Books and Ideas

Criticism in the Twilight

Criticism in the Twilight Criticism in the Twilight

What role can the critic play in today’s uncertain times?

Nov 16, 2016 / Books & the Arts / Nicholas Dames

Responsible Hedonists

Responsible Hedonists Responsible Hedonists

Emily Witts new book, Future Sex, captures the ways in which free love and countercultural experiments are no longer as liberating as they once seemed.

Nov 15, 2016 / Books & the Arts / J.C. Pan

The Gods Never Left Us

The Gods Never Left Us The Gods Never Left Us

The enchanted counterworld of the novelist Sjón.

Nov 11, 2016 / Books & the Arts / Charles Baxter

How Much Did Alan Greenspan Really Know?

How Much Did Alan Greenspan Really Know? How Much Did Alan Greenspan Really Know?

Despite the efforts of a new biographer, it seems that Greenspan was more flying by the seat of his pants than acting as a strategic policy-maker.

Nov 9, 2016 / Books & the Arts / Jeff Madrick

Jail Cell Madison

5 Books You Need to Understand the Origins of Incarceration 5 Books You Need to Understand the Origins of Incarceration

Elizabeth Hinton’s celebrated new book, From the War on Poverty to the War on Crime (Harvard, 2016) comes at an electric political moment. “I hope,” says Hinton, “that my research…

Nov 8, 2016 / Elizabeth Hinton

Meet the Winners of the ‘Nation’ Student Writing Contest

Meet the Winners of the ‘Nation’ Student Writing Contest Meet the Winners of the ‘Nation’ Student Writing Contest

Join us in congratulating Leehi Yona of Montreal, Canada, and Claire Devine of Tigard, Oregon, the winners of The Nation’s 10th Student Writing Contest! More than 650 submissions p…

Nov 7, 2016 / StudentNation / The Nation

Omar Khayyam's Rubaiyat

Did Medieval Muslims Invent Modern Secularism? Did Medieval Muslims Invent Modern Secularism?

The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam was embraced by many Western intellectuals as an aid to their own secularization.

Nov 7, 2016 / Juan Cole

Why Bill Weld’s Political Heresy Matters

Why Bill Weld’s Political Heresy Matters Why Bill Weld’s Political Heresy Matters

The Libertarian Party’s veep nominee has been making the case for Clinton—and reading George Orwell.

Nov 4, 2016 / John Nichols

New Lanark

Utopia? Forget About It. Time for ‘Untopia.’ Utopia? Forget About It. Time for ‘Untopia.’

Striving for the perfect society has been the cause of great misery. We should embrace our imperfections.

Nov 4, 2016 / Walter Mosley

The Essential Ferrante

The Essential Ferrante The Essential Ferrante

How the Italian novelist’s demand to remain anonymous reveals her true identity.

Nov 2, 2016 / Books & the Arts / Vivian Gornick

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