Books and Ideas

The Winter Olympics in Putin’s Russia

The Winter Olympics in Putin’s Russia The Winter Olympics in Putin’s Russia

Gay rights activists hold a banner reading "Homophobia - the religion of bullies" during their action in protest of homophobia, on Red Square in Moscow, Russia, on Sunday, July 14, 2013. (AP Photo/Evgeny Feldman) “Putin signs anti-gay legislation into law.” —news reports It’s possible a skier’d have to pray, As he zoomed down the steepest slope one day, That he did not, by accident, display A manner that those eager to obey The laws that under Putin now hold sway Might video as evidence, then say This shows with certainty that he is gay, Illegally, and must be sent away To some gay gulag, where he will decay In dungeons like the cages of Bombay. And meanwhile Putin leads the cheers: “Let’s hear it! Let’s celebrate that grand Olympic spirit!”

Aug 14, 2013 / Column / Calvin Trillin

Fascist Sympathies: On Dorothea Brande

Fascist Sympathies: On Dorothea Brande Fascist Sympathies: On Dorothea Brande

Wake Up and Live! reveals the connection between the radical individualism of 1930s self-help manuals and fascist politics.

Aug 13, 2013 / Books & the Arts / Joanna Scutts

Fichte’s Way Fichte’s Way

Johann Gottlieb Fichte undertook a pure search for truth. He also distrusted international markets. Does that make him an ancestor to anti-globalization activists?

Aug 13, 2013 / Books & the Arts / Michael Rosen

‘Atlantic Rim’: Chomsky v. Zizek

‘Atlantic Rim’: Chomsky v. Zizek ‘Atlantic Rim’: Chomsky v. Zizek

An online dustup between two pop star penseurs shows them staggering through afterlives.

Aug 13, 2013 / Books & the Arts / Joshua Clover

This Week in ‘Nation’ History: Hiroshima and the Roots of American Secrecy

This Week in ‘Nation’ History: Hiroshima and the Roots of American Secrecy This Week in ‘Nation’ History: Hiroshima and the Roots of American Secrecy

The bombing of Hiroshima changed everything; but it may not be too late to change it back.

Aug 3, 2013 / Books & the Arts / Katrina vanden Heuvel

Dispatches from the Front: On Narconovelas

Dispatches from the Front: On Narconovelas Dispatches from the Front: On Narconovelas

All wars have their bards, and Mexico’s ongoing narco wars are no exception.

Jul 31, 2013 / Books & the Arts / Jorge Volpi

On Further Weiner Revelations On Further Weiner Revelations

He swore this stuff was in the past, But it continued on apace. It’s odd enough he showed his junk. It’s odder still he’d show his face.

Jul 31, 2013 / Column / Calvin Trillin

The Gore Vidal FBI File

The Gore Vidal FBI File The Gore Vidal FBI File

The first page, from 1960s, says Vidal made disparaging remarks about J. Edgar Hoover.

Jul 29, 2013 / Jon Wiener

Jesus the Revolutionary: A Q&A With Reza Aslan

Jesus the Revolutionary: A Q&A With Reza Aslan Jesus the Revolutionary: A Q&A With Reza Aslan

Crucifixion was the punishment that Rome reserved for the crime of sedition.

Jul 25, 2013 / Books & the Arts / Jon Wiener

Political Dreaming in the Twenty-First Century

Political Dreaming in the Twenty-First Century Political Dreaming in the Twenty-First Century

Where has it gone?

Jul 25, 2013 / Ira Chernus

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