Books and Ideas

Nation Poetry

Boxes of Ashes Boxes of Ashes

México lindo y querido, si muero lejos de tí, que digan que estoy dormido y que me traigan aquí. —Chucho…

Jun 10, 2021 / Poems / Rigoberto González

Aretha Fanklin

The Unwritten History of Black Performance The Unwritten History of Black Performance

Poet and essayist Hanif Abdurraqib’s new book undertakes an ambitious task: contextualizing the scope and scale of a people’s cultural expression.

Jun 10, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Kelton Ellis

Francis Bacon

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

Nation Poetry

Observations from the conqueror’s diary Observations from the conqueror’s diary

When the British invaded Tibet in 1904, the Tibetan rulers fled, and waited from a distance for the river to turn blue. It is not clear what they did with their time. The victors w…

Jun 8, 2021 / Poems / Tsering Wangmo Dhompa

Tom Tomorrow cartoon

Get Back To Work Get Back To Work

The boss is always right.

Jun 8, 2021 / Tom Tomorrow

Corrugated Tin Facade / Tin Building WALKER EVANS

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

Austrian author Thomas Bernhard. Tonhof. Maria Saal. Carinthia. Photograph. Christmas 1957/58 (Photo by Helmut Baar

The Epic Misery of Thomas Bernhard The Epic Misery of Thomas Bernhard

His little-known novel The Cheap-Eaters, recently translated by Douglas Robertson, puts forward a basic thesis: Life is a sequence of crushings.

Jun 7, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Missouri Williams

Andy Biggs press conf

The Miseducation of White Children The Miseducation of White Children

The attacks on critical race theory are just another attempt to prevent this country from reckoning with its racist past and present—by keeping white kids ignorant.

Jun 3, 2021 / Elie Mystal

Police D.C.

The Misplaced Hope of Understanding Police From the Inside The Misplaced Hope of Understanding Police From the Inside

Law professor Rosa Brooks became a volunteer cop to show how policing might be fixed. But are the police beyond reform?

Jun 3, 2021 / Katie Way

Jimmy Carter

A Letter to Biden From Jimmy Carter’s Biographer A Letter to Biden From Jimmy Carter’s Biographer

Sometimes doing the right thing means not getting reelected.

Jun 3, 2021 / Kai Bird

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