Thomas McGuane is Writing the Most Vital Literature of the Trump Era

During Donald Trump's presidency and beyond, literary fiction responded to political chaos in distinct ways.

Readers initially turned to journalistic and historical explainers in Trump's first term, then to classic novels during the pandemic.

Later, they sought escapist genre books and comfort reads in Trump's second term.

Writers attempted to capture the era's absurdity with exaggerated styles, such as the Rabelaisian excess in Tony Tulathimutte’s Rejection and Mark Doten’s Trump Sky Alpha.

Others focused on class struggles, like Andrew Martin and Halle Butler’s portrayals of the underemployed.

A third group used allegory, drawing from history or the supernatural, as seen in Zadie Smith’s The Fraud or George Saunders’s Vigil.

Most of this work reflects a left-leaning perspective, addressing issues from the viewpoint of its audience.