Books & the Arts

NSA headquarters in Washington, D.C., 2006.

Lurking in the Shadows of the Deep State Lurking in the Shadows of the Deep State

A conversation with the journalist Kerry Howley about her reporting on whistleblowers, drone warfare, and an upcoming film adaptation of her writing on NSA leaker Reality Winner. ...

Apr 3, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Rhoda Feng

Beyoncé at the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards at Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Calif.

Did Beyoncé Conquer Country Music? Did Beyoncé Conquer Country Music?

On Cowboy Carter, the pop superstar’s bid to radicalize a parochial genre falls short.

Apr 2, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Stephen Kearse

Olga Ravn’s Novel of Parenting and Its Discontents

Olga Ravn’s Novel of Parenting and Its Discontents Olga Ravn’s Novel of Parenting and Its Discontents

In My Work, the novelist examines the trials and tribulations of being a mother.

Apr 2, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Jess Cotton

A man fights a losing battle with insomnia by counting sheep, 1940.

A Dispatch From the Land of the “Sleepless” A Dispatch From the Land of the “Sleepless”

A French writer’s memoir of her insomnia tries to understand how central sleep is to cultural and intellectual history.

Mar 28, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Alyse Burnside

Fables of the Lone Star Liberal

Fables of the Lone Star Liberal Fables of the Lone Star Liberal

A HBO documentary series helmed by Lawrence Wright unknowingly paints a picture of a state incapable of understanding how radically it has changed since its hard-right turn.

Mar 27, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Sam Russek

The Odd Couples of “Drive-Away Dolls”

The Odd Couples of “Drive-Away Dolls” The Odd Couples of “Drive-Away Dolls”

Ethan Coen's horny homage to American film history's many strains of queer comedy highlights the collaborative aspect inherent in his project as a director.

Mar 26, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Vikram Murthi

A scene from “Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World.”

Radu Jude’s Wild and Caustic Films Radu Jude’s Wild and Caustic Films

His latest, Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World, is a a digressive and transgressive movie of ideas about the social-media age.

Mar 25, 2024 / Books & the Arts / J. Hoberman

“The Ricotta Eaters,” Vincenzo Campi (c.1585). Found in the Collection of Musée des Beaux-Arts, Lyon.

At Mathias Énard’s Table At Mathias Énard’s Table

Set between the 16th and 22nd centuries, The Annual Banquet of the Gravediggers’ Guild is a work of political comedy, fixated on class, climate, food, wine, and the afterlife.

Mar 25, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Dustin Illingworth

The Visions of Alice Coltrane

The Visions of Alice Coltrane The Visions of Alice Coltrane

In the years after her husband John’s death, the harpist discovered a sound all her own, a jazz rooted in acts of spirit and will.

Mar 21, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Marcus J. Moore

The Problematic Past, Present, and Future of Inequality Studies

The Problematic Past, Present, and Future of Inequality Studies The Problematic Past, Present, and Future of Inequality Studies

Branko Milanović’s century-spanning intellectual history of inequality in economic theory reveals the ideological reasons behind the field’s resurgence in the last few decades.

Mar 20, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Daniel Steinmetz-Jenkins

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