The Literati, Susan Coll
The Literati, Susan Coll
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The Literati
A Novel

Author: Susan Coll

Narrator: Marni Penning

Unabridged: 9 hr 26 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Harper Muse

Published: 09/09/2025

Synopsis

"Like Bookish People, the novel sparkles with kooky details plucked from literary culture. A comedy of errors that gets it just right." --KirkusAn unexpected catastrophe of literary proportions . . .Aspirant, bookish, and close to broke, 26-year-old Clemi steps into her dream job at a prestigious literary nonprofit and finds herself in the bull's eye of a financial, legal, and existential calamity. The executive director has disappeared, leaving behind an inscrutable cat to which she is highly allergic. Meanwhile, the bank accounts have been overdrawn, the FBI is asking questions, and she has three days to pull off the annual fundraising gala, a glamorous affair filled with famous writers and local literati.On the upside, she will get to meet her all-time favorite writer, who has won the award. Clemi has read and reread her novels, pouring over her every word. But her interactions with the author and her eight-year-old son, as well as with the nonprofit's Board Members, leave her wondering whether certain writers are better on the page than in person.All the while, Clemi is trying to sort out her own life: her current boyfriend is, like every boyfriend before him, a pompous poseur, and the clock is running on her apartment-sitting gig. She finds herself wondering what all the goings-on in this dysfunctional, scandal-plagued nonprofit have to do with literature. And if it's time to let go of her literary aspirations and apply to law school.In the week in which this madcap story unfolds, USA TODAY bestselling author Susan Coll weaves together a charmingly witty and warm comedy of manners that offers a peek behind the literary curtain--one that anyone who's ever been a little bit uncertain of what the future might hold can relate to.

About Susan Coll

USA Today and Washington Post bestselling writer Susan Coll is the author of eight previous novels, including The Literati, Real Life & Other Fictions, and Bookish People. Her other books include The Stager, Acceptance, Rockville Pike, and Karlmarx.com. Her work has appeared in The Washington Post, The New York Times, NPR.org, The Atlantic.com, The Millions, and other publications. Her novel, Acceptance, was made into a television movie starring Joan Cusack. Susan is the recipient of multiple grants from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities. She works as an event consultant at Politics and Prose Bookstore and was the president of the PEN/Faulkner Foundation for five years. Coll teaches workshops at The Writer’s Center in Bethesda, Maryland.

Reviews

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Quotes

'A comedy of errors that gets it just right.' Kirkus

'Coll's witty, vivid portrayal of a young woman trying to succeed in the literary industry is sure to delight readers.' BookPage

'I have learned to relish every minute I spend in Susan Coll's comic universes, and THE LITERATI is no exception. Featuring a glittering array of characters--from cats to clowns, from divas to embezzlers to Malcolm Gladwell lookalikes--this satire of nonprofit dysfunction is up to the minute, intricately plotted and wickedly funny. Above all, it's delicious.' Louis Bayard, author of THE WILDES and JACKIE & ME

'In the week in which this madcap story unfolds, USA TODAY bestselling author Susan Coll weaves together a charmingly witty and warm comedy of manners that offers a peek behind the literary curtain--one that anyone who's ever been a little bit uncertain of what the future might hold can relate to.' The Nerd Daily

'Nobody does crazy comedy of errors like Susan Coll.' Oprah Daily

'Susan Coll has written a hilarious, raucous, mad-cap comedy full of intrigue and insight. THE LITERATI is a delightful satire of too many of my favorite things: the literary world, non-profits, fundraising and of course celebrity. But through it all, Coll has infused the book with a warm, earnest pulsing heart that refuses cynicism in our protagonist Clemi: someone no reader whose ever started a new and strange job will not relate to and root for. Smart, funny and deliriously charming!' Xochitl Gonzalez, author of OLGA DIES DREAMING and ANITA DE MONTE LAUGHS LAST

'Susan Coll's eighth novel, THE LITERATI, is a funny, sometimes zany comedy of errors with a splash of rom-com--heavy on the com and light on the rom, which is refreshing.' Washington Post

'THE LITERATI combines the wit and humor of Hacks with the peek-behind-the-curtain of The Bear (just think literary instead of culinary). USA TODAY bestselling author Susan Coll's latest tale of a young woman who finds herself completely in over her head in a literary nonprofit is an emotionally resonant, charmingly intelligent, and often laugh-out-loud story perfect for anyone who loves the magic of books.' Book Club Girl

'This is the perfect read for those looking for a bookish comedy of manners, and readers of lit fic looking for something lighter will enjoy the deep dive into Clemi's consciousness.' Booklist

'With a poet's flair for language, a comedian's knack for timing, and a satirist's gift for skewering the absurd, Susan Coll sends the reader on a riotous adventure with heroine Clemi, who faces numerous crises over the course of a week--including the sudden disappearance of her boss and the equally sudden appearance of the FBI. THE LITERATI is a wickedly smart and funny gem of a novel that I devoured in one sitting. Don't miss it!' Abbott Kahler, author of WHERE YOU END and EDEN UNDONE

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