ROONEY: ELLIUS GRACE—THE NEW YORK TIME S/REDUX; ADANI SOURCE PHOTO: REBECCA CONWAY—THE NEW YORK TIMES/REDUX
(something about which I have
some knowledge), but Rooney
has proven herself immune to
the mounting pressures: Beau-
tiful World, Where Are You goes
meta, grappling with philosoph-
ical questions around success,
the disconnection of the inter-
net age, and the complexity of
adult friendships. Her ability to
swerve means she won’t just
be the hottest young novelist
of the year—she will be a
permanent fi xture, not just as
a hardback in the hands of
appealing youth but as a critic
in the collective conscience.
Dunham is an actor, author,
director, and series creator
Sally Rooney
Literary phenomenon
BY LENA DUNHAM
Several times in a generation,
there is a writer who speaks
such basic truths—in such
skillful prose—that they
become a signpost for all
our needs and concerns, all
our unanswered questions
and anxious dreams. When
she published Conversations
With Friends, Sally Rooney
became that person, and
her second novel, Normal
People, cemented her role as
the minimalist examiner of
modern romance. She is the
rare writer to have coveted
merch (I am the proud owner
of a Sally Rooney bucket hat),
her books are touted as fash-
ionable trophies, and her work
has given rise to a cottage
industry of lusty fantasy.
But none of these things
should dent the fact of her
skill as a writer or the incisive-
ness of her critiques. It’s
an uncomfortable thing to
be generationally anointed
