Books and Ideas

J.M. Coetzee’s States of Exile

J.M. Coetzee’s States of Exile J.M. Coetzee’s States of Exile

In writing an allegory that is barely an allegory and a trilogy of novels that are often not novels, Coetzee appears to have made his own literary displacement total. 

Jul 14, 2020 / Books & the Arts / Siddhartha Deb

It’s Time to Tell a New Story About the Coronavirus—Our Lives Depend on It

It’s Time to Tell a New Story About the Coronavirus—Our Lives Depend on It It’s Time to Tell a New Story About the Coronavirus—Our Lives Depend on It

The way we talk about contagion matters. It shapes how societies respond—and whether many of us will survive.

Jul 14, 2020 / Feature / Sonia Shah

Tom Tomorrow cartoon

America Is Headed Off a Cliff America Is Headed Off a Cliff

Buckle up!

Jul 14, 2020 / Tom Tomorrow

The Many Lives of Catherine the Great

The Many Lives of Catherine the Great The Many Lives of Catherine the Great

A new Hulu show presents the life of the Russian empress as a narrative of lean-in empowerment. But was it?

Jul 13, 2020 / Books & the Arts / Sophie Pinkham

Milton Glaser, 1929–2020

Milton Glaser, 1929–2020 Milton Glaser, 1929–2020

Luckily for The Nation, Milton’s first rule was “You can only work for people you like.”

Jul 10, 2020 / Victor Navasky

Not Catharsis but Vengeance: The Startling Fiction of Fernanda Melchor

Not Catharsis but Vengeance: The Startling Fiction of Fernanda Melchor Not Catharsis but Vengeance: The Startling Fiction of Fernanda Melchor

Her novel Hurricane Season burrows into the circumstances of a small-town murder and what it says about a society that disregards femicide.

Jul 9, 2020 / Books & the Arts / Lucas Iberico Lozada

Why Has Society Failed to Integrate Grief Into Public Life?

Why Has Society Failed to Integrate Grief Into Public Life? Why Has Society Failed to Integrate Grief Into Public Life?

We talked to Rachel Kauder Nalebuff about the politics of care, mourning, and her new book, Stages: On Dying, Working, and Feeling.

Jul 8, 2020 / Q&A / Sam Huber

Tom Tomorrow cartoon

Donald Trump’s Many Pandemic Blunders Donald Trump’s Many Pandemic Blunders

Here’s a fun little game to help you unwind!

Jul 7, 2020 / Tom Tomorrow

Jenny Zhang’s Goo Aesthetics

Jenny Zhang’s Goo Aesthetics Jenny Zhang’s Goo Aesthetics

Her poems, fiction, and essays are visceral and tactile explorations of the body and immigrant identity.

Jul 6, 2020 / Ana Cecilia Alvarez

Jon Fosse’s Existential Doppelgängers

Jon Fosse’s Existential Doppelgängers Jon Fosse’s Existential Doppelgängers

In the Norwegian author’s hypnotic novel The Other Name, two men come face to face with the limits of art and life.

Jul 2, 2020 / Dustin Illingworth

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