Mystic Poet Mystic Poet
Most biographies of literary figures are a wonderful substitute for actually having to read the work.
Nov 20, 2003 / Books & the Arts / Terry Eagleton
Phantom of the White House Phantom of the White House
"We now live in a culture that's hyperaware of the construction and manipulation of images in politics," David Greenberg writes in Nixon's Shadow.
Nov 20, 2003 / Books & the Arts / J. Hoberman
The Foreign Correspondent The Foreign Correspondent
How we miss Martha Gellhorn, and how we need her right now!
Nov 20, 2003 / Books & the Arts / Neal Ascherson
Murder, She Wrote Murder, She Wrote
On the page, Patricia Highsmith could inspire a law-abiding citizen to become a willing accomplice to murder, at least within the realm of the imagination.
Nov 20, 2003 / Books & the Arts / Kera Bolonik
From Protest to Patronage From Protest to Patronage
Bayard Rustin forged a remarkable career as a social activist. Briefly a member of the Young Communist League, he repudiated communism but remained a socialist throughout his l...
Sep 11, 2003 / Books & the Arts / Randall Kennedy
Written in Memory Written in Memory
Helen Keller may be the world's most famous supercrip.
Jul 17, 2003 / Books & the Arts / Michael Bérubé
The Bourgeois Revolutionary The Bourgeois Revolutionary
Publishers, even academic presses, know that the public likes biography and cater to this taste with a stream of handsomely produced, and often quite well-written, volumes.
Jul 17, 2003 / Books & the Arts / Robin Blackburn
The Last Mogul The Last Mogul
Lew Wasserman, who died last summer at 89, was not only the most powerful and influential man in Hollywood over the past half-century but also the most enigmatic.
Jun 12, 2003 / Books & the Arts / Thomas Schatz
The Holy Land The Holy Land
During the harsh New York City winter of 1909-10, 20,000 garment workers marched and picketed to win recognition of their union.
May 29, 2003 / Books & the Arts / Michael Kazin
When Poetry Was the Rage When Poetry Was the Rage
"That was a benefit shooting." So said a shaken Kenneth Koch to a stunned audience seconds after a tall, scraggly man fired a pistol at him on January 10, 1968.
May 29, 2003 / Books & the Arts / John Palattella