Books & the Arts

Walter Benjamin’s Radio Years Walter Benjamin’s Radio Years

After the faculty of philosophy in Frankfurt rejected his dissertation and dashed his hopes for an academic career, the Marxist critic found work as a radio broadcaster. 

Books & the Arts / Peter E. Gordon

The Muddled Feminism of Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” The Muddled Feminism of Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie”

In trying to say too much, the film winds up not saying much at all.

Books & the Arts / Tarpley Hitt

The Many Enigmas of Oppenheimer The Many Enigmas of Oppenheimer

In Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan neither indicts nor vindicates the physicist. Instead, he offers a study of a man full of contradictions.

Books & the Arts / Jorge Cotte

From the Magazine

Don DeLillo’s Cold Wars

Don DeLillo’s Cold Wars Don DeLillo’s Cold Wars

His 1980s novels take the story of America’s postwar years, usually seen as a triumphal rise to perpetual dominance, and converts it into one about a long and chaotic decline.

Books & the Arts / Siddhartha Deb

Franklin Delano Roosevelt at his inauguration in 1933.

When FDR Took On the Supreme Court When FDR Took On the Supreme Court

The standard narrative of Roosevelt’s court-packing efforts casts them as a failure. But what if they were a success?

Books & the Arts / John Fabian Witt

The Long and Sometimes Lost History of Trans

The Long and Sometimes Lost History of Trans The Long and Sometimes Lost History of Trans

To borrow a phrase from the photographer and activist Samra Habib, “We have always been here”—or, at least, people somewhat like us have always been here.

Books & the Arts / Stephanie Burt

Literary Criticism

The Disappearing Acts of Haruki Murakami

The Disappearing Acts of Haruki Murakami The Disappearing Acts of Haruki Murakami

In his new book, the novelist examines what it takes to become a great writer.

Books & the Arts / Rumaan Alam

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.

Books & the Arts / Jennifer Wilson

The Lost Worlds of Anton Shammas’s  “Arabesques”

The Lost Worlds of Anton Shammas’s “Arabesques” The Lost Worlds of Anton Shammas’s “Arabesques”

A new translation of the 1988 novel documents not only the loss and exile created by the Nakba but also the loss and exile created by occupation.

Books & the Arts / Raja Shehadeh

History & Politics

The Liberal Discontents of Francis Fukuyama

The Liberal Discontents of Francis Fukuyama The Liberal Discontents of Francis Fukuyama

“The End of History?” was more than just commentary; it was an announcement of victory. And yet, nearly a quarter-century later, its author remains unsure if liberalism truly won.

Books & the Arts / Daniel Bessner

C.L.R. James, Man of Paradox

C.L.R. James, Man of Paradox C.L.R. James, Man of Paradox

A new biography examines the revolutionary possibilities and radical contradictions at the heart of James’s life and ideas.

Books & the Arts / Gerald Horne

Jenny Odell’s Search for a New Kind of Time

Jenny Odell’s Search for a New Kind of Time Jenny Odell’s Search for a New Kind of Time

Can we escape capitalism’s persistent and relentless demand that we turning our waking hours into products and profits?

Books & the Arts / Sarah Jaffe

Art & Architecture

“Portrait of Juan de Pareja,” by Diego Velázquez

The Many Ghosts of Juan de Pareja The Many Ghosts of Juan de Pareja

Through the life of the 17th-century artist, we can find an entangled history of slavery, Black figuration, and art.

Books & the Arts / Rachel Hunter Himes

Raymond Jonson, Casein Tempera No. 1, 1939.

The Curious Case of the Transcendental Painting Group The Curious Case of the Transcendental Painting Group

A touring exhibition of 20th-century painting from the American Southwest is poised to be the next big art world hit. Yet the show forces us to ask: What is fueling the revival?

Books & the Arts / Max Pearl

A draughtsman, circa 1940.

What’s the Matter With Contemporary Architecture? What’s the Matter With Contemporary Architecture?

In his new book, Reinier de Graaf attempts to work out why his profession appears to be at an impasse.

Books & the Arts / Marianela D’Aprile

Film & Television

A scene from “Asteroid City.”

Is “Asteroid City” Wes Anderson’s Greatest Film? Is “Asteroid City” Wes Anderson’s Greatest Film?

In his latest film, Anderson asks us how art and storytelling give our lives meaning.

Books & the Arts / Jorge Cotte

George Lucas looks at the Death Star.

What Makes Special Effects Work? What Makes Special Effects Work?

In Empire of Effects, Julie Turnock examines how George Lucas and Industrial Light & Magic transformed the way we make and view movies.

Books & the Arts / Malcolm Harris

The Psychic Theater of Boots Riley

The Psychic Theater of Boots Riley The Psychic Theater of Boots Riley

Absurdist, darkly funny, I’m a Virgo tells a story of first love, capitalism’s surreal excesses, the contradictions of Black life, and how much politics a work of art can bear.

Books & the Arts / Jorge Cotte

Latest in Books & the Arts

A security guard stands in the doorway during a press viewing of

What Museum Guards See What Museum Guards See

A recent memoir by Patrick Bringley about his time working at the Metropolitan Museum of Art illustrates the intimate knowledge guards possess of the pieces they protect.

Sep 25, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Barry Schwabsky

Andrew Leland.

In the Country of the Blind In the Country of the Blind

A conversation with Andrew Leland about his provocative new book about vision loss, disability politics, and the ways in which blindness looms large in our cultural imagination.

Sep 21, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Rachel Kolb

Where Did the Juries Go?

Where Did the Juries Go? Where Did the Juries Go?

While jury trials might have afforded citizens the chance to witness—and even contest—the criminalization of the working class, plea bargains have allowed this criminalization to …

Sep 20, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Matthew Clair

James Purdy, 1957.

James Purdy’s Chronicles of Outsiderdom James Purdy’s Chronicles of Outsiderdom

His fiction, which ranged from slapstick humor to sheer terror, fixated on the lives of those society discarded.

Sep 19, 2023 / Books & the Arts / John Lingan

Copyright © 2023 Chantal Montellier

Chantal Montellier’s Prescient Dystopias Chantal Montellier’s Prescient Dystopias

A new volume collects the pioneering French comic artist’s work.

Sep 18, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Laila Lalami

How Stephen A. Smith Got His Revenge

How Stephen A. Smith Got His Revenge How Stephen A. Smith Got His Revenge

His memoir, Straight Shooter—a reflection on his life, his victories, and his defeats—gives an inside look into how the ESPN personality remade sports journalism in his image.

Sep 14, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Zito Madu

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