Books & the Arts

The Lost Worlds of Anton Shammas’s “Arabesques”

A new translation of the 1988 novel documents not only the loss and exile created by the Nakba but also the loss and exile created by occupation.

Raja Shehadeh

Kelly Reichardt’s Cinema of Class Conflict

In her latest film, Showing Up, she continues a career-long project of examining the bitter resentments produced by inequality.

Alex Kong

Katherine Dunn’s Counterculture Parables

Dunn’s books are often described as cult classics, which fits not only in the sense that they inspire devotion but also in the sense that cults of personality always appear in them.

Nora Caplan-Bricker

From the Magazine

Alasdair MacIntyre and Richard Rorty’s Lifelong Argument

While in many ways their careers ran parallel to each other, the two philosophers disagreed about whether liberalism could—and should—be saved.

George Scialabba

Emma Cline’s Novel of Pool Parties and Class Conflict

Full of suspense and subterfuge, The Guest turns a story about a summer on Long Island into a thriller about what it takes to survive.

Jennifer Wilson

C.L.R. James, Man of Paradox

A new biography examines the revolutionary possibilities and radical contradictions at the heart of James’s life and ideas.

Gerald Horne

Literary Criticism

Janet Malcolm, Reluctant Memoirist

Why was one of the most gifted nonfiction writers of her generation so uncomfortable writing about herself?

Vivian Gornick

The Defiance of Cormac McCarthy’s Late Style

In Stella Maris and The Passenger, McCarthy invites us to consider hopelessness not just to give us hope but to compel us to make use of it.

Nicolás Medina Mora

The Disappearing Acts of Haruki Murakami

In his new book, the novelist examines what it takes to become a great writer.

Rumaan Alam

B&A Newsletter

Dance

The Costs and Contradictions of Ballet

Alice Robb’s Don’t Think, Dear and Ellen O’Connell Whittet’s What You Become in Flight explore both the liberating sense of art and the domineering logic of ballet.

Glory Liu

In December of 2017, a #MeToo scandal rocked the ballet world. Peter Martins, the artistic director of New York City Ballet, stepped down from his position amid allegations of sexual harassment and physical abuse from within the company. The accusations included incidents that dated back to early in his tenure… Continue Reading >

History & Politics

What’s the Matter With Contemporary Architecture?

In his new book, Reinier de Graaf attempts to work out why his profession appears to be at an impasse.

Marianela D’Aprile

The Liberal Discontents of Francis Fukuyama

“The End of History?” was more than just commentary; it was an announcement of victory. And yet, nearly a quarter-century later, its author remains unsure if liberalism truly won.

Daniel Bessner

The Palo Alto System

Malcolm Harris’s new history of his hometown dispenses with the sentimental lore and examines how it has long been the seedbed for exploitation, chaos, and ecological degradation.

Jonathan Lethem

Television and Films

Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey in “The Last of Us.”

What “The Last of Us” Could Never Do

The HBO series exposed all the limits of video game adaptations.

Erin Schwartz

The Biting Workplace Comedy of “Party Down”

Returning over a decade after it was originally canceled, the cult series remains a potent satire of meritocracy and Los Angeles.

Vikram Murthi

Is There Anything Below the Surface in “Beau Is Afraid”?

When mothers and dreams are involved, it is hard not to think of Freud. But in Ari Aster’s latest, very little is left to the imagination.

Jorge Cotte

History

Eugene Debs at the US Penitentiary in Atlanta

The Crusade Against Civil Liberties During World War I

Adam Hochschild’s latest book, American Midnight, examines a dark era in US history in which Woodrow Wilson and his administration went to war at home as well as abroad.

Eric Foner

With the exception of the Second World War, every military conflict in which the United States has taken part has generated an anti-war movement. During the American Revolution, numerous Loyalists preferred British rule to a war for independence. New Englanders opposed the War of 1812; most Whigs denounced the Mexican-American… Continue Reading >

Poems

May 10, 2023

Hunt Murderers, Not Poets

In support of arrested Russian poet Evgenia Berkovich.
The Nation and Katrina vanden Heuvel
April 26, 2023

The Gift of Slam Poetry

A short history of a misunderstood literary genre and the world it created.
Joshua Bennett
April 5, 2023

Is the American Dream a Long Con?

A conversation with Alissa Quart about her new book Bootstrapped, an examination of how the ideology of individualism helped create the conditions for inequality.
Rhoda Feng
February 23, 2023

The Possible Murder of Pablo Neruda

Questions have surrounded the legendary Chilean poet’s death for years, and a new inquiry suggests that he might have been poisoned.
Peter Kornbluh

Log In

Books & the Arts

A new translation of the 1988 novel documents not only the loss and exile created by the Nakba but also the loss and exile created by occupation.

In her latest film, Showing Up, she continues a career-long project of examining the bitter resentments produced by inequality.

Dunn’s books are often described as cult classics, which fits not only in the sense that they inspire devotion but also in the sense that cults of personality always appear in them.

From the Magazine

While in many ways their careers ran parallel to each other, the two philosophers disagreed about whether liberalism could—and should—be saved.

Full of suspense and subterfuge, The Guest turns a story about a summer on Long Island into a thriller about what it takes to survive.

A new biography examines the revolutionary possibilities and radical contradictions at the heart of James’s life and ideas.

Literary Criticism

Why was one of the most gifted nonfiction writers of her generation so uncomfortable writing about herself?

In Stella Maris and The Passenger, McCarthy invites us to consider hopelessness not just to give us hope but to compel us to make use of it.

In his new book, the novelist examines what it takes to become a great writer.

B&A Newsletter

Best of Books & the Arts

Dance

Alice Robb’s Don’t Think, Dear and Ellen O’Connell Whittet’s What You Become in Flight explore both the liberating sense of art and the domineering logic of ballet.

History & Politics

In his new book, Reinier de Graaf attempts to work out why his profession appears to be at an impasse.

“The End of History?” was more than just commentary; it was an announcement of victory. And yet, nearly a quarter-century later, its author remains unsure if liberalism truly won.

Malcolm Harris’s new history of his hometown dispenses with the sentimental lore and examines how it has long been the seedbed for exploitation, chaos, and ecological degradation.

Television and Films

The HBO series exposed all the limits of video game adaptations.

Returning over a decade after it was originally canceled, the cult series remains a potent satire of meritocracy and Los Angeles.

When mothers and dreams are involved, it is hard not to think of Freud. But in Ari Aster’s latest, very little is left to the imagination.

History

Adam Hochschild’s latest book, American Midnight, examines a dark era in US history in which Woodrow Wilson and his administration went to war at home as well as abroad.

Poems

May 10, 2023

In support of arrested Russian poet Evgenia Berkovich.

April 26, 2023

A short history of a misunderstood literary genre and the world it created.

April 5, 2023

A conversation with Alissa Quart about her new book Bootstrapped, an examination of how the ideology of individualism helped create the conditions for inequality.

February 23, 2023

Questions have surrounded the legendary Chilean poet’s death for years, and a new inquiry suggests that he might have been poisoned.

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