Books and Ideas

Pictured, from left to right: Zephyr Teachout, John Ganz, David Klion.

The Nation Names New Columnists Zephyr Teachout, John Ganz, and David Klion "The Nation" Names New Columnists Zephyr Teachout, John Ganz, and David Klion

From crony capitalism to the culture wars, they will chronicle a new and tumultuous chapter in American democracy under a second Trump administration.

Feb 13, 2025 / Press Room

Henri Bergson’s States of Change

Henri Bergson’s States of Change Henri Bergson’s States of Change

Why did one of the early 20th century’s most famous philosophers go out of fashion?

Feb 11, 2025 / Books & the Arts / John Banville

Marines

Presidential Leadership Presidential Leadership

Feb 11, 2025 / Column / Calvin Trillin

The Making and Remaking of Karl Marx’s  “Capital”

The Making and Remaking of Karl Marx’s “Capital” The Making and Remaking of Karl Marx’s “Capital”

In the first English translation in half a century, Paul Reitter and Paul North distill the essence of the Marxist masterpiece by going back to basics.

Feb 10, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Alyssa Battistoni

“Summer Interior” by Edward Hopper, 1909. Located at the Whitney Museum of American Art.

Vigdis Hjorth and the Novel of Ugly Love Vigdis Hjorth and the Novel of Ugly Love

In If Only, the Norwegian novelist distills a story of romance into all its private discomfort and claustrophobia. Its intense ambivalence in regards to love feels truer to life. ...

Feb 4, 2025 / Books & the Arts / David Schurman Wallace

Priscilla Chan, Mark Zuckerberg, Lauren Sanchez, Jeff Bezos, Sundar Pichai, and Elon Musk during the 60th presidential inauguration in the rotunda of the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on Monday, January 20, 2025.

The Social Critic Who Predicted Big Tech’s Dark Turn The Social Critic Who Predicted Big Tech’s Dark Turn

Theodore Roszak and the perils of technocracy.

Jan 31, 2025 / Peter Richardson and Michael J. Kramer

A comic by Jules Feiffer

Devastating Empathy: Jules Feiffer, 1929–2025 Devastating Empathy: Jules Feiffer, 1929–2025

The cartoonist and writer proved that the deadliest skewering is informed by understanding.

Jan 30, 2025 / Obituary / Jeet Heer

The Art of Reading Like a Translator

The Art of Reading Like a Translator The Art of Reading Like a Translator

In The Philosophy of Translation, Damion Searls investigates the essential differences—and similarities—between the task of the translator and of the writer.

Jan 30, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Lily Meyer

Mikhail Lermontov's “Memory of Caucasus,” 1838.

The Reckless Creation of Whiteness The Reckless Creation of Whiteness

In The Unseen Truth, Sarah Lewis examines how an erroneous 18th-century story about the “Caucasian race” led to a centuries of prejudice and misapprehension.

Jan 29, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Erin L. Thompson

The Polymath of Pittsburgh

The Polymath of Pittsburgh The Polymath of Pittsburgh

Garielle Lutz is one of America’s great writers. Why has her literary genius gone unnoticed?

Jan 28, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Daniel Kolitz

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