Books & the Arts

Is It Possible to Suspend Disbelief at Ayad Akhtar’s AI  Play?

Is It Possible to Suspend Disbelief at Ayad Akhtar’s AI  Play? Is It Possible to Suspend Disbelief at Ayad Akhtar’s AI  Play?

The Robert Downey Jr.–starring McNeal, which was possibly cowritten with the help of AI, is a showcase for the new technology’s mediocrity.

Nov 14, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Rhoda Feng

Possibility, Force, and BDSM: A Conversation With Chris Kraus and Anna Poletti

Possibility, Force, and BDSM: A Conversation With Chris Kraus and Anna Poletti Possibility, Force, and BDSM: A Conversation With Chris Kraus and Anna Poletti

The two writers discuss the challenges of writing about sex, loneliness, and the new ways novels can tackle BDSM.

Nov 13, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Chris Kraus

Lore Segal’s Stubborn Optimism

Lore Segal’s Stubborn Optimism Lore Segal’s Stubborn Optimism

In her life and work, she moved through the world with a disarming blend of youthful curiosity and daring intelligence.

Nov 12, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Michele Moses

The Sheer Gusto of Jane DeLynn

The Sheer Gusto of Jane DeLynn The Sheer Gusto of Jane DeLynn

1982’s In Thrall was a magnificent piece of queer fiction, at once comic and courageous.

Nov 11, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Colm Tóibín

“Anora,” an American Fantasia

“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.

Nov 7, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Beatrice Loayza

Looking at Art Will Never Be the Same Again

Looking at Art Will Never Be the Same Again Looking at Art Will Never Be the Same Again

A conversation with the art historian Claire Bishop about technology's influence on museums and galleries, and her recent book Disordered Attention.

Nov 6, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Francesca Billington

“No Other Land” and the Brutal Truth of Israel’s Occupation

“No Other Land” and the Brutal Truth of Israel’s Occupation “No Other Land” and the Brutal Truth of Israel’s Occupation

The unsparing documentary—one of the year’s most powerful films—has still not found a distributor in the US.

Nov 4, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Ahmed Moor

Ken Leung in “Industry.”

“Industry”’s Gleeful Critique of Capital “Industry”’s Gleeful Critique of Capital

HBO’s investment banking drama makes a soap opera out of the “useless” but lurid nature of finance.

Oct 31, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Vikram Murthi

A depiction of the Broadway Linear Park from 32nd Street in Manhattan.

Can New York’s Most Famous Street be Turned into a Park? Can New York’s Most Famous Street be Turned into a Park?

The effort to transform Broadway into a pedestrian space.

Oct 31, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Karrie Jacobs

Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s Family Dramas

Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s Family Dramas Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s Family Dramas

In her latest novel, Long Island Compromise, the novelist explores how a kidnapping transforms a suburban New York family.

Oct 30, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Erin Somers

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