The Ghosts of Ingeborg Bachmann The Ghosts of Ingeborg Bachmann
Haunted by a dark past, the poet and novelist tried to explore the limits of language itself.
Sep 9, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Becca Rothfeld
William F. Buckley Jr.’s Friends and Enemies William F. Buckley Jr.’s Friends and Enemies
What was it about Buckley that made him so attractive to liberals—and what was it about liberals that caused them to be attracted to conservative figures like Buckley in the first...
Sep 8, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Jeet Heer
The Enigma of Clint Eastwood The Enigma of Clint Eastwood
Is he merely a reactionary, or do his films paint a more complicated picture?
Sep 4, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Adam Nayman
Is Tom Cruise the Last Action Hero? Is Tom Cruise the Last Action Hero?
After a strange, controversial career, he has become one of the few figures who upholds the old rules of Hollywood—where the human body is the greatest special effect.
Sep 3, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Vikram Murthi
Branden Jacobs-Jenkins Remakes the Family Drama Branden Jacobs-Jenkins Remakes the Family Drama
His latest work, Purpose, evokes Chekov in its exploration of faith, parents, and politics.
Aug 27, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Alisa Solomon
How China Engineered the Next Century How China Engineered the Next Century
Dan Wang argues that the battle between China and the United States is simply a conflict between engineers and lawyers. The situation is much more complicated than that.
Aug 26, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Rollin Hu
The Myth of Clean Energy The Myth of Clean Energy
Is all the hope placed in renewables an illusion?
Aug 25, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Trevor Jackson
The Empty Provocations of “Eddington” The Empty Provocations of “Eddington”
Ari Aster’s farcical western is billed as a send-up of the puerile politics of the Covid years. In reality, it’s a film that seems to have no politics at all.
Aug 21, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Kelli Weston
The Rot at Fort Bragg The Rot at Fort Bragg
Seth Harp exposes how all the death and crime surrounding one military base is not an aberration but representative of the fratricidal impulse of the armed forces at large.
Aug 20, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Lyle Jeremy Rubin
The Revolutionary Politics of “Andor” The Revolutionary Politics of “Andor”
The latest addition to the Star Wars series offers an intricate tale of radicalization and its costs.
Aug 19, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Jorge Cotte