Books & the Arts
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.
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.
What Happened to the 21st-Century City? What Happened to the 21st-Century City?
And how we can save it.
Lucy Sante and the Solitude and Solidarity of Transitioning Lucy Sante and the Solitude and Solidarity of Transitioning
In her new memoir, I Heard Her Call My Name, Sante dissects her past in order to understand her future.
From the Magazine
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?
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.
The Era of Nicki Minaj The Era of Nicki Minaj
How the queen of rap revolutionized American music.
Literary Criticism
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.
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.
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.
History & Politics
Heather Cox Richardson and the Battle Over US History Heather Cox Richardson and the Battle Over US History
One interpretation presents the country as irredeemably tainted by its past. Another contends that the United States has also tended toward egalitarianism.
Naomi Klein’s Quest to Understand Her Double Naomi Klein’s Quest to Understand Her Double
In her new book, a case of mistaken identity reveals how life online and off has become more and more polarized.
How Did Marxism Become Marxism? How Did Marxism Become Marxism?
A new book examines a set of thinkers and activists who helped transform a set of radical ideas into a political tradition.
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
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.
Apr 10, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Alana Pockros
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.
Apr 9, 2024 / Books & the Arts / David Klion
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.
Apr 8, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Daniel Bessner
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
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.
Apr 2, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Jess Cotton