No Wonder Pope Francis Admires Him: Thomas Merton Denounced the ‘Versatile Blandishments of Money’ No Wonder Pope Francis Admires Him: Thomas Merton Denounced the ‘Versatile Blandishments of Money’
But there’s more: Merton wrote for The Nation before he even became Catholic.
Sep 24, 2015 / Richard Kreitner
Romancing the Remains Romancing the Remains
A tubercular Surrealist describes his convalescence. What could go right?
Sep 24, 2015 / Books & the Arts / Ricky D’Ambrose
The Politics of Bad Art The Politics of Bad Art
In whose service does a painter paint, or a critic criticize?
Sep 24, 2015 / Books & the Arts / Barry Schwabsky
Hear! Hear! George Scialabba Hear! Hear! George Scialabba
A gathering of luminaries and friends—including artist Joseph Ciardiello, with this drawing—celebrated the essayist and critic on the day of his retirement.
Sep 24, 2015 / Rick Perlstein
Conditions of Emergence: On Elena Ferrante Conditions of Emergence: On Elena Ferrante
In the pseudonymous author’s Neapolitan Novels, the price of leaving Naples is that you can never be at home again.
Sep 24, 2015 / Books & the Arts / William Deresiewicz
Welcome Back Welcome Back
Altercation catches up on summer events and releases.
Sep 22, 2015 / Eric Alterman
Bernie, Donald, and the Promise of Populism Bernie, Donald, and the Promise of Populism
Both candidates have been mislabeled as populists. The movement of that name was a genuine people’s rebellion that reinvigorated democracy. We can do it again.
Sep 21, 2015 / William Greider
In Cuba, Pope Francis and Fidel Castro Baptize a New Era In Cuba, Pope Francis and Fidel Castro Baptize a New Era
Pope Francis and Fidel Castro share a long, intertwined political history—one that also points forward to a global ideological realignment.
Sep 21, 2015 / Greg Grandin
The Kiss (III) The Kiss (III)
A writer imagines a secret courtship before the advent of technology.
Sep 21, 2015 / Robert Walser
Why Is the ‘Radical Pope’ About to Canonize a Priest Who Helped Enslave and Murder Native Americans? Why Is the ‘Radical Pope’ About to Canonize a Priest Who Helped Enslave and Murder Native Americans?
It's time to confront, not celebrate, the other American slavery.
Sep 18, 2015 / Richard Kreitner