Books & the Arts
Fiorello La Guardia and the Making of Modern New York Fiorello La Guardia and the Making of Modern New York
How the popular mayor and a popular front of radicals and reformers transformed New York City
The Riotous Worlds of Thomas Pynchon The Riotous Worlds of Thomas Pynchon
From “The Crying Lot of 49” to his latest noirs, the American novelist has always proceeded along a track strangely parallel to our own.
How Capitalism Transformed the Natural World How Capitalism Transformed the Natural World
In her new book, Alyssa Battistoni explores how nature came to be treated as a supposedly cost-free supplement of capital accumulation.
The Exposure Therapy of “A Private Life” The Exposure Therapy of “A Private Life”
In her new film, Jodie Foster transforms into a therapist-detective.
From the Magazine
The Endless Scoops of Seymour Hersh The Endless Scoops of Seymour Hersh
Laura Poitras and Mark Obenhaus’s Cover-Up explores the life and times of one of America’s greatest investigative reporters.
John Updike, Letter Writer John Updike, Letter Writer
A brilliant prose stylist, confident, amiable, and wonderfully lucid when talking about other people’s problems, Updike rarely confessed or confronted his own.
How Has the Idea of Revolution Changed? How Has the Idea of Revolution Changed?
A new history examines the long history of a radical and sometimes conservative concept.
Literary Criticism
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.
Helen DeWitt and Ilya Gridneff’s Sweeping Anti-War Novel Helen DeWitt and Ilya Gridneff’s Sweeping Anti-War Novel
Your Name Here dramatizes the tensions and possibilities of political art.
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.
History & Politics
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.
Mahmood Mamdani’s Uganda Mahmood Mamdani’s Uganda
In his new book Slow Poison, the accomplished anthropologist revisits the Idi Amin and Yoweri Museveni years.
The Catastrophe of Democratic Foreign Policy The Catastrophe of Democratic Foreign Policy
A new book on the Biden’s wars serves as a stark reminder that the Democrats need to formulate a new foreign policy—as well as reckon with the one they had.
Art & Architecture
The Art and Automatons of Kara Walker The Art and Automatons of Kara Walker
Walker’s new installation at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art offers us visions from both the past and future.
The Transformation of the New York Waterfront The Transformation of the New York Waterfront
From the Navy Yard and Industry City to the recent remaking of Bush Terminal, developers are attempting to remake Brooklyn’s coastline.
Film & Television
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.
The Grand Delusions of “Marty Supreme” The Grand Delusions of “Marty Supreme”
Josh Safdie’s first solo effort, an antic sports movie, revels in a darker side of the American dream.
The Banal Spectacle of “Avatar: Fire and Ash” The Banal Spectacle of “Avatar: Fire and Ash”
Has James Cameron’s epic sci-fi series run aground?
Latest in Books & the Arts
Alejandro Cartagena’s Mexico in Flux Alejandro Cartagena’s Mexico in Flux
Reminiscent of the New Topographics, the photographs of Cartagena and others captures a country in the midst of a geographic transformation.
Apr 2, 2026 / Books & the Arts / Caroline Tracey
The Hidden Crisis of Addiction Treatment The Hidden Crisis of Addiction Treatment
In Rehab, Shoshana Walter investigates the corruption and abuse rife in the business of drug rehabilitation.
Apr 1, 2026 / Books & the Arts / Zoe Adams
Rock and Roll’s Dutch Old Master Rock and Roll’s Dutch Old Master
How Anton Corbijn’s photographs shaped the history of rock music.
Mar 31, 2026 / Books & the Arts / Andrew Holter
The Enigma of Gertrude Stein The Enigma of Gertrude Stein
Why do we misunderstand one of modernism’s great writers?
Mar 30, 2026 / Books & the Arts / David Schurman Wallace
What Its Like to Serve the Chinese Elite What Its Like to Serve the Chinese Elite
Zhang Yueran’s novel Women, Seated—a take on the upstairs, downstairs drama—examines class conflict among the Chinese upper crust and the people who wait on them.
Mar 27, 2026 / Books & the Arts / Ting Lin
In “Bomarzo,” the Renaissance Man is a Monster In “Bomarzo,” the Renaissance Man is a Monster
Manuel Mujica Lainez’s historical novel, a strange biography of a 16th-century duke, leaves the reader wondering if human nature can ever change.
Mar 26, 2026 / Books & the Arts / Max Pearl