Books and Ideas

The comedian Marty Feldman as Pan in “Every Home Should Have One,” 1969.

The Impish Modernism of Michael Clune The Impish Modernism of Michael Clune

In Pan, his debut novel, he makes the unruly mind of a teenager the stuff of high art.

Jul 21, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Adam Wilson

The Fragmented Lives of Nate Lippens

The Fragmented Lives of Nate Lippens The Fragmented Lives of Nate Lippens

His bracing novels represent an honest reckoning with the post-AIDS era and its effect on life and imagination.

Jul 15, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Joshua Gutterman Tranen

Commentary editor John Podhoretz sits in front of a microphone with “Book Expo” written on it.

Militarism Has Long Worked to Shield Antisemitism Militarism Has Long Worked to Shield Antisemitism

From the Cold War till Donald Trump, there’s always been a special dispensation for hawkish bigots.

Jul 14, 2025 / Jeet Heer

Great Authors Are Just As Human as the Rest of Us

Great Authors Are Just As Human as the Rest of Us Great Authors Are Just As Human as the Rest of Us

A new play about Roald Dahl shows the now-controversial children’s writer in his flawed, complicated reality.

Jul 7, 2025 / Katha Pollitt

James Schuyler in New York City, 1988.

The Miracles of James Schuyler The Miracles of James Schuyler

Nathan Kernan’s biography of the New York School poet tracks the development of his serene and joyful work alongside the chaos of his life.

Jul 7, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Evan Kindley

Jürgen Habermas in Berlin, Germany, 2018.

Jürgen Habermas Still Believes in Modernity Jürgen Habermas Still Believes in Modernity

A conversation with the German theorist about the history of Western philosophy and more.

Jul 7, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Daniel Steinmetz-Jenkins

Fourth of July reenactors march through Massachusetts

Fake Patriots Are Destroying Everything That Made America Great Fake Patriots Are Destroying Everything That Made America Great

By attacking equality of citizenship, MAGA is smashing the foundations of national pride.

Jul 4, 2025 / Jeet Heer

Joan Didion, 2007.

Joan Didion Undone Joan Didion Undone

Notes to John, posthumously published journal entries chronicling Didion’s therapy sessions, is a peek into the myths and fears that animated her writing life.

Jul 2, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Emma Hager

Peter Thiel speaks at a lectern, holding microphone in front of audience at The Cambridge Union.

The Billionaires Are Abandoning Humanity The Billionaires Are Abandoning Humanity

Peter Thiel and his friends feel they no longer belong to our species.

Jun 30, 2025 / Jeet Heer

“Washington Post” publisher Katharine Graham and executive editor Ben Bradlee leave US District Court in Washington on June 21, 1971, happy with Judge Gerhard A. Gesell's ruling the the paper could publish further articles about a Pentagon report on Vietnam. Later however, the US Court of Appeals extended for one more day a ban against publishing the secret documents.

My Grandmother Stood Up to Nixon—Jeff Bezos Should Take Note  My Grandmother Stood Up to Nixon—Jeff Bezos Should Take Note 

Fifty-four years ago, Katharine Graham defended The Washington Post against presidential threats. Her granddaughter now fears its soul is being sold.

Jun 26, 2025 / Pamela Alma Weymouth

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