Literary Criticism

Barry Malzberg at ReaderCon in 2010.

Novelist on a Deadline: Barry Malzberg, 1939–2024 Novelist on a Deadline: Barry Malzberg, 1939–2024

A speed demon at the typewriter, Malzberg wrote quickly and brilliantly in a variety of genres including mystery, thrillers, and erotica, but his core work was in science fiction....

Dec 23, 2024 / Jeet Heer

David Montgomery in a picket line during a 1955 UE strike.

David Montgomery and the Vitality of Labor History David Montgomery and the Vitality of Labor History

From his first book to his landmark account of the politics of the pre-WWI labor movement, Montgomery explored how people’s experiences of work shaped their political horizons.

Dec 17, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Kim Phillips-Fein

Isabella Hammad and the Politics of Recognition

Isabella Hammad and the Politics of Recognition Isabella Hammad and the Politics of Recognition

In her capacious book of criticism, Recognizing the Stranger, Isabella Hammad asks: “How large is the gulf between us?”

Dec 16, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Abdelrahman ElGendy

Kamala Harris at the 2024 Democratic National Convention.

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.

Dec 16, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Chris Lehmann

Dubai Mall in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

In the Zone of the Rich In the Zone of the Rich

In The Hidden Globe, Atossa Araxia Abrahamian examines what globalization has come to look like for the wealthy.

Nov 26, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Vanessa Ogle

Storming the Winter Palace on October 25, 1917.

The Impossible Story of Communism The Impossible Story of Communism

How do you tell the history of a global movement in all its hope and contradiction?

Nov 26, 2024 / Books & the Arts / David A. Bell

The Discontents of Michel Houellebecq

The Discontents of Michel Houellebecq The Discontents of Michel Houellebecq

What happened to the French novelist?

Nov 25, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Cole Stangler

A detail of a painting by Thomas Nast.

Slavery in an Age of Emancipation Slavery in an Age of Emancipation

Robin Blackburn’s sweeping history of slavery and freedom in the 19th century.

Nov 19, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Manisha Sinha

Emily Oster and the Optimization of Parenting

Emily Oster and the Optimization of Parenting Emily Oster and the Optimization of Parenting

What gets lost when we approach pregnancy and raising children through data?

Oct 29, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Anna Louie Sussman

LAPD officers on the UCLA Campus in May of this year.

The Politics of Speech on the American Campus The Politics of Speech on the American Campus

Freedom of speech on campuses has long been under attack, but now more than ever.

Oct 28, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Bruce Robbins

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