William T. Vollmann joins Arcade Publishing

A Very Special March Edition of the Arcade Publishing Newsletter

Arcade Publishing is proud to announce the upcoming publication of A Table for Fortune, William T. Vollmann’s 3,000+ page, four-volume masterpiece chronicling the last half-century of American war, life, and politics.

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William T. Vollmann rose to prominence for his architecturally complex novels and non-fiction, monumental in length and scope. His first novel, You Bright and Risen Angels (1987), won the 1988 Whiting Award and gave us "fiction for the electronic age," as The New York Times put it. Vollmann proceeded to demonstrate a singular prolificness, authoring several short story collections; Seven Dreams, a series of historical novels about the colonization of North America; "The Prostitution Trilogy," three novels chronicling the lives of sex workers; and countless non-fiction books, including a seven-volume essay on the subject of violence, a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award.

He won the National Book Award for Fiction for Europe Central, a historical novel set in Europe during the 20th century, proving, as The Times Literary Supplement wrote "that he is one of the most important and fascinating writers of our time."

Yet, the superabundance of his prose has won him some skeptics. As Kirkus once put it, "Vollmann has yet to meet a subject he cannot convert into a tome to rival the Manhattan phone book." Indeed, it seemed for a moment that A Table for Fortune would go the way of the phone book. Whether due to the length of the book, or the fearless depictions of America's more abhorrent foreign policy decisions, the masterpiece of one of America's greatest writers could not find a publisher—until now.

The book, which is planned for publication in 2026, is a sweeping history of American foreign policy from 1968 to 2005. The product of more than a decade of extensive research—Volumes One and Two gives the reader a ringside seat into decades’ worth of secret geopolitical affairs, including an unprecedented look into the East German secret police. Volumes Three and Four of the book tell the story of a father and son in their work at the CIA; a narrative which captures like no book has previously the sickness that our endless wars have beset upon America. A Table for Fortune is a haunting, fulgent national epic that demands to be read.

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Now a moment to look back at the last month:

February was quite the month for Arcade. Apart from a few exciting releases (details below), we also had the distinct pleasure of hosting a reading for Arcade writers on the 21st. Our gratitude towards our devastatingly talented writers and our devoted readership increases by the day; this event provided us with a rare opportunity to engage with both at once.

To see the gap between the author and the reader collapse in the residue of both harrowing and humorous readings, laughter, and conversation left us as excited as ever about what’s to come at Arcade. So keep your eyes peeled for future events, collaborations, and books.

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Now for some other recent highlights:

Not only did Bruce Wagner headline the Arcade event, but he also had two more reissues released by Arcade on February 4: The Empty Chair and I Met Someone. These are two beautiful editions, so be sure to order them to add to the collection.

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The Pyschoanalysis of Dr. Seele, by Leslie Stein, was released on February 18. For those who appreciate literary fiction that coincides with a desire to delve into theory, this is the perfect novel for you.

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Looking forward:

The Agonies is impending, and you don’t want to miss it. Ask Bruce Wagner and Naomi Kanakia about this devastating and deeply personal novel (see their blurbs below).

"The Agonies burns down the world with its artistry, poetic derangement, and miracles of unexpectedness. Ben Faulkner stands shoulder to shoulder with Denis Johnson and Thomas Bernhard."—BRUCE WAGNER

"I enjoyed this book much more than I enjoy most contemporary books, including most alt-lit books. The author tells a story about a boy recovering from grief, and he invests in actually telling that story. It has the angst and melancholy you'd expect, but it's also suffused with hope. This kid, Armand, has so much life, so much vitality—he so desperately wants to want things—and that liveliness infects his narration, which is oftentimes shockingly insightful and humane. It was a pleasure to spend some time with this voice."—NAOMI KANAKIA, author of The Default World

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And a reminder to preorder The Great Pyramids by Frederick Barthelme, which will be released on April 23.

Praise for Frederick Barthelme:

"He's audacious and writes like no one else—I love these stories.” —Ann Beattie

"His textures are impeccable: rich, brightly colored, they seem to float on an underlying vacancy like mirages, leaving the reader dizzy and a little sunstruck. . .it’s impossible to conceive of any writer doing what he does any better than he does it."—Margaret Atwood

"I admire his peculiar grasp of the slant side of human relationships. Superbly written and very funny."—Raymond Carver

"In the course of such stories, we are allowed to witness tiny, hidden moments of vulnerability, intimacy, and even beauty."—Michiko Kakutani

"Barthelme achieves what Chekhov spoke of as grace, the most gained with the least exertion . . . he has shown us the chaos of life, and from it, lifted an order we've not see before."—The San Francisco Chronicle (on Tracer)

"This is very much a novel for these unsettling times, when we are learning to recognize the truth by how deeply we long to disbelieve it."—Francine Prose (on Two Against One)

"Barthelme's take on Americana—dryly funny, despairing, caustic—is also deeply affectionate. This collection shows why this vividly gifted writer has influenced others for years."—Amy Hempel (on The Law of Averages)