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.
Feb 20, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Vivian Gornick
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?
Feb 19, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Matthew Karp
The Brilliant Discontents of Lou Reed The Brilliant Discontents of Lou Reed
A new biography examines the enigma of the musician.
Jan 23, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Sasha Frere-Jones
Reconsidering the Indelible Legacy of the “Feminist-Critical Mother of Us All” Reconsidering the Indelible Legacy of the “Feminist-Critical Mother of Us All”
The life and times of pioneering feminist scholar Carolyn Heilbrun revealed the defining pressures, struggles, and joys of her era.
Nov 21, 2023 / Gayle Greene
Farewell to a Poor Bastard Farewell to a Poor Bastard
Joe Matt (1963–2023) made hilarious comedy of his own misery.
Is This the End of Literary Studies? Is This the End of Literary Studies?
John Guillory’s Professing Criticism offers a sobering look at the uncertain future of criticism inside and outside the academy.
Feb 21, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Nicholas Dames
What Happened to Newspaper Book Reviewing? What Happened to Newspaper Book Reviewing?
As a mode of recommendation, the newspaper fiction review has less to recommend it than ever before.
Jul 27, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Frank Guan
The Messy Humanity of Leo Bersani (April 16, 1931–February 20, 2022) The Messy Humanity of Leo Bersani (April 16, 1931–February 20, 2022)
Two friends and colleagues on the late scholar, whose analyses of gay identity during the height of the AIDS crisis still loom large over sexuality studies.
Mar 7, 2022 / Zahid R. Chaudhary and Anne Anlin Cheng
Stephen Sondheim’s Art Stephen Sondheim’s Art
Despite beginning his career at the end of musical theater’s golden age, Sondheim helped bring the form to its artistic zenith.
Dec 1, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Shuja Haider
The Radical World of Chicago’s Black Comic Artists The Radical World of Chicago’s Black Comic Artists
An anthology of Black comic book makers from the the postwar era offers a glimpse into a genre of art that skewered the bigotry of white liberalism.
Nov 23, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Zito Madu