Nathaniel Purple

Placeholder author icon
By F.D. Reeve ’50

Published Jan. 21, 2016

(Voyage/Brigantine Media) This novella is named for its narrator — Nathaniel Purple, the librarian of a small Vermont town. This book has its share of drama — betrayals, violence, and conflagrations — amid pastoral scenes and the simple pleasures enjoyed by Nathaniel. Reeve taught English and Russian at Wesleyan University for 40 years, was a founding editor of Poetry Review, and Robert Frost’s translator at his meeting with Nikita Krushchev in Russia. He lives in Wilmington, Vt.

Paw in print

Image
The February 2026 cover of PAW, featuring a photo of Joseph Nye.
The Latest Issue

February 2026

Lives Lived & Lost in 2025, Saying ’yes’ to more housing; AI startup stars