Artificial Wilderness

Sven Birkerts, Sven Birkets. David R. Godine Publisher, $14.95 (430pp) ISBN 978-0-87923-807-0

``If recent fiction consisted exclusively of American postmodernists, modern literature would be in deep trouble, contends Birkerts. In this latest gathering of brilliant essays, he examines the decline of humanist faith, a theme that links an international community of writers,'' remarked PW. (Apr.)

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