Culture

Maduro’s Arrest

Maduro’s Arrest Maduro’s Arrest

Jan 13, 2026 / Column / Calvin Trillin

Nicolas Maduro is seen in handcuffs after landing at a Manhattan helipad.

The “Donroe” Doctrine Is Dangerous The “Donroe” Doctrine Is Dangerous

Trump’s brazen violation of international law destabilizes global security.

Jan 13, 2026 / Katrina vanden Heuvel and John Nichols

John Updike, Letter Writer

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.

Jan 12, 2026 / Books & the Arts / Vivian Gornick

The Grand Delusions of “Marty Supreme”

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.

Jan 12, 2026 / Books & the Arts / Erin Schwartz

Shawn Walker’s “Man with Bubble, Central Park (near Bandshell),” c. 1960-79, printed 1989.

Did We Get the History of Modern American Art Wrong? Did We Get the History of Modern American Art Wrong?

The standard story of 1960s arts is one of Abstract Expressionism leading into Pop Art and minimalism. A Whitney show proposes an altogether different one centered on surrealism.

Jan 7, 2026 / Books & the Arts / Barry Schwabsky

A woman moves to comfort a coworker who is slumped over her desk in despair, circa 1940.

The Bleak History of the American Work Ethic The Bleak History of the American Work Ethic

In Make Your Own Job, Erik Baker shows just how long Americans have scrambled to pile work on top of work—and at what cost.

Jan 6, 2026 / Books & the Arts / Nick Juravich

The Banal Spectacle of “Avatar: Fire and Ash”

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?

Jan 5, 2026 / Books & the Arts / Stephen Kearse

Thomas Paine

Make 2026 the Year of Thomas Paine Make 2026 the Year of Thomas Paine

As America celebrates its 250th birthday, remember the founder who rallied the people against British and American oligarchs.

Jan 2, 2026 / John Nichols

Pumpjacks lift oil from wells at the Midway-Sunset Oil Field, California's largest, in Fellows, near Taft, on October 17, 2025.

Masculinity, the Manosphere, and Climate Politics Masculinity, the Manosphere, and Climate Politics

On this episode of American Prestige: Daniel Waite Penny discusses the new season of Carbon Bros.

Dec 30, 2025 / Podcast / Daniel Bessner and Derek Davison

Cyclists waiting at railroad crossing in Shenyang, China, 1990.

The Dislocations of Shuang Xuetao The Dislocations of Shuang Xuetao

The Chinese writer’s fiction details how the country transformed on an intimate level after the Cultural Revolution.

Dec 30, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Ting Lin

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