Shortlisted for the PENJean Stein Book Award & the PENDiamonstein-Spielvogel Award for the Art of the Essay A blazingly intelligent first collection of essays from the award-winning author of Open City & Every Day Is for the Thief With these pieces on politics photography travel history & literature Teju Cole solidifies his place as one of today&s most powerful & original voices covering subjects as diverse as Virginia Woolf WG Sebald Instagram Barack Obama & Boko Haram Persuasive & provocative erudite yet accessible Known & Strange Things is an opportunity to live within Teju Cole&s wide-ranging enthusiasms curiosities & passions & a chance to see the world in surprising & affecting new frames