Solvej Balle and the Tyranny of Time Solvej Balle and the Tyranny of Time
The Danish novelist’s septology, On the Calculation of Volume, asks what fiction can explore when you remove one of its key characteristics—the idea of time itself.
Dec 4, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Dilara O’Neil
Luigi Pirandello’s Broken Men Luigi Pirandello’s Broken Men
The Nobel Prize-winning writer was once seen as Italy’s great man of letters. Why was he forgotten?
Dec 2, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Gus O’Connor
[they’re in their lord of the flies bag] [they’re in their lord of the flies bag]
Nov 26, 2025 / Poems / Fatimah Asghar
The Inexplicable Logic of Contact Sports The Inexplicable Logic of Contact Sports
In The Season, Helen Garner considers the zeal and irrationality of fandom and her country’s favorite pastime, Australian rules football.
Nov 26, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Mikaela Dery
The Return of Richard Siken The Return of Richard Siken
After achieving a rare crossover hit with 2005’s Crush, the poet rebelled against public attention. With I Do Know Some Things, he splays himself open for his readers.
Nov 25, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Yvonne Kim
The 1935 Novel That Predicted Trump’s Second Term The 1935 Novel That Predicted Trump’s Second Term
Sinclair Lewis imagined an American version of the rise of fascism in Europe. His predictions didn’t come true then, but seem eerily familiar now.
Nov 20, 2025 / Column / Chris Lehmann
Angelo Herndon and the Radical Politics of Free Speech Angelo Herndon and the Radical Politics of Free Speech
The story ofhis landmark case reminds us of how powerful a popular front of socialists and liberals can be in protecting our civil liberties.
Nov 17, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Randall Kennedy
The Messy Campus Thriller of “After the Hunt” The Messy Campus Thriller of “After the Hunt”
Luca Guadagnino’s films have always asked viewers to turn off their brains when it comes to love and sex. In his new film, he asks the opposite.
Nov 13, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Lovia Gyarkye
Franz Kafka’s Best Friend Franz Kafka’s Best Friend
Kafka’s late story about a philosopher dog, like most of his stories about animals, is really about our lost humanity.
Nov 12, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Jonathan Lethem
How Can We Fix American Democracy? How Can We Fix American Democracy?
Preserving our democracy is as urgent a task as ever, but the question is how.
Nov 11, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Nicholas Lemann