Books and Ideas

The Whole Human Mess: On Saul Bellow

The Whole Human Mess: On Saul Bellow The Whole Human Mess: On Saul Bellow

Drollery, mordancy, tenderness and soul talk: Saul Bellow's letters are a Saul Bellow novel!  

Nov 23, 2010 / Books & the Arts / William Deresiewicz

The Dirty Halo: On Sarah Bernhardt

The Dirty Halo: On Sarah Bernhardt The Dirty Halo: On Sarah Bernhardt

Robert Gottlieb's vigorous biography of Sarah Bernhardt shows the actress in all her workaholic, passionate and unsentimental force.

Nov 23, 2010 / Books & the Arts / Jana Prikryl

Burning Down the House: On Ed Koch

Burning Down the House: On Ed Koch Burning Down the House: On Ed Koch

Ed Koch rebuilt New York City by demolishing its long-running experiments in urban liberalism.

Nov 23, 2010 / Books & the Arts / Samuel Zipp

The Voice of Experience The Voice of Experience

Never leave a man behind.

Nov 23, 2010 / Column / Calvin Trillin

An Optimist Greets the New Speaker of the House An Optimist Greets the New Speaker of the House

It could be worse.

Nov 18, 2010 / Column / Calvin Trillin

Between Hitler and Stalin

Between Hitler and Stalin Between Hitler and Stalin

In Bloodlands Timothy Snyder attempts to link the Holocaust to a syndrome of political killing endorsed by Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin.

Nov 17, 2010 / Books & the Arts / Samuel Moyn

Without Artifice: On William Brennan Without Artifice: On William Brennan

Justice William Brennan's watchword was human dignity, and to protect it he interpreted individual rights expansively.

Nov 17, 2010 / Books & the Arts / Michael O’Donnell

The Merry-Go-Round: On Jack Anderson The Merry-Go-Round: On Jack Anderson

Poisoning the Press tells the tale of Jack Anderson's fall from muckraking hero to blustering pundit.

Nov 17, 2010 / Books & the Arts / Diane Simon

Late-Night Comics Bid Farewell to Christine O’Donnell

Late-Night Comics Bid Farewell to Christine O’Donnell Late-Night Comics Bid Farewell to Christine O’Donnell

But not for long.

Nov 11, 2010 / Column / Calvin Trillin

America’s Knowledge Deficit America’s Knowledge Deficit

We have increasingly substituted opinion and prejudice for science and reason.

Nov 10, 2010 / Books & the Arts / Benjamin R. Barber

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