The Virtues of Difficult Fiction The Virtues of Difficult Fiction
If novels aren’t worthy challenges, we have no reason to linger in their pages.
Jul 30, 2015 / Books & the Arts / Joanna Scott
at the estuary at the estuary
sandlings dig bait, tailgate the first ripple of a returning tide a mercury whisper of tipped-in light rushed in, in front of itself; swirls of wrung-out rags, scrow clouds scuffed…
Jul 30, 2015 / Books & the Arts / Tom Pickard
Elements of Style Elements of Style
The legendary Balanchine dancer Violette Verdy embodies the alchemy that turns music into meaning.
Jul 30, 2015 / Books & the Arts / Marina Harss
Chucky Taylor, Liberia’s Other Monster Chucky Taylor, Liberia’s Other Monster
The fate of Liberia was ensnared by uniquely American pathologies.
Jul 30, 2015 / Books & the Arts / Aaron Leaf
Paul Beatty’s Savage Satire Paul Beatty’s Savage Satire
The Sellout takes aim at black middle-class foibles and fantasies.
Jul 30, 2015 / Books & the Arts / Jesse McCarthy
The Most Eccentric New Yorkers and the Writer Who Loved Them The Most Eccentric New Yorkers and the Writer Who Loved Them
Joseph Mitchell and his subjects were “all freaks together.”
Jul 16, 2015 / Books & the Arts / Robert S. Boynton
Trans Sex Workers Seek Comfort and Vengeance in Sean Baker’s ‘Tangerine’ Trans Sex Workers Seek Comfort and Vengeance in Sean Baker’s ‘Tangerine’
Sin-Dee and Alexandra find little solace on the LA streets except in each other.
Jul 16, 2015 / Books & the Arts / Stuart Klawans
Can We Cure Genetic Diseases Without Slipping Into Eugenics? Can We Cure Genetic Diseases Without Slipping Into Eugenics?
Gene editing could correct genetic mutations for serious illnesses. Will it also create a new eugenics of personal choice?
Jul 16, 2015 / Books & the Arts / Nathaniel Comfort
The NYRB Is Rewriting Tony Judt’s Stance on Israel The NYRB Is Rewriting Tony Judt’s Stance on Israel
Judt called for a just resolution to the conflict, not the preservation of a “Jewish State.”
Jul 14, 2015 / Books & the Arts / Muhammad Idrees Ahmad
The Passivity Project The Passivity Project
In Rachel Cusk’s fiction, the self is suppressed to the point of destruction.
Jul 2, 2015 / Books & the Arts / Alexandra Schwartz