The Moral and Magical Political Fictions of Carolina de Robertis The Moral and Magical Political Fictions of Carolina de Robertis
The Uruguayan American novelist’s The President and the Frog asks us to consider: What does it mean to be a good political actor?
Oct 29, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Lily Meyer
Was Jimmy Carter an Outlier? Was Jimmy Carter an Outlier?
Politicians say things to get elected and then, once in office, do otherwise; that’s politics. But Carter demanded that we grade him on a curve.
Oct 4, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Rick Perlstein
What Happened to Andrew Cuomo? What Happened to Andrew Cuomo?
Ross Barkan’s The Prince tracks how the son of a progressive New York governor transformed into one focused on one thing above all else: power.
Jul 28, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Raina Lipsitz
Behind the Hedonist Persona of Francis Bacon Behind the Hedonist Persona of Francis Bacon
Annalyn Swan and Mark Stevens’s comprehensive study of the British artist is a sensitive investigation into his artistic identity.
Jun 9, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Tausif Noor
The Anti-Nostalgia of Walker Evans The Anti-Nostalgia of Walker Evans
A recent biography reveals the many contradictions of the photographer who fastidiously documented postwar American life.
Jun 8, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Rahel Aima
Graham Greene’s God Graham Greene’s God
As a new biography shows, the British novelist was always haunted by, and uncertain about, his own faith.
May 4, 2021 / Books & the Arts / John Banville
Philip Roth and His Defensive Fans Are Their Own Worst Enemies Philip Roth and His Defensive Fans Are Their Own Worst Enemies
Why did it take a sexual assault scandal to raise red flags about a deeply flawed biography?
Apr 30, 2021 / Jeet Heer
Blake Bailey’s Life as a Man Blake Bailey’s Life as a Man
The disgraced writer’s Philip Roth biography is a document of a misogynist literary world. But I had to read the book to get the whole story.
Apr 28, 2021 / Katha Pollitt
Joe From Scranton Joe From Scranton
Since Biden has taken office, he has signed a wide array of legislation into law. But once the more immediate emergencies have passed, will he have the will and desire to enact a s...
Apr 20, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Kim Phillips-Fein
Marx for Our Times Marx for Our Times
A new book explores the social democratic impulses and Jewish origins of Karl Marx.
Apr 19, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Bruce Robbins