The Belles Lettres Papers

Charles Simmons's "The Belles Lettres Papers" is a fiercely funny expose of Belles Lettres, a fictional literary journal. At least that's the cover story. Given Simmons's background as an editor of The New York Times Book Review, the novel no doubt skewers many real people in the literary world. But "The Belles Lettres Papers" should amuse anyone who has suffered the curse of incompetent bosses.The book takes us through the history of the fictional journal and focuses on a particularly turbulent period. Though there is a story that unites the chapters, the book is really a series of vignettes. And they are funny. For example, there's the revelation that Shakespeare was gay, which we learn from nine newly discovered sonnets. Then there's the editor who tells the staff to save their disdain for the publishers, who wholeheartedly concur with the editor (if only because he said what he did in French, which the publishers do not understand). And I won't even mention what the famous writer was doing in the closet.For anyone with a love of language and writing or an antipathy for office politics, "The Belles Lettres Papers" is highly recommended.