Books and Ideas

'The Romans of the Decadence', 1847. Artist: Thomas Couture

The Hedonist Bard of the Midlife Crisis The Hedonist Bard of the Midlife Crisis

Why you should and shouldn’t read the provocative poems of Frederick Seidel.

May 5, 2021 / Books & the Arts / David Schurman Wallace

Tom Tomorrow cartoon

The Right-Wing Outrage Cycle The Right-Wing Outrage Cycle

By the time the lie has been debunked, it’s too late.

May 4, 2021 / Tom Tomorrow

Can Capitalism Be Fixed?

Can Capitalism Be Fixed? Can Capitalism Be Fixed?

In his new book, Branko Milanovic charts what has gone wrong with contemporary capitalism while also insisting we must reconcile ourselves to its contradictions.

May 4, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Alyssa Battistoni

Graham Greene’s God

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

Jhumpa Lahiri’s Quietly Bracing New Novel

Jhumpa Lahiri’s Quietly Bracing New Novel Jhumpa Lahiri’s Quietly Bracing New Novel

How writing in Italian gave Lahiri a new sense of creative freedom.

May 4, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Jennifer Wilson

Richard Wright’s Lost Novel

Richard Wright’s Lost Novel Richard Wright’s Lost Novel

In The Man Who Lived Underground, Wright offers a gothic tale of police violence and urban surrealism.

May 3, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Elias Rodriques

The Entwined History of Freedom and Racism

The Entwined History of Freedom and Racism The Entwined History of Freedom and Racism

In White Freedom, historian Tyler Stovall examines how liberty for some has always entailed a lack of liberty for many others.  

May 3, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Olúfémi O. Táíwò

The Rise of Adjunct Lit

The Rise of Adjunct Lit The Rise of Adjunct Lit

How a bleak future in and out of the academy has produced a new kind of campus novel.

May 3, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Maggie Doherty

Yi Sang’s Global Poetry

Yi Sang’s Global Poetry Yi Sang’s Global Poetry

Through his synthetic and surrealist style, the Korean poet helped chart an alternate path of internationalism in an age of empire.

May 3, 2021 / Books & the Arts / E. Tammy Kim

Phillip Roth

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

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