On Ross Barkan’s New Novel 'Colossus'

We live in an era of constant reinvention and self-documentation, the careful crafting of an exterior life. But can we truly write our own life story? That’s the question author Ross Barkan poses in his new novel, Colossus, and one he might have asked himself throughout his varied career. Barkan has worn many hats, including novelist, journalist, essayist, teacher, politician, magazine founder, and editor. But he doesn’t consider these shifts as reinventions. “I’m proud of who I am and where I’m from,” he said. Instead, as an author, he gets to invent other people’s identities. “That’s the fun of being an author. You get to dream and satiate your curiosity.”