The Seraglio, James Merrill (Atheneum). “Few writers...

The Seraglio, James Merrill (Atheneum). “Few writers approach James Merrill’s exquisite knowledge of the English language, its beauty and oddity . . . . I always turn the last page of Merrill’s poems feeling purified, astonished, enlightened” (David Leavitt).

In the Name of the Working Class: The Inside Story of the Hungarian Revolution, Sandor Kopacsi (Grove Press). “A singularly important document of modern political history” (Ferenc Feher).

When the Fat Man Sings, William Murray (Bantam). A “genuine puzzler” by a crafty manipulator of magic, gambling and murder; “great fun” (Don G. Campbell).

Alice’s Neck, Barbara Novak (Ticknor & Fields). “A tragicomedy about the impossibility of reconciling human life and human knowledge . . . touching and engaging” (Richard Eder).