Jennifer Wilson

Jennifer Wilson writes for The Nation, The New York Times, and The New York Review of Books. She won the 2022 Nona Balakian Award.

Emma Cline’s Novel of Pool Parties and Class Conflict

Emma Cline’s Novel of Pool Parties and Class Conflict Emma Cline’s Novel of Pool Parties and Class Conflict

Full of suspense and subterfuge, The Guest turns a story about a summer on Long Island into a thriller about what it takes to survive.

Apr 17, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Jennifer Wilson

Pankaj Mishra’s Novel of Intellectuals and Influencers

Pankaj Mishra’s Novel of Intellectuals and Influencers Pankaj Mishra’s Novel of Intellectuals and Influencers

Mishra’s first work of fiction in over a decade examines how ideas circulate in an age of social media and “ideas festivals.”

Oct 3, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Jennifer Wilson

Nijinska’s Revolutionary Vision of Dance

Nijinska’s Revolutionary Vision of Dance Nijinska’s Revolutionary Vision of Dance

Lynn Garafola’s biography of the dancer and choreographer charts her globetrotting life and radical art. 

May 3, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Jennifer Wilson

Maggie Nelson and the Evolving Politics of Liberation

Maggie Nelson and the Evolving Politics of Liberation Maggie Nelson and the Evolving Politics of Liberation

In her new book, Nelson examines the politics of freedom on the left and the right.

Dec 28, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Jennifer Wilson

Russia’s War Against the Cold

Russia’s War Against the Cold Russia’s War Against the Cold

A new history considers how the struggle with Siberia’s permafrost redefined the country.

Sep 21, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Jennifer Wilson

Brandon Taylor’s Potlucks and Parties

Brandon Taylor’s Potlucks and Parties Brandon Taylor’s Potlucks and Parties

In his new collection of short stories, the Booker-Prize nominated novelist explores the desires and discontents of people living in small university towns. 

Jul 13, 2021 / 2021 Year in Review / Jennifer Wilson

Jhumpa Lahiri’s Quietly Bracing New Novel

Jhumpa Lahiri’s Quietly Bracing New Novel Jhumpa Lahiri’s Quietly Bracing New Novel

How writing in Italian gave Lahiri a new sense of creative freedom.

May 4, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Jennifer Wilson

Gogol by Ciardiello

Gogol’s Bullshit Jobs Gogol’s Bullshit Jobs

His biting satires of Russian bureaucracy examined the random cruelty and arbitrary hierarchy of an empire in crisis.

Apr 5, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Jennifer Wilson

Elena Ferrante’s Class Dramas

Elena Ferrante’s Class Dramas Elena Ferrante’s Class Dramas

Her latest novel, The Lying Life of Adults, mines the contradictions of class identity.

Feb 22, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Jennifer Wilson

The Radical Origins of Self-Help Literature

The Radical Origins of Self-Help Literature The Radical Origins of Self-Help Literature

How did the genre of self-help go from one focused on collective empowerment to one serving the class hierarchy as it stands?

Nov 17, 2020 / Books & the Arts / Jennifer Wilson

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