Books & the Arts

The Elion-Hitchings Building in 2020 before its demolition.

The Dubious Return of the Brutalists The Dubious Return of the Brutalists

Why the stark 20th-century architectural style is back in vogue.

Feb 3, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Daniel Brook

The Art of Reading Like a Translator

The Art of Reading Like a Translator The Art of Reading Like a Translator

In The Philosophy of Translation, Damion Searls investigates the essential differences—and similarities—between the task of the translator and of the writer.

Jan 30, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Lily Meyer

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

David Lynch, 2002.

David Lynch’s Guts David Lynch’s Guts

His visceral films, which reflect the best and worst of American life, affected viewers in realms both conscious and unconscious.

Jan 22, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Vikram Murthi

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

Andrei and Gyuzel Almarik upon arriving in the Netherlands in 1976.

The Often Misunderstood History of the Soviet Dissidents The Often Misunderstood History of the Soviet Dissidents

In To the Success of Our Hopeless Cause, historian Benjamin Nathans sheds light on how the protest movement reinvented itself at key junctures and eventually to great effect.

Jan 21, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Michael David-Fox

David Lynch at the filming of “Wild at Heart.”

The Unsettling Genius of David Lynch The Unsettling Genius of David Lynch

In his films, his TV shows, and his paintings, Lynch reminded us that all art gestures toward a world beyond the familiar and comforting.

Jan 17, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Erik Baker

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

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