Phil Klay–an alumnus of Hunter College’s MFA writing program and an Iraq War veteran–won the 2014 National Book Award for fiction for his collection of short stories, Redeployment. In his acclaimed debut novel, Missionaries, he explores the globalization of war through the stories of four people caught up in the nearly 60-year conflict in Colombia. Among the book’s fans is Barack Obama, who put it on his list of favorite books of 2020.
From the Los Angeles Times review of Missionaries:  “Using his formidable gifts for scene-setting, meaningful irony and deep human empathy, Klay weaves together a set of stories over the course of nearly three decades . . . Amid raging fires and illness and constitutional crises, Klay’s book roars something vital: Never forget about war or the blood and bone and the evil and the reckless idealism of who we all really are. Well worth the wait, “Missionaries” is (among its many virtues) a prime example of what can ideally follow a first great war book.  . . “Missionaries” is horrifying and refreshing, challenging us to reflect not just on the destruction of our own national institutions but also on the ugly and ongoing consequences of American power abroad.”
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