Autobiography and Memoir

The Bare Ruined Choirs of Notre Dame

The Bare Ruined Choirs of Notre Dame The Bare Ruined Choirs of Notre Dame

This monument to medieval faith will surely be rebuilt—by the techno-mobilization of capitalist individualism.

Apr 22, 2019 / Richard Lingeman

The Political Lives of Mario Vargas Llosa

The Political Lives of Mario Vargas Llosa The Political Lives of Mario Vargas Llosa

How Peru’s greatest novelist went from socialist to neoliberal ideologue.

Apr 15, 2019 / Books & the Arts / Patrick Iber

The Weight and Power of Kiese Laymon’s ‘Heavy’

The Weight and Power of Kiese Laymon’s ‘Heavy’ The Weight and Power of Kiese Laymon’s ‘Heavy’

His memoir is an affecting chronicle of both hope and despair in the American South.

Feb 7, 2019 / Books & the Arts / Bijan Stephen

‘Maid’ Offers a Striking Portrait of Single-Working-Motherhood

‘Maid’ Offers a Striking Portrait of Single-Working-Motherhood ‘Maid’ Offers a Striking Portrait of Single-Working-Motherhood

Stephanie Land’s memoir is an intimate look at the day-to-day reality of poverty in the United States.

Jan 31, 2019 / Books & the Arts / Ann-Derrick Gaillot

How Nell Painter Found Her Process

How Nell Painter Found Her Process How Nell Painter Found Her Process

Old in Art School recounts the historian’s journey from Sunday painter to professional artist.

Nov 20, 2018 / Books & the Arts / Jillian Steinhauer

Finding a Way Back Home

Finding a Way Back Home Finding a Way Back Home

The many Philip Roths.

May 25, 2018 / David Marcus

James Comey’s Self-Regard

James Comey’s Self-Regard James Comey’s Self-Regard

The former FBI director wants you to know that he was right about Trump—and the Clinton emails.

Apr 23, 2018 / Jon Wiener

Blue Scientology building LA

The Power of the Word The Power of the Word

Scientology’s unique manipulations of language seduced the novelist Sands Hall and kept her bound to the church.

Apr 12, 2018 / Michael Friedrich

Today’s Life and War

Today’s Life and War Today’s Life and War

From above, there are no souls, only bodies, but they are seen as hollow forms, moving the way atoms do in the universe — ​unseen.

Mar 21, 2018 / Dunya Mikhail

Language Is a ‘War Zone’: A Conversation With Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o

Language Is a ‘War Zone’: A Conversation With Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o Language Is a ‘War Zone’: A Conversation With Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o

The Kenyan author discusses colonialism and abandoning English to write in his native Kikuyu.

Mar 9, 2018 / Q&A / Rohit Inani

x