Music for the End of Time Music for the End of Time
A new biography examines the life and work of composer and theorist Olivier Messiaen, who moved French music out of the cafes and back to the cathedrals.
Jan 25, 2006 / Books & the Arts / David Schiff
President Jonah President Jonah
As his State of the Union message approaches, we deserve a rest from the fundamentalist presidency of G.W. Bush, whose guiding principles are antithetical to democracy and will onl...
Jan 25, 2006 / Books & the Arts / Gore Vidal
Soul Eyes Soul Eyes
Fra Angelico's genius for depicting the interior life--states of love, spirituality or anguish--is stirring the interest of contemporary artists.
Jan 19, 2006 / Books & the Arts / Arthur C. Danto
Just Us Just Us
Three books examine American history through the scope of racism and racial identity.
Jan 19, 2006 / Books & the Arts / David Oshinsky
Pity the Region Pity the Region
Robert Fisk's The Great War for Civilization criticizes a self-righteous US foreign policy oblivious to the power of retributive justice in the Middle East.
Jan 19, 2006 / Books & the Arts / Augustus Richard Norton
The Cost of Integrity The Cost of Integrity
The recent controversy over false claims in James Frey's The recent controversy over false claims in James Frey's best-selling memoir "A Million Little Pieces" raises questions abo...
Jan 13, 2006 / Books & the Arts / Richard Kluger
Cruel and Unusual Punishment Cruel and Unusual Punishment
Michael Haneke's Caché is a stylish thriller that scrapes away at the surface of polite European affluence to lay bare the moral rot beneath.
Jan 11, 2006 / Books & the Arts / Stuart Klawans
In Her Mind’s Eye In Her Mind’s Eye
Hannah Arendt's The Origins of Totalitarianism is a political classic trapped in the era in which it was written.
Jan 11, 2006 / Books & the Arts / Jonathan Rée
Easier Said Than Done Easier Said Than Done
Kwame Anthony Appiah's Cosmopolitanism explores the middle ground between the universal laws of liberalism and relativism's blind respect for all differences.
Jan 11, 2006 / Books & the Arts / John Gray
Working-Class Hero Working-Class Hero
While the edges continue to be smoothed off Martin Luther King Jr.'s bracing challenges to racism, war and free-market exploitation, the holiday is a time to remember a leader who...
Jan 11, 2006 / Books & the Arts / William P. Jones