The Haunted World of Edith Wharton The Haunted World of Edith Wharton
Whether exploring the dread of everyday life or the horrors of the occult, her ghost tales documented an America haunted by the specters of isolation, class, and despair.
Feb 8, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Krithika Varagur
What Art Spiegelman’s “Maus” Means to the Children of Survivors What Art Spiegelman’s “Maus” Means to the Children of Survivors
On banning the book that changed what we talk about when we talk about the Holocaust.
Feb 4, 2022 / Linda Mannheim
In Search of Self-Destruction on an Oil Rig In Search of Self-Destruction on an Oil Rig
Tabitha Lasley’s Sea State is an intimate and blistering memoir of a writer’s life amidst the UK’s offshore natural gas industry.
Feb 3, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Jess Bergman
The Limits of Understanding the Pandemic Philosophically The Limits of Understanding the Pandemic Philosophically
Byung-Chul Han’s The Palliative Society tries to contextualize the emotional and cultural ramifications of Covid-19 without ever addressing its material consequences.
Feb 1, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Clinton Williamson
Stumbling on Chilean Stones—and Chilean History Stumbling on Chilean Stones—and Chilean History
Chile has a new leader and a bright future. But a country in which 44 percent of the electorate voted for an admirer of Pinochet is in need of as many obstacles to forgetting as po...
Jan 27, 2022 / Ariel Dorfman
The Sublime Ironies of John Ashbery The Sublime Ironies of John Ashbery
Does his first posthumous collection, Parallel Movement of the Hands, help answer the riddle of his poetic project?
Jan 27, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Ryan Ruby
Republicans Replace Local Election Officials With Trump Loyalists Republicans Replace Local Election Officials With Trump Loyalists
Is this, in fact, a type of coup? Well, fears of that are mounting: It’s not just who can vote that counts. It’s who can do the counting.
Jan 25, 2022 / Column / Calvin Trillin
Danielle Allen Is Running for Massachusetts Governor to Revive American Democracy Danielle Allen Is Running for Massachusetts Governor to Revive American Democracy
Can she convince the state’s voters to put her ideas into practice?
Jan 25, 2022 / Feature / Serena Cho
The Surprising History of the Comic Book The Surprising History of the Comic Book
Since their initial popularity during World War II, comic books have always been a medium for American counterculture and for nativism and empire.
Jan 25, 2022 / Books & the Arts / J. Hoberman
John Roberts Gets an F on His Annual Report John Roberts Gets an F on His Annual Report
The chief justice’s year-end appraisal of the federal judiciary reads as innocuous at first glance—it’s anything but.
Jan 24, 2022 / Column / Elie Mystal