Books and Ideas

Mikhail Lermontov's “Memory of Caucasus,” 1838.

The Reckless Creation of Whiteness The Reckless Creation of Whiteness

In The Unseen Truth, Sarah Lewis examines how an erroneous 18th-century story about the “Caucasian race” led to a centuries of prejudice and misapprehension.

Jan 29, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Erin L. Thompson

The Polymath of Pittsburgh

The Polymath of Pittsburgh The Polymath of Pittsburgh

Garielle Lutz is one of America’s great writers. Why has her literary genius gone unnoticed?

Jan 28, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Daniel Kolitz

Caroline Blackwood, 1953.

Caroline Blackwood’s Graceful Nightmares Caroline Blackwood’s Graceful Nightmares

The writer and socialite's gothic fictions were also cutting works of social comedy.

Jan 23, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Isabella Trimboli

The Haunting of Delmore Schwartz

The Haunting of Delmore Schwartz The Haunting of Delmore Schwartz

In his Collected Poems, his verse becomes an index for a life lived between ambition, pain, and disappointment.

Jan 22, 2025 / Books & the Arts / David Yaffe

Inauguration Day 2: The Call Is Coming From Inside The Building

Inauguration Day 2: The Call Is Coming From Inside The Building Inauguration Day 2: The Call Is Coming From Inside The Building

In 2020, after losing his bid for reelection to Joe Biden, Donald Trump summoned a mob to the Capitol. Today, as we mark the peaceful transfer of power, we offer this reminder.

Jan 20, 2025 / Feature / Steve Brodner

Jamie XX performing in London in 2024.

The Introspective Club Hits of Jamie xx The Introspective Club Hits of Jamie xx

With In Waves, Jamie xx—whose real name is James Smith—has perfected what he explored in In Colour: an album full of searching tunes that can double as dance songs.

Jan 16, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Bijan Stephen

Olga Tokarczuk’s New Rules for Realism

Olga Tokarczuk’s New Rules for Realism Olga Tokarczuk’s New Rules for Realism

In The Empusium, the Polish novelist’s first novel since her Nobel, she pays homage to Thomas Mann in order to redraw the boundaries of the realist novel.

Jan 15, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Jess Cotton

Fady Joudah’s Poetry of Dislocation

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 Nak...

Jan 14, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Hussein Omar

Bourbon Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans after the terrorist attack.

Terrorist Attack in New Orleans Terrorist Attack in New Orleans

Jan 14, 2025 / Column / Calvin Trillin

Nation Poetry

Leaving the Ruins Leaving the Ruins

Jan 14, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Peter Balakian

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