How the “American Dream” Became Un-American How the “American Dream” Became Un-American
When plutocrats defend it, and democrats bewail its passing, it’s time to recall the original meaning of the phrase.
Feb 10, 2022 / Maria Bustillos
Manthia Diawara in the Archive of Postcolonialism Manthia Diawara in the Archive of Postcolonialism
His films put into practice the history of radical Black thought by placing generations of thinkers in conversation.
Feb 10, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Elias Rodriques
Book Bans Are on the Rise. But Librarians and Authors Are Fighting Back. Book Bans Are on the Rise. But Librarians and Authors Are Fighting Back.
In the past few decades in the US, book banning has taken on a decidedly more genteel character.
Feb 8, 2022 / Katrina vanden Heuvel
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
Palin Redux Palin Redux
Sarah Palin flouts a New York ordinance by dining in an Upper East Side restaurant unvaccinated.—News reports Refusing the vaccine means freedom, she says, And no one can ever nega…
Feb 8, 2022 / Column / Calvin Trillin
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