Books & the Arts

Lady Gaga performing this spring.

The Retro Pop of Lady Gaga and Baths The Retro Pop of Lady Gaga and Baths

In their new albums, the musicians look backward as much as forward.

May 15, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Bijan Stephen

Katie Kitamura’s Divided Selves

Katie Kitamura’s Divided Selves Katie Kitamura’s Divided Selves

Her fiction are studies of fragmentation and ambivalence.

May 14, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Lovia Gyarkye

Is Criticism Really in Crisis?

Is Criticism Really in Crisis? Is Criticism Really in Crisis?

Andrea Long Chu and the politics of critical life.

May 14, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Kevin Lozano

Nation Poetry

The Beginning The Beginning

May 13, 2025 / Books & the Arts / John Skoyles

Nation Poetry

For the Last American Century For the Last American Century

May 13, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Robert Wood Lynn

Christopher Hill’s Revolutions

Christopher Hill’s Revolutions Christopher Hill’s Revolutions

The radical life and work of the historian.

May 13, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Peter Linebaugh and Marcus Rediker

The Invention of Close Reading

The Invention of Close Reading The Invention of Close Reading

By transforming quotations into evidence, close reading served as way to turn postwar criticism into a specialized knowledge. But what if we treated it more as an art form?

May 12, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Dan Sinykin

An arcade in Seattle, Washington, 1983.

The Fight for the Soul of Video Games The Fight for the Soul of Video Games

Marijam Did’s Everything to Play For makes a case for rebuilding the culture of gaming, which has become infected with rotten politics.

May 7, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Lewis Gordon

Can Spotify Be Stopped?

Can Spotify Be Stopped? Can Spotify Be Stopped?

The streaming service has completely changed what it means to make and listen to music. What can be done to reverse its enormous influence?

May 6, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Mitch Therieau

Caspar David Friedrich, “Woman Before the Rising or Setting Sun,” ca. 1818–24.

The Wandering Souls of Caspar David Friedrich The Wandering Souls of Caspar David Friedrich

The German artist’s landscape paintings tried to capture the sublimity of a world that has vanished.

May 5, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Quinn Moreland

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