Black Candle Black Candle
Your girlish shoulders are for blushing, For blushing under whips, and in dawn’s raw ice to shine. Your child-like hands are for pushing, For pushing flatirons and feed sacks, and knotting twine. Your feet, infant-tender, are for tiptoeing, Tiptoeing through shattered glass, in the blood-tracked clay. And I, I am for you, a black candle burning, Like a black candle I am burning, and dare not pray. (translated from the Russian by Christian Wiman)
Jan 4, 2012 / Books & the Arts / Osip Mandelstam
Last Year’s Model: On Simon Reynolds Last Year’s Model: On Simon Reynolds
A critic of pop’s retro turn can’t shake his own strain of pop nostalgia.
Jan 4, 2012 / Books & the Arts / Sara Marcus
Extremely Extremely
Stephen Daldry’s Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Wim Wenders’s Pina.
Jan 4, 2012 / Books & the Arts / Stuart Klawans
Voting Rights, Super PACs and the Media Cloud the Election Voting Rights, Super PACs and the Media Cloud the Election
Three issues that will matter far more in November than tonight's results.
Jan 3, 2012 / Katrina vanden Heuvel
John Nichols: The Iowa Caucuses Battle Has Been Ugly and Destructive Politics John Nichols: The Iowa Caucuses Battle Has Been Ugly and Destructive Politics
If we don't get serious about addressing Citizens United, we're going to end up with a much uglier, much more destructive politics.
Jan 3, 2012 / Press Room
Mitt Calls His Opponents Girls, but Not to Their Faces Mitt Calls His Opponents Girls, but Not to Their Faces
Romney feminized his foes three times in five days. What’s he really trying to say?
Jan 3, 2012 / Leslie Savan
The Winner Tonight: Iowa’s 1 Percent The Winner Tonight: Iowa’s 1 Percent
No matter who emerges victorious tonight, their economic plan would transfer even more money to the top of the income scale.
Jan 3, 2012 / George Zornick
Debacle: Lessons From Lost Wars Debacle: Lessons From Lost Wars
How two wars in the Greater Middle East revealed the weakness of the global superpower.
Jan 3, 2012 / Tom Engelhardt
Panetta’s Sacred Hippopotamus Panetta’s Sacred Hippopotamus
The United States must cut Pentagon spending, to paraphrase Dick Cheney, “big time.”
Jan 3, 2012 / Bob Dreyfuss
Rick Perry Loses His Mind but Not His Conservative Support Rick Perry Loses His Mind but Not His Conservative Support
Rick Perry’s recent statements have made even less sense than ever. But as long he doesn’t show hints of moderation, it doesn’t hurt him.
Jan 3, 2012 / Ben Adler