The author below responds to a negative review in the New York Times:

To a review of “Critics, Monsters, Fanatics, and Other Literary Essays,” July 17)

To the Editor:

“[Writers], being sentient creatures, . . . are often distressed by what critics have to say about their work. Yet they accept with varying degrees of resignation that they are not kindergartners bringing home their first potato prints for the admiration of their parents, but grown-ups who have chosen to present their work in the public arena.” — Zoë Heller, “Do We Really Need Negative Reviews?” Bookends (Feb. 16, 2014).