Natan Last

Natan Last is a writer, humanitarian immigration policy advocate, and the author of Across the Universe: The Past, Present, and Future of the Crossword Puzzle. His essays, poetry, and crosswords appear in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Drift, the Los Angeles Review of Books, Hyperallergic, Narrative, and elsewhere.

Hello girls at the New Yorker Hotel work on the Daily News Crossword Puzzle Contest.

The Hidden Politics of the Crossword Puzzle The Hidden Politics of the Crossword Puzzle

Take it from me: A crossword clue can be debated with the kind of fervor normally reserved for corporatist propaganda and outright racism.

Nov 15, 2025 / Natan Last

x