Le Carré’s Other Cold War Le Carré’s Other Cold War
The wonder and rage the English novelist felt toward his own country.
Oct 5, 2016 / Books & the Arts / Ian Buruma
Everything Is Interesting Everything Is Interesting
Nicholson Baker goes back to school.
Sep 29, 2016 / Books & the Arts / Evan Kindley
Affliction and Salvation Affliction and Salvation
Love was a learned art for Iris Murdoch, because it involved realizing that something other than the self is real.
Sep 9, 2016 / Books & the Arts / Becca Rothfeld
An Hour Without Trump An Hour Without Trump
Susan Faludi on her trans father, Edward Snowden’s lawyer on the NSA, and Tom Lutz on politics and travel.
Aug 4, 2016 / Audio / Start Making Sense and Jon Wiener
Never-Endings Never-Endings
Georges Perec’s books are designed to stir readers to think actively, freshly, and imaginatively about what could have been, and what might come next.
Aug 3, 2016 / Books & the Arts / Joanna Scott
Svetlana Alexievich’s Voices Svetlana Alexievich’s Voices
At a time when populism is in vogue, the Nobel Laureate has gone in the opposite direction. We need to read her and listen to the people she hears.
Jul 6, 2016 / Books & the Arts / John Palattella
The Depressing Truth About How Sexism Changes Us The Depressing Truth About How Sexism Changes Us
In Sex Object, Jessica Valenti asks “Who would I be if I didn’t live in a world that hated women?”
Jun 24, 2016 / Lauren Duca
Michael Hayden Played Right Up to the Edge of Legality—and Then Took a Big Leap Off Michael Hayden Played Right Up to the Edge of Legality—and Then Took a Big Leap Off
In his new memoir, the former director of the NSA and the CIA shows how his many failures were followed, one after the next, by promotions.
Jun 1, 2016 / Books & the Arts / James Bamford
Benedict Anderson’s View of Nationalism Benedict Anderson’s View of Nationalism
The child of late empire, who transformed the field of area studies, lived a life beyond boundaries.
May 19, 2016 / Books & the Arts / Scott Sherman
The Annie Dillard Show The Annie Dillard Show
In felicitous language, she enables us to see the world afresh. But there is always a distance, a sense of performance.
May 18, 2016 / Books & the Arts / Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow