Lev Grossman

American novelist and journalist; author of the Magicians trilogy and The Bright Sword (2024), a retelling of the Arthurian legend.

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What they believe

Writing a novel appears impossible but actually is not.

Writing a novel belongs to that category of thing—like surviving the Hunger Games, and eating an entire garlic pizza by yourself—that appears to be impossible but actually isn’t.

levgrossman.substack.comSaid 4 Mar 2026This on korrents
Fritz Leiber's handling of race and gender is unenlightened.

And now a major caveat: Leiber’s handling of race and in particular gender is, to say the least, unenlightened.

levgrossman.substack.comSaid 18 Nov 2025This on korrents

The bold line is korrents’ wording; the quote is theirs. These 2: what they wrote before what they said aloud, one per source, newest first.

All 8 beliefs, on korrents

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Sources

4 March

Lev GrossmanKorrents 4 Mar

From one piece The Halfway Point: A Pep Talk 4 beliefs · levgrossman.substack.com

korrents.com
A lousy rough draft proves nothing, because everybody's rough drafts are rough.

Their words

A lousy draft proves nothing. Rough drafts are rough—everybody’s are.

The Halfway Point: A Pep Talklevgrossman.substack.com
korrents.com
Most people who want to write novels don't because they lose their nerve and quit.

Their words

The number one reason why people who want to write novels don’t is not that it’s impossible, and it’s not that they’re not geniuses, it’s that they lose their nerve and quit.

The Halfway Point: A Pep Talklevgrossman.substack.com
korrents.com
Being a novelist is a matter of keeping at it day after day, not of genius breakthroughs.

Their words

Being a novelist is a matter of keeping at it, day after day, just putting words after other words.

The Halfway Point: A Pep Talklevgrossman.substack.com

+ 1 more

korrents.com
Writing a novel appears impossible but actually is not.

Their words

Writing a novel belongs to that category of thing—like surviving the Hunger Games, and eating an entire garlic pizza by yourself—that appears to be impossible but actually isn’t.

The Halfway Point: A Pep Talklevgrossman.substack.com

18 November 2025

Lev GrossmanKorrents 18 Nov 2025

From one piece That Other American Tolkien 2 beliefs · levgrossman.substack.com

korrents.com
It is a shame that Fritz Leiber is barely in print, though a few of his stories deserve to disappear.

Their words

Leiber is barely in print now—I believe he’s only published by a reprint press—and I think that’s a shame, but there are a few of his stories (like “The Sadness of the Executioner”) that truly deserve to disappear forever.

That Other American Tolkienlevgrossman.substack.com
korrents.com
Fritz Leiber's handling of race and gender is unenlightened.

Their words

And now a major caveat: Leiber’s handling of race and in particular gender is, to say the least, unenlightened.

That Other American Tolkienlevgrossman.substack.com

18 October 2025

Lev GrossmanKorrents 18 Oct 2025

From one piece The Wardrobe Opened 75 Years Ago 2 beliefs · levgrossman.substack.com

korrents.com
C.S. Lewis may have been the first writer to successfully imagine what it would be like to have magic happen in front of you.

Their words

Lewis may have been the first person to successfully imagine what it would actually be like to have magic happen right in front of you.

The Wardrobe Opened 75 Years Agolevgrossman.substack.com
korrents.com
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe had a transformative effect across popular culture.

Their words

As Philip Pullman regularly points out, aspects of Lewis’s work have dated very badly—particularly around his portrayal of girls and women—but I do think that it not only changed me but had a genuine transformative effect that rippled the length and breadth of popular culture.

The Wardrobe Opened 75 Years Agolevgrossman.substack.com

3 May 2025

Lev GrossmanRecommends 3 May 2025

Recommendsrcmnd.app
The Secret History

Their words

(She’s also from California; there’s probably a lot of The Secret History in Ninth House.)

fivebooks.com
Recommendsrcmnd.app
Ninth House

Their words

But in the fantasy world of Ninth House, they are hotbeds of actual sorcery, and each house has a particular magical specialty that it practices, and the magic is always crossing dangerous lines and getting them into trouble.

fivebooks.com
Recommendsrcmnd.app
Never Let Me Go

Their words

Never Let Me Go sits at the opposite pole from Jonathan Strange and Mr.

fivebooks.com

21 April 2009

Lev GrossmanRecommends 21 Apr 2009

Recommendsrcmnd.app
Life on the Screen

Their words

Life On The Screen: Identity in the Age of the Internet.

fivebooks.com

The whole feed →

Beliefs

Korrents What they believe 8 beliefs — each backed by an exact quote.
Each is a — compiled by korrents.com, not by them: the one-line wordings are korrents', the quotes are theirs.
Recent
- Writing a novel appears impossible but actually is not.
  
