Books & the Arts

“The Poor Poet,” a painting by Carl Spitzweg (1808–1885).

Ben Lerner, Personal Poet Ben Lerner, Personal Poet

In his first collection of verse in over a decade, he applies the lessons of his successful, self-conscious prose.

Jan 31, 2024 / Books & the Arts / David Schurman Wallace

Nuremberg, 1923.

The First Time the Nazis Tried to Take Power The First Time the Nazis Tried to Take Power

The year that broke Germany.

Jan 29, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Richard J. Evans

Isabella Hammad’s Novel of Art and Exile in Palestine

Isabella Hammad’s Novel of Art and Exile in Palestine Isabella Hammad’s Novel of Art and Exile in Palestine

Enter the Ghost looks at a group of Palestinians who try to put on a production of Hamlet in the occupied West Bank. 

Jan 25, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Raja Shehadeh

Heather Cox Richardson and the Battle Over US History

Heather Cox Richardson and the Battle Over US History Heather Cox Richardson and the Battle Over US History

One interpretation presents the country as irredeemably tainted by its past. Another contends that the United States has also tended toward egalitarianism.

Jan 24, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Kim Phillips-Fein

Niels Vodder display wtih furniture designed by Finn Juhl, Cabinetmakers Guild Exhibition, 1949.

How Did Americans Come to Love “Mid-Century Modern”? How Did Americans Come to Love “Mid-Century Modern”?

Solving the riddle of America’s obsession with postwar design and furniture.

Jan 23, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Marianela D’Aprile

Nation Poetry

Merkwelt Merkwelt

Jan 23, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Cynthia Cruz

The Brilliant Discontents of Lou Reed

The Brilliant Discontents of Lou Reed The Brilliant Discontents of Lou Reed

A new biography examines the enigma of the musician.

Jan 23, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Sasha Frere-Jones

Nazi salute by Friends of New Germany at Madison Square Garden.

What Is the History of Fascism in the United States? What Is the History of Fascism in the United States?

In Fascism Comes to America, Bruce Kuklick traces the shifting meanings of the term “fascist” from its origins to the present day and how it has, over the years, gradually lost it...

Jan 17, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Richard J. Evans

A scene from “The Sweet East.”

A Road Trip Through America’s Absurd Political Life A Road Trip Through America’s Absurd Political Life

In Sean Price Williams’s debut film, The Sweet East, he pokes fun at the nation's ideological bubbles.

Jan 16, 2024 / Books & the Arts / John Semley

The Metaphysical Horror of “The Curse”

The Metaphysical Horror of “The Curse” The Metaphysical Horror of “The Curse”

From its first moments to its antic end, the series exposes its viewers to an abundance of anxious perturbation but it does something else too: It reveals the absurdity all around...

Jan 12, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Sarah Chihaya

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