Culture
Mike Johnson’s “18th-Century Values” Mike Johnson’s “18th-Century Values”
The new speaker of the House says he’s a history buff. But has he learned from it, or is he condemned to repeat it?
David Fincher’s Man Without Qualities David Fincher’s Man Without Qualities
His grim action movie satire The Killer pokes fun at the blandness of modern life and modern moviemaking.
D.D. Guttenplan on Ending the War in Gaza and John Powers on “Slow Horses” D.D. Guttenplan on Ending the War in Gaza and John Powers on “Slow Horses”
On this episode of Start Making Sense, The Nation’s editor talks about the peace movement, and our critic reviews the British spy show on TV.
Seeing Japanese American Heritage Through Ansel Adams’s Lens Seeing Japanese American Heritage Through Ansel Adams’s Lens
A photographer excavates personal history through reconstruction of Adams’s World War II photographs of Japanese Americans interned at the Manzanar Relocation Center.
Film
David Fincher’s Man Without Qualities David Fincher’s Man Without Qualities
His grim action movie satire The Killer pokes fun at the blandness of modern life and modern moviemaking.
Revolution? Hell Yes! Remembering Amber Hollibaugh Revolution? Hell Yes! Remembering Amber Hollibaugh
The writer, who died last month, spent a lifetime breaking silences around sex.
The Ghosts of the Worldwide Surveillance Apparatus Show Their Hand The Ghosts of the Worldwide Surveillance Apparatus Show Their Hand
Phantom Parrot, a British documentary now screening in the US, sheds light on the Orwellian technologies being used across borders to repress activists, journalists, and others.
The Radical Art of the Depression Years The Radical Art of the Depression Years
By working within the constraints of the WPA, artists like Philip Guston discovered new modes of representation and irony.
Influence and the Rise of Digital Celebrity Influence and the Rise of Digital Celebrity
A history of social media from the perspective of the poster, Taylor Lorenz’s Extremely Online examines the roots and rise of our sponsorship-saturated ecosystem.
Television
D.D. Guttenplan on Ending the War in Gaza and John Powers on “Slow Horses” D.D. Guttenplan on Ending the War in Gaza and John Powers on “Slow Horses”
On this episode of Start Making Sense, The Nation’s editor talks about the peace movement, and our critic reviews the British spy show on TV.
How “Reservation Dogs” Changed the TV Landscape How “Reservation Dogs” Changed the TV Landscape
The pioneering FX show offered a window into contemporary Native life in all its joys and vicissitudes.
Influence and the Rise of Digital Celebrity Influence and the Rise of Digital Celebrity
A history of social media from the perspective of the poster, Taylor Lorenz’s Extremely Online examines the roots and rise of our sponsorship-saturated ecosystem.
Architecture
The Radical Art of the Depression Years The Radical Art of the Depression Years
By working within the constraints of the WPA, artists like Philip Guston discovered new modes of representation and irony.
Architects Must Refuse to Profit From the Ruins of Palestine Architects Must Refuse to Profit From the Ruins of Palestine
Gaza is a site of human tragedy, not a prize of war.
What Good Is Architecture on a Drowning Planet? What Good Is Architecture on a Drowning Planet?
We need political solutions to climate emergencies, not design solutions.
Music
The “Digital Blackface” Artist Competing for a Grammy The “Digital Blackface” Artist Competing for a Grammy
Ghostwriter’s “heart on my sleeve” became a viral hit thanks to vocals by Drake and The Weeknd. But neither artist contributed to the song.
Louis Armstrong Gets the Last Word on Louis Armstrong Louis Armstrong Gets the Last Word on Louis Armstrong
For decades, Americans have argued over the icon’s legacy. But his archives show that he had his own plans.
Letters From the October 16/23, 2023, Issue Letters From the October 16/23, 2023, Issue
Island records… The West Wing… Corrections… Class grievances (web only)…
Jann Wenner’s Blinkered Rock ’n’ Roll Revolution Jann Wenner’s Blinkered Rock ’n’ Roll Revolution
He built an empire on the foundations laid by Black musicians—but fails entirely to recognize that.
Top 10 Labor Day Songs Top 10 Labor Day Songs
In honor of Labor Day, here’s a stab at the impossible task of naming the best songs ever written about working people.
Publishing
The FTC Lawsuit Against Amazon Is the Biggest Antitrust Fight of Our Time The FTC Lawsuit Against Amazon Is the Biggest Antitrust Fight of Our Time
It’s also a test of whether even the federal government has the power, and the political will, to rein in corporate monopoly power.
Once Upon a Time in “Artforum” Once Upon a Time in “Artforum”
Artists and critics are polarized—and under great pressure from both sides of the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
The Haunting of the Publishing House The Haunting of the Publishing House
The racism and prejudice of the industry has been the subject of recent novels. In R.F. Kuang’s Yellowface, that plot becomes a horror story.
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Nov 8, 2023 / Chris Randle
How the New York Waterfront Shaped American Modernism How the New York Waterfront Shaped American Modernism
In The Slip, Prudence Peiffer looks at the role an overlooked neighborhood played in the lives and work of an eclectic set of postwar artists.
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