  Writing a novel belongs to that category of thing—like surviving the Hunger Games, and eating an entire garlic pizza by yourself—that appears to be impossible but actually isn’t.
  
  The Halfway Point: A Pep Talk Said 4 Mar 2026
  
  Full record — everyone who holds this →
- Being a novelist is a matter of keeping at it day after day, not of genius breakthroughs.
  
  Being a novelist is a matter of keeping at it, day after day, just putting words after other words.
  
  The Halfway Point: A Pep Talk Said 4 Mar 2026
  
  Full record — everyone who holds this →
- Most people who want to write novels don't because they lose their nerve and quit.
  
  The number one reason why people who want to write novels don’t is not that it’s impossible, and it’s not that they’re not geniuses, it’s that they lose their nerve and quit.
  
  The Halfway Point: A Pep Talk Said 4 Mar 2026
  
  Full record — everyone who holds this →
Show 5 more

A lousy rough draft proves nothing, because everybody's rough drafts are rough.

A lousy draft proves nothing. Rough drafts are rough—everybody’s are.

The Halfway Point: A Pep Talk Said 4 Mar 2026

Full record — everyone who holds this →

Fritz Leiber's handling of race and gender is unenlightened.

And now a major caveat: Leiber’s handling of race and in particular gender is, to say the least, unenlightened.

That Other American Tolkien Said 18 Nov 2025

Full record — everyone who holds this →

It is a shame that Fritz Leiber is barely in print, though a few of his stories deserve to disappear.

Leiber is barely in print now—I believe he’s only published by a reprint press—and I think that’s a shame, but there are a few of his stories (like “The Sadness of the Executioner”) that truly deserve to disappear forever.

That Other American Tolkien Said 18 Nov 2025

Full record — everyone who holds this →

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe had a transformative effect across popular culture.

As Philip Pullman regularly points out, aspects of Lewis’s work have dated very badly—particularly around his portrayal of girls and women—but I do think that it not only changed me but had a genuine transformative effect that rippled the length and breadth of popular culture.

The Wardrobe Opened 75 Years Ago Said 18 Oct 2025

Full record — everyone who holds this →

C.S. Lewis may have been the first writer to successfully imagine what it would be like to have magic happen in front of you.

Lewis may have been the first person to successfully imagine what it would actually be like to have magic happen right in front of you.

The Wardrobe Opened 75 Years Ago Said 18 Oct 2025

Full record — everyone who holds this →
All 8 beliefs →

What is a korrent?

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Under a name here, the quoted block is what they actually said. The korrent beneath it is the claim those words support, in korrents' wording — tap it to see the record, its source, and who else holds it.

Nobody here wrote their own korrents. They are compiled from public statements, and a person can change their mind, which is recorded too.

Recommends rcmnd

rcmnd What they recommend 4 things — each backed by an exact quote.
Compiled by rcmnd.app, not by them: the quotes are theirs, and each links to the post it was copied from.
Recent
- Recommends Never Let Me Go 3 May 2025
  
  Never Let Me Go sits at the opposite pole from Jonathan Strange and Mr.
  
  fivebooks.com 3 May 2025
  
  What others say about Never Let Me Go →
- Recommends Ninth House 3 May 2025
  
  But in the fantasy world of Ninth House, they are hotbeds of actual sorcery, and each house has a particular magical specialty that it practices, and the magic is always crossing dangerous lines and getting them into trouble.
  
  fivebooks.com 3 May 2025
  
  What others say about Ninth House →
- Recommends The Secret History 3 May 2025
  
  (She’s also from California; there’s probably a lot of The Secret History in Ninth House.)
  
  fivebooks.com 3 May 2025
  
  What others say about The Secret History →
Show 1 more

Recommends Life on the Screen 21 Apr 2009

Life On The Screen: Identity in the Age of the Internet.

fivebooks.com 21 Apr 2009

What others say about Life on the Screen →
All 4 recommendations →

Where they publish

Newsletter Last Stop Corbenic Notes on writing, books and Arthurian legend

Open levgrossman.substack.com

Link verified 1 Nov 2026.
x.com @leverus Posts on books and writing

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Link verified 1 Nov 2026.

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