Thomas Mallon would easily be the front-runner in any contest for poet laureate of Republican rule—except for two inconvenient circumstances. First, he’s a novelist rather than a poet. And second, he is no longer a loyal Republican. It may come as a surprise to the author’s fans—or anyone familiar with America’s left-leaning literary culture—that, until the advent of Donald Trump, Mr. Mallon had for decades reliably voted for Republican presidential candidates. The author, still youthfully elfin at 67, notes that this is so...

Source: Wall Street Journal March 01, 2019 17:15 UTC