Books & the Arts
The Art and Genius of Lorna Simpson The Art and Genius of Lorna Simpson
A new exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art tracks what has changed and what has remained the same in the artist’s work.
Red Scares, Past and Present Red Scares, Past and Present
What are the parallels between the rise of McCarthyism in the 1950s and today?
Mark Twain’s Many Lives Mark Twain’s Many Lives
A new biography depicts the different sides of the American author.
The Revolutionary Politics of “Andor” The Revolutionary Politics of “Andor”
The latest addition to the “Star Wars “series offers an intricate tale of radicalization and its costs.
From the Magazine
The Making and Remaking of Karl Marx’s “Capital” The Making and Remaking of Karl Marx’s “Capital”
In the first English translation in half a century, Paul Reitter and Paul North distill the essence of the Marxist masterpiece by going back to basics.
The Art and Automatons of Kara Walker The Art and Automatons of Kara Walker
Walker’s new installation at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art offers us visions from both the past and future.
The Cruel World According to Stephen Miller The Cruel World According to Stephen Miller
How did he become the Trump era’s architect of hate?
Literary Criticism
Fady Joudah’s Poetry of Dislocation Fady Joudah’s Poetry of Dislocation
In his new book of poetry, “[…]”, the poet, translator, and ER doctor explores Palestinians’ experiences of exile and displacement—and the difficulty of healing amid the ongoing N…
The Rebellions of Murray Kempton The Rebellions of Murray Kempton
One of his generation’s most prolific journalists, Kempton never turned a blind eye to the inequalities all around him.
Sigrid Nunez On and Off the Big Screen Sigrid Nunez On and Off the Big Screen
Two new films—Pedro Almodóvar’s “The Room Next Door” and Scott McGehee and David Siegel’s “The Friend”—attempt to adapt her work. Do they succeed?
History & Politics
Donald Trump’s Long Con Donald Trump’s Long Con
Trump’s “Art of” trilogy may be full of willful exaggeration but the books also reveal how the 1980s and ’90s formed his dog-eat-dog worldview.
The Radical Past and Future of Debt Resistance The Radical Past and Future of Debt Resistance
The deep roots of debt relief activism in the United States.
What Happened to the Democratic Party? What Happened to the Democratic Party?
The squalid state of our present political institutions points to a failure of not just individuals but the system as a whole.
Art & Architecture
The Cosmopolitan Modernism of the Harlem Renaissance The Cosmopolitan Modernism of the Harlem Renaissance
A new exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art explores the world-spanning art of the Harlem Renaissance.
Rain and Mountains Rain and Mountains
Pages from a novelist’s notebook.
What’s the Deal With Manhattan’s Pencil-Thin High Rises? What’s the Deal With Manhattan’s Pencil-Thin High Rises?
A walk along 57th Street.
Film & Television
The Empty Promise of “Megalopolis” The Empty Promise of “Megalopolis”
Francis Ford Coppola’s long-awaited magnum opus is a flop.
“Anora,” an American Fantasia “Anora,” an American Fantasia
In Sean Baker’s tragicomic film of a sex worker’s brush with wealth, he evokes auteurs of yore, who focused on the social realities of the country’s outcasts.
The Apprenticeship of Donald Trump The Apprenticeship of Donald Trump
A new film examines Trump’s formative years under the tutelage of Roy Cohn.
Latest in Books & the Arts
The Empty Provocations of “Eddington” The Empty Provocations of “Eddington”
Ari Aster’s farcical western is billed as a send-up of the puerile politics of the Covid years. In reality, it’s a film that seems to have no politics at all.
Aug 21, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Kelli Weston
The Rot at Fort Bragg The Rot at Fort Bragg
Seth Harp exposes how all the death and crime surrounding one military base is not an aberration but representative of the fratricidal impulse of the armed forces at large.
Aug 20, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Lyle Jeremy Rubin
Catherine Lacey’s Missed Connections Catherine Lacey’s Missed Connections
In her most personal work, “The Möbius Book”, Lacey uses a devastating moment of heartbreak to ruminate on the messy intersections between life and writing.
Aug 13, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Alana Pockros
The Cold and Forbidding Worlds of Cynthia Ozick The Cold and Forbidding Worlds of Cynthia Ozick
In a new career-spanning collection of shorter fiction and nonfiction, the past often looms larger for Ozick than the present.
Aug 6, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Hannah Gold
Magnus Hirschfeld’s Forgotten Revolution Magnus Hirschfeld’s Forgotten Revolution
The Weimar physician advocated for a more fluid understanding of sexuality and gender—a pioneering idea that was erased by the rise of Nazism.
Aug 5, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Lizzie Tribone
The Story of America Can Be Found on the Banks of the Rio Grande The Story of America Can Be Found on the Banks of the Rio Grande
Richard Parker’s love letter to El Paso, “The Crossing”, argues that the Texas city can illustrate the best and the worst of the nation’s history.
Aug 4, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Kyle Paoletta