Books & the Arts

Nathan Fielder in “The Rehearsal”

Who Does Nathan Fielder Think He Is? Who Does Nathan Fielder Think He Is?

The second season of his HBO series The Rehearsal—which tackles the crisis facing the aviation industry—is better understood as an extreme form of reality TV.

Jun 2, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Erin Schwartz

Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, 2018.

Reclaiming Language: A Conversation With Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o Reclaiming Language: A Conversation With Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o

Shortly before his death, The Nation spoke with the Kenyan writer about his most recent essay collection Decolonizing Language and Other Revolutionary Ideas.

Jun 2, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Rhoda Feng

John Adams in Barcelona, Spain, 2023.

Listening Closely to John Adams Listening Closely to John Adams

The composer is an undeniable part of the classical music canon. Does that change the meaning of his radical early work?

May 29, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Chris Cohen

The Berlin neighborhood of Kreuzberg, 2017.

The Place Where Millennials Go to Die The Place Where Millennials Go to Die

Vincenzo Latronico’s novel Perfection, a cutting portrait of bourgeois expats in Berlin, examines a generation's fixations and degradation in the German capital.

May 28, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Hanson O’Haver 

Palantir cofounder and CEO Alex Karp speaks at the US Capitol Visitor Center Auditorium in Washington, DC, 2025.

Palantir’s Idea of Peace Palantir’s Idea of Peace

Alex Karp uses his company and his platform to advocate for a world in which big tech is the defense industry's most willing collaborator.

May 27, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Michael Eby

How Should We Remember  Attica?

How Should We Remember Attica? How Should We Remember Attica?

Orisanmi Burton’s Tip of the Spear uncovers the obscured and radical demands of the inmates who staged the 1971 prison uprising—a world without prisons.

May 26, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Charlotte Rosen

Can Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza Remake the War Movie?

Can Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza Remake the War Movie? Can Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza Remake the War Movie?

Warfare attempts to rewrite the rules of depicting violent conflict on screen, making for a close-up, visceral experience.

May 22, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Beatrice Loayza

A view of Athens, Greece (circa 1900).

What Was the Polis? What Was the Polis?

For the Greeks, the idea was a fluid one—a literal place and a civic ideal that allowed for democracy to flourish.

May 21, 2025 / Books & the Arts / FT

Altadena, California, after the January 2025 fires.

How Should Los Angeles Rebuild After the Fires? How Should Los Angeles Rebuild After the Fires?

In the aftermath of this year's catastrophic fires, architects and urban planners begin to consider how to rebuild.

May 19, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Karrie Jacobs

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

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