Franz Kafka’s Best Friend Franz Kafka’s Best Friend
Kafka’s late story about a philosopher dog, like most of his stories about animals, is really about our lost humanity.
Nov 12, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Jonathan Lethem
How Can We Fix American Democracy? How Can We Fix American Democracy?
Preserving our democracy is as urgent a task as ever, but the question is how.
Nov 11, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Nicholas Lemann
The Invention of the Modern Self The Invention of the Modern Self
How did the idea of the individual come into being?
Nov 10, 2025 / Books & the Arts / David A. Bell
Zadie Smith: "I Say What I See" Zadie Smith: "I Say What I See"
A conversation with the acclaimed author about her new essay collection, Dead and Alive.
Nov 7, 2025 / Q&A / Edna Bonhomme
A Brief History of Right-Wing Attacks on Food Stamps A Brief History of Right-Wing Attacks on Food Stamps
A trip through The Nation’s archives offers essential insights into why Republicans have long tried to weaken SNAP—and why they’re trying to kill it now.
Nov 6, 2025 / Richard Kreitner
The Making of Arundhati Roy The Making of Arundhati Roy
In Mother Mary Comes to Me, the icon of Indian letters revisits the time that forged her as a writer.
Nov 6, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Siddhartha Mahanta
How Jesse Jackson Transformed American Politics How Jesse Jackson Transformed American Politics
In the face of Reagan’s right-wing presidency, he offered a vision, strategy, and agenda that would have led Democrats and the country in a very different direction.
Nov 5, 2025 / Robert L. Borosage
Why Is Yoko Ono Still Misunderstood? Why Is Yoko Ono Still Misunderstood?
A recent biography helps shed light on her life before and after John Lennon—making a case for the primacy of her art and its lasting influence.
Nov 5, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Quinn Moreland
The Uncertain History of the Bronx Fires The Uncertain History of the Bronx Fires
In Born in Flames, Bench Ansfield asks, who, or what, is responsible for the arson epidemic that afflicted the borough in the 1970s and ’80s?
Nov 4, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Samuel Zipp