Books & the Arts
Lauren Oyler and the Critic in the Internet Age Lauren Oyler and the Critic in the Internet Age
In No Judgment, the novelist and critic explores the perilous activity of literary criticism in the era of social media.
How Did Joe Biden’s Foreign Policy Go So Off Course? How Did Joe Biden’s Foreign Policy Go So Off Course?
The president set out to chart a more pacific and humane foreign policy after the Trump years but at some point he and his team of advisers lost the plot.
The End of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” Marks the End of an Era The End of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” Marks the End of an Era
Larry David is the last of his kind—and in several ways.
The Cosmopolitan Modernism of the Harlem Renaissance The Cosmopolitan Modernism of the Harlem Renaissance
A new exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art explores the world-spanning art of the Harlem Renaissance.
From the Magazine
What Happened to the 21st-Century City? What Happened to the 21st-Century City?
And how we can save it.
Who Is In Charge in the Biden White House? Who Is In Charge in the Biden White House?
In The Last Politician, Franklin Foer offers a portrait of an administration at odds with itself.
The Era of Nicki Minaj The Era of Nicki Minaj
How the queen of rap revolutionized American music.
Literary Criticism
Isabella Hammad’s Novel of Art and Exile in Palestine Isabella Hammad’s Novel of Art and Exile in Palestine
Enter the Ghost looks at a group of Palestinians who try to put on a production of Hamlet in the occupied West Bank.
Olga Ravn’s Novel of Parenting and Its Discontents Olga Ravn’s Novel of Parenting and Its Discontents
In My Work, the novelist examines the trials and tribulations of being a mother.
The Magic of Reading Bernard Malamud The Magic of Reading Bernard Malamud
His work, unlike that of Bellow or Roth, focused on the lives of often impoverished Jews in Brooklyn and the Bronx and bestowed on them a literary magic.
History & Politics
What Happened to the Democratic Majority? What Happened to the Democratic Majority?
Today the march of class dealignment feels like an inexorable fact of American political life. But is it?
The Latin School Teacher Who Made Classics Popular The Latin School Teacher Who Made Classics Popular
A new biography of Edith Hamilton tells the story of how and why ancient literature became widely read in the United States.
Sara Ahmed and the Joys of Killjoy Feminism Sara Ahmed and the Joys of Killjoy Feminism
To be a feminist killjoy means celebrating a different kind of joy, the joy that comes from doing critical damage to what damages so much of the world.
Art & Architecture
How Did Americans Come to Love “Mid-Century Modern”? How Did Americans Come to Love “Mid-Century Modern”?
Solving the riddle of America’s obsession with postwar design and furniture.
“The Subject of Painting Is Paint”: On Frank Bowling “The Subject of Painting Is Paint”: On Frank Bowling
The British artist’s work challenges all notions you might have about the relationship between politics and aesthetics.
A Hidden History of Europe’s Pre-Modernist Women Artists A Hidden History of Europe’s Pre-Modernist Women Artists
A recent exhibition documenting four centuries of art from female painters and illustrators provides a new way of looking at an era of art history where women are often left out.
Film & Television
The Genius of Nuri Bilge Ceylan The Genius of Nuri Bilge Ceylan
About Dry Grasses is long, dense, elliptical—and brilliant.
The Metaphysical Horror of “The Curse” The Metaphysical Horror of “The Curse”
From its first moments to its antic end, the series exposes its viewers to an abundance of anxious perturbation but it does something else too: It reveals the absurdity all around…
The Odd Couples of “Drive-Away Dolls” The Odd Couples of “Drive-Away Dolls”
Ethan Coen’s horny homage to American film history’s many strains of queer comedy highlights the collaborative aspect inherent in his project as a director.
Latest in Books & the Arts
Blood, Guts, and Queer Bodybuilders Blood, Guts, and Queer Bodybuilders
The Kristen Stewart–helmed erotic thriller Love Lies Bleeding filters a study of sex, violence, and the limits of human will through a romance that begins in a New Mexico gym.
Apr 11, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Beatrice Loayza
The Mexican Conquest: A Story Told in the Conditional Tense The Mexican Conquest: A Story Told in the Conditional Tense
Restaging the meeting between Moctezuma and Hernán Cortés, Álvaro Enrigue’s You Dreamed of Empires explores how little we still know about this moment in history.
Apr 4, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Lucas Iberico Lozada
Lurking in the Shadows of the Deep State Lurking in the Shadows of the Deep State
A conversation with the journalist Kerry Howley about her reporting on whistleblowers, drone warfare, and an upcoming film adaptation of her writing on NSA leaker Reality Winner. …
Apr 3, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Rhoda Feng
Did Beyoncé Conquer Country Music? Did Beyoncé Conquer Country Music?
On Cowboy Carter, the pop superstar’s bid to radicalize a parochial genre falls short.
Apr 2, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Stephen Kearse
A Dispatch From the Land of the “Sleepless” A Dispatch From the Land of the “Sleepless”
A French writer’s memoir of her insomnia tries to understand how central sleep is to cultural and intellectual history.
Mar 28, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Alyse Burnside
Fables of the Lone Star Liberal Fables of the Lone Star Liberal
A HBO documentary series helmed by Lawrence Wright unknowingly paints a picture of a state incapable of understanding how radically it has changed since its hard-right turn.
Mar 27, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Sam Russek