Cultural Criticism and Analysis

August Macke, “Vegetable Fields,” 1895.

The Hidden History of Free Choice The Hidden History of Free Choice

A conversation with Sophia Rosenfeld about her recent book on the roots of the concept of choice.

Mar 18, 2026 / Books & the Arts / Daniel Steinmetz-Jenkins

Women wait to undergo a medical check in Paris in October 1944.

The Greatest Love Is Grieving The Greatest Love Is Grieving

I spent years as a labor organizer. Marguerite Duras’s war novel taught me that the strongest fighters are always the women hurting the most.

Mar 7, 2026 / Haley Mlotek

Werner Herzog, 1984.

Werner Herzog Between Fact and Fiction Werner Herzog Between Fact and Fiction

The German auteur’s recent book presents a strange, idiosyncratic vision of the concept of “truth,” one that defines how he sees the world and his art.

Feb 25, 2026 / Books & the Arts / Lowry Pressly

Sinclair Lewis aboard the SS American Farmer on its arrival in New York.

The 1935 Novel That Predicted Trump’s Second Term The 1935 Novel That Predicted Trump’s Second Term

Sinclair Lewis imagined an American version of the rise of fascism in Europe. His predictions didn’t come true then, but seem eerily familiar now.

Nov 20, 2025 / Column / Chris Lehmann

How Can We Fix American Democracy?

How Can We Fix American Democracy? How Can We Fix American Democracy?

Preserving our democracy is as urgent a task as ever, but the question is how.

Nov 11, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Nicholas Lemann

Nicolas Poussin’s “Landscape with a Calm,” 1650–51.

What T.J. Clark Sees  What T.J. Clark Sees 

His art criticism reaches rarified heights—combining style, rigor, and politics like almost no one else.

Oct 22, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Barry Schwabsky

Walter Lippmann on the ocean liner Conte di Savoia.

Walter Lippmann’s Phantom Publics Walter Lippmann’s Phantom Publics

Arguably no American journalist wielded as much influence as Walter Lippmann did in the 20th century. But what did he do with that power?

Oct 15, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Gerald Howard

Bot-Eat-Bot-World

Bot-Eat-Bot-World Bot-Eat-Bot-World

Artificial indigestion.

Oct 8, 2025 / OppArt / Brian Stauffer

Tezer Özlü—the Rebel of Turkish Letters

Tezer Özlü—the Rebel of Turkish Letters Tezer Özlü—the Rebel of Turkish Letters

Journey to the Edge of Life, a striking composite of memoir, biography, and criticism, dwells on the connection between art and death.

Sep 30, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Kaya Genç

The Lost Souls of the Internet

The Lost Souls of the Internet The Lost Souls of the Internet

In Searches, Vauhini Vara probes the ways that we rely on the Internet and how we periodically attempt to free ourselves from its grip.

Sep 10, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Laila Lalami

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