Chester Himes’s Harlem Noirs Chester Himes’s Harlem Noirs
Himes helped reinvent the idea of the detective novel. He also transformed it into a powerful vehicle for social criticism.
Oct 20, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Gene Seymour
James Baldwin’s Radical Politics of Love James Baldwin’s Radical Politics of Love
While Baldwin was persecuted in part because of whom he loved, it was love that impelled him to bring about a more utopian future in which such persecution was not possible.
Sep 9, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Elias Rodriques
Militarism Has Long Worked to Shield Antisemitism Militarism Has Long Worked to Shield Antisemitism
From the Cold War till Donald Trump, there’s always been a special dispensation for hawkish bigots.
Jul 14, 2025 / Jeet Heer
My Grandmother Stood Up to Nixon—Jeff Bezos Should Take Note My Grandmother Stood Up to Nixon—Jeff Bezos Should Take Note
Fifty-four years ago, Katharine Graham defended The Washington Post against presidential threats. Her granddaughter now fears its soul is being sold.
Jun 26, 2025 / Pamela Alma Weymouth
We Can’t Afford to Let the Fourth Estate Topple We Can’t Afford to Let the Fourth Estate Topple
For all the deserved criticism of the American media, it remains one of the strongest pillars propping up what’s left of democracy in a time that’s been anything but good for the ...
May 21, 2025 / Nan Levinson
The Formidable Intellect and Comprehensive Passions of Elizabeth Pochoda (1941–2025) The Formidable Intellect and Comprehensive Passions of Elizabeth Pochoda (1941–2025)
The former literary editor of The Nation brought her curiosity, wit, and singular editorial instincts to nearly every corner of New York media.
May 19, 2025 / Obituary / Gene Seymour
Trump Took Over the Kennedy Center, but Silencing the Arts Will Not Be So Easy Trump Took Over the Kennedy Center, but Silencing the Arts Will Not Be So Easy
Our last best hope for sharing, shaping, and wrangling over independent ideas may turn out to be America’s scrappy and disparate arts spaces—if they can hang on financially.
Mar 18, 2025 / Alisa Solomon
Novelist on a Deadline: Barry Malzberg, 1939–2024 Novelist on a Deadline: Barry Malzberg, 1939–2024
A speed demon at the typewriter, Malzberg wrote quickly and brilliantly in a variety of genres including mystery, thrillers, and erotica, but his core work was in science fiction....
The Impossible Story of Communism The Impossible Story of Communism
How do you tell the history of a global movement in all its hope and contradiction?
Nov 26, 2024 / Books & the Arts / David A. Bell
The Discontents of Michel Houellebecq The Discontents of Michel Houellebecq
What happened to the French novelist?
Nov 25, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Cole Stangler