Riverhead Books

Comments

" layers issues of race and class and divisions within the Black community on top of life challenges such as love, lust and grief, is every bit as funny and smart as Evans' debut, while cementing her mastery of the short story form.”

"You don't want to miss this captivating collection of short stories by the award-winning short story extraordinaire Danielle Evans. Tales of race, loss, history and relationships culminate in the final stunning eponymous novella."

MunhakDongne

“extraordinary new collection . . Evans evinces a special vigilance toward threats that are familiar, in the sense of both inherited and routine. To read her is to become aware of ambience, of the peculiar iridescence that short fiction can sometimes offer: the stories are infused with many things but not precisely 'about' any of them. . . . the plots are seductively topical." Read more...

“As a Black writer, whether or not you intend it that way, your work is often treated as a learning opportunity for people who haven't thought much about race or racism. It felt like an act of agency to, instead of trying to write a story with a message for a reader like Claire, write a story that looked at Claire and saw her clearly.” Author Danielle Evans discusses with The Dallas Morning News about how her own grief and losses shaped her new story collection. Read more...

"Danielle Evans previously drew praise for her short story collection Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self; now, she's back with more stories that explore issues of race and power in America through her characters' lives. With her sharp writing and a nuanced portrayal of human relationships, she has created an engrossing collection."

“ so smart and self-assured it's certain to thrust her into the top tier of American short story writers Reading these stories is like that amusement park ride – afterward, you feel a sense of lightness and exhilaration."

"the stories perceptively touch on current controversies like cancel culture and the disputes over historical monuments. But these are, first and foremost, character-driven stories, and the arguments play out most forcefully in the minds of the young black women searching for some livable balance between guilt and forgiveness."

"Danielle Evans' unrelenting wit and compassion are on dazzling display in her second collection."

“Danielle Evans brings her usual wit and keen eye to her latest collection, which offers seven stories that explore the complexity of human emotions and relationships. While every story offers a discrete narrative, recurring themes of pain, loss, fear, and failed relationships give the collection a sense of unity. The title novella is the crowning jewel this is a timely, entertaining collection from a talented writer who isn't afraid to take chances.”

"Evans doesn't hold back in her timely, engrossing, and powerful new collection of short stories about race, history, grief, and culture. It's one of the best short story collections of the year." Read more...

"In her latest short story collection, writer Danielle Evans tackles race, grief and belonging— all with the not-so-distant past present and looming."

“If You're Going to Read One Book in November, make it THE OFFICE OF HISTORICAL CORRECTIONS!” Read more...

Picador UK

"Confronting contemporary issues of race, class, and gender The stories here feel ripped from the headlines, but each offers an insightful glimpse into the strange world we've built beneath ourselves." Read more...

“ In each story, Evans's unforgettable characters must assert their humanity in a world hellbent on squelching it, with hope, humor, and joy powering them through unfathomable sorrow." Read more...

“ .The Office Of Historical Corrections is a collection for the moment. Evans skillfully interprets cancel culture, fake news, and political cults in order to craft a unique critique of the country's underlying racism. The success of the collection stems from balancing the gloom of racism with Evans wry commentary. The snarky narrative voice cuts deeply. These stories are now even more necessary."

“Evans is back with another collection of short stories that prove she is one of the most powerful voices in the genre. . . . Prepare for this provocative novella to stay with you long after you reach the final page." Read more...

“Written with fierce humor and intelligence, Evans's stories contain both the complexities of individual lives, and the complexities of our historical moment.”

“The long-awaited follow-up from Danielle Evans finally arrives . . . With her characteristically perceptive and incisive dissections, these seven evocative stories zone in on specific moments in her characters' lives – from love and lust to grief – that speak to wider issues of race, culture and truths of American history."

"It's a remarkable tale of racial resentment and the weight of history, and it anchors an engrossing collection that finds new ways to tell the oldest American story."

"Evans's stories crackle with humor and intelligence, as well as anger and sorrow. The issue of race, which threads through most of the stories, is handled with nuance. There's no drama: The title novella turns the investigation of an investigation of an inaccurate plaque in a sleepy town into a thriller sizzling with tension." - November print issue

"You will be drawn in to these funny, scary, thoughtful stories by the woman Roxane Gay calls, 'the finest short story writer working today.' . . . . Evans writes about race and racism in America with an especially humane touch."

Best books of 2020 Read more...

“Showcasing her continued command of short fiction The title novella manages to combine George Orwell's bureaucratic chill from '1984' with Toni Morrison's elegant judgments from 'Beloved'.” Read more...

" touches on the nuances of the human condition and the world we live in." Read more...

“Evans writes about injustices large and small with incredible subtlety and, often, wry wit it feels so timely The eponymous novella that closes the book is a stunner To say much more would only detract from storytelling that is gripping on every level. Necessary narratives, brilliantly crafted.”

"From the dark humor of 'Why Won't Women Just Say What They Want' to the gutting conclusion of the title story, Evans' short stories are full of richly textured Black women But it's the title story, a novella, that really shows Evans' capabilities. A Black woman living and working in gentrifying Washington, DC, embarks on a mysterious historical mission that brings dredges up old wounds both personal and national. It's a remarkable follow-up to 2010's Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self."

" reads like a prescient letter from a brutally honest friend with her finger on the pulse of an ailing culture. Each story bristles with the author's signature wit and precision" Read more...

" Danielle Evans delivers a timely and insightful collection of stories that highlight subjects like race, loss, and the dark truths of American history." - forthcoming December issue

"Evans is a master of prose, constantly spinning sentences that leave readers winded . . . Her command of language keeps her ambitious plotting grounded and makes her characters irresistible." Read more...

“This short story collection about race in America. .. . . will, quite frankly, blow your mind." Read more...

"the stories themselves and the people in them are in fact, so urgent, so bright, so compelling that they linger long after I close the book. Danielle Evans has a gimlet eye for the kind of contradictory detail that makes a character come into vivid and immediate focus."

"Evans calmly and expertly navigates the limits and possibilities of short stories. Yet here they risk being given short shrift because they work as a preamble to the novella, which combines uncommon storytelling with rare wisdom her eventual novel will be worth the wait. 'The Office of Historical Corrections' certainly has been." Read more...

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