Norman Mailer Wasn’t Canceled Norman Mailer Wasn’t Canceled
What’s most striking about the Mailer contretemps is how it embodies so many aspects of the current discourse around cancel culture and free speech.
Feb 2, 2022 / Books & the Arts / David Klion
The Limits of Understanding the Pandemic Philosophically The Limits of Understanding the Pandemic Philosophically
Byung-Chul Han’s The Palliative Society tries to contextualize the emotional and cultural ramifications of Covid-19 without ever addressing its material consequences.
Feb 1, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Clinton Williamson
Muhammad Ali Was Our Last Great American Hero Muhammad Ali Was Our Last Great American Hero
The American dream may be coming apart at the seams, but the glory of The Greatest is in full flower and still growing. Why?
Jan 31, 2022 / Robert Lipsyte
Theater Kids and the End Times in “Station Eleven” Theater Kids and the End Times in “Station Eleven”
The HBO adaptation of Emily St. Mandel’s postapocalyptic pandemic novel examines, with mixed results, the endurance of art after society collapses.
Jan 31, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Vikram Murthi
Stumbling on Chilean Stones—and Chilean History Stumbling on Chilean Stones—and Chilean History
Chile has a new leader and a bright future. But a country in which 44 percent of the electorate voted for an admirer of Pinochet is in need of as many obstacles to forgetting as po...
Jan 27, 2022 / Ariel Dorfman
The Sublime Ironies of John Ashbery The Sublime Ironies of John Ashbery
Does his first posthumous collection, Parallel Movement of the Hands, help answer the riddle of his poetic project?
Jan 27, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Ryan Ruby
The Story of Capitalism in One Family The Story of Capitalism in One Family
The Lehman Trilogy proposes that the downfall of a financial dynasty is enough to tell the economic and political history of America
Jan 26, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Alisa Solomon
Republicans Replace Local Election Officials With Trump Loyalists Republicans Replace Local Election Officials With Trump Loyalists
Is this, in fact, a type of coup? Well, fears of that are mounting: It’s not just who can vote that counts. It’s who can do the counting.
Jan 25, 2022 / Column / Calvin Trillin
The Surprising History of the Comic Book The Surprising History of the Comic Book
Since their initial popularity during World War II, comic books have always been a medium for American counterculture and for nativism and empire.
Jan 25, 2022 / Books & the Arts / J. Hoberman
Danielle Allen Is Running for Massachusetts Governor to Revive American Democracy Danielle Allen Is Running for Massachusetts Governor to Revive American Democracy
Can she convince the state’s voters to put her ideas into practice?
Jan 25, 2022 / Feature / Serena Cho