Books & the Arts

A scene from “Confucian Confusion.”

Edward Yang’s States of Flux Edward Yang’s States of Flux

His dark comedies and family dramas of life in late-20th-century Taiwan depict a generation’s crisis, confronting the forces of finance and globalization.

Jan 11, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Vikram Murthi

Wendy Brown: A Conversation on Our “Nihilistic” Age

Wendy Brown: A Conversation on Our “Nihilistic” Age Wendy Brown: A Conversation on Our “Nihilistic” Age

The Nation spoke with the political theorist about the multifront crisis of the post-Trump era and the moral and intellectual commitments of scholars and higher education.

Jan 10, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Daniel Steinmetz-Jenkins

Frank Bowling, 1962.

“The Subject of Painting Is Paint”: On Frank Bowling “The Subject of Painting Is Paint”: On Frank Bowling

The British artist's work challenges all notions you might have about the relationship between politics and aesthetics.

Jan 10, 2024 / Books & the Arts / John-Baptiste Oduor

An illustration of the 1492 expulsion of the Jewish communities from the Spanish kingdoms.

The Idea of the Nation-State Is Synonymous With Genocide The Idea of the Nation-State Is Synonymous With Genocide

A conversation with political theorist Mahmood Mamdani on the inherent violence at the heart of a nation-building project, the war in Gaza, and the changing meaning of homeland.

Jan 9, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Francis Wade

Extracting heroin from poppies on April 10, 1978, in Los Angeles, Calif.

A Metaphysical Memoir of Heroin A Metaphysical Memoir of Heroin

Michael Clune’s White Out is among the most intense and intellectually thrilling books on opiate addiction.

Jan 8, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Daniel Kolitz

“Night,” 1897.

Susan Taubes’s Uncanny Chronicles of Domestic Hell Susan Taubes’s Uncanny Chronicles of Domestic Hell

Her previously unreleased fiction—a novella and short stories—in Lament for Julia peek into the banal and nightmarish travails of married life.

Jan 4, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Kathy Chow

Adam Driver in “Ferrari.”

Michael Mann’s Need for Speed Michael Mann’s Need for Speed

The director’s biopic of Enzo Ferrari is a perfect encapsulation of his primary aesthetic interest: the death drive and male melancholy.

Jan 3, 2024 / Books & the Arts / James Duesterberg

Kaylee Nicole Johnson, Jannie Hampton, Jayah Henry in “All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt.”

“All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt”: A Masterpiece of American Southern Filmmaking “All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt”: A Masterpiece of American Southern Filmmaking

Raven Jackson’s remarkable debut is a poetic look into Black family life in the South.

Jan 2, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Kelli Weston

Downtown Jakarta, 2006.

Norman Erikson Pasaribu’s Portrait of Gay Indonesia Norman Erikson Pasaribu’s Portrait of Gay Indonesia

In, Happy Stories, Mostly, a collection of short stories, the complexities of queer life in the Southeast Asian country come into focus.

Dec 28, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Bryony Lau

Natalie Portman as Elizabeth Berry and Julianne Moore as Gracie Atherton-Yoo in “May December.”

The Uncanny Façades of “May December” The Uncanny Façades of “May December”

Todd Haynes’s discomfiting and hypnotic suburban melodrama examines topics the director knows well: sex, taboo, and control.

Dec 27, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Beatrice Loayza

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