A Compass on the Navigable Sea

Curated from the archives of World Literature Today, this landmark anthology celebrates a century of exploration through pen and ink, and reimagines what international readership can be.

From Nobel laureates to dissident authors, iconic mainstays to extraordinary newcomers, this global chorus of fiction, essays, poetry, and critique is a testament to the ways in which stories cross borders, bridge histories, and shape futures. With contributions by Octavio Paz, Elie Wiesel, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, Toni Morrison, Dubravka Ugrešić, and many others, A Compass On the Navigable Sea spans genre, time, and location to ask: What can literature do in a time of crisis?