Tom Lutz 1925 : A LITERARY ENCYCLOPEDIA

This encyclopedia was written as we approached the 100th anniversary of the annus mirabilis,arguably the peak of literature's centrality.

1925

The year 1925 was arguably the peak of literature's centrality. There were more magazines, more journals, more reviews, more book news, and more book gossip than ever before or since. Literature's rivals for cultural attention were on the rise-film was becoming a more significant part of people's media diet, radio was just taking off, television technologies were advancing-but literature was still king. Even mediocre books got dozens of reviews, and the reviews were (most often) thoughtful and intellectually engaged. The belief that literary writing was an essential and consequential business was nearly universal. Modernist ferment continued to excite discussion while the pulp revolution in genre fiction-detective stories, science fiction, Westerns, romance-was booming. These popular books, even if sometimes condescended to, were also given thoughtful review attention.

This encyclopedia was written as we approached the 100th anniversary of the annus mirabilis. In what follows, we can see the seeds of virtually every aspect of our cultural life, from art, literature, theater, and music to physics, philosophy, social science, and political discourse. The fear of environmental degradation, the corruption in our politics, the competing claims of utopianism and dystopia, the bitterly divided views on science, mass media, art, nature, justice, generations, community, freedom, sexuality, race, immigration-all can be seen in their budding or full-blown gore and glory in 1925. We have come far and not very far at all.

Tom Lutz

Tom Lutz is an American writer, literary critic and founder of the Los Angeles Review of Books. Lutz taught American literature, cultural studies, literary theory, and creative writing. He was Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Department of Creative Writing at University of California, Riverside and retired in 2024. He is now Distinguished professor Emeritus.

In 2016, he launched the LARB Publishing Workshop, which seeks "to revolutionize the publishing industry from the ground up by increasing access, facilitating change, and inspiring invention through the recruitment, training, and mentorship of early-career talent from diverse backgrounds." Over 500 people have been through the workshop, and over 100 publishing professionals have helped teach the course.