Did Beyoncé Conquer Country Music? Did Beyoncé Conquer Country Music?
On Cowboy Carter, the pop superstar’s bid to radicalize a parochial genre falls short.
Apr 2, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Stephen Kearse
Olga Ravn’s Novel of Parenting and Its Discontents Olga Ravn’s Novel of Parenting and Its Discontents
In My Work, the novelist examines the trials and tribulations of being a mother.
Apr 2, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Jess Cotton
A Dispatch From the Land of the “Sleepless” A Dispatch From the Land of the “Sleepless”
A French writer’s memoir of her insomnia tries to understand how central sleep is to cultural and intellectual history.
Mar 28, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Alyse Burnside
Fables of the Lone Star Liberal Fables of the Lone Star Liberal
A HBO documentary series helmed by Lawrence Wright unknowingly paints a picture of a state incapable of understanding how radically it has changed since its hard-right turn.
Mar 27, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Sam Russek
The Odd Couples of “Drive-Away Dolls” The Odd Couples of “Drive-Away Dolls”
Ethan Coen's horny homage to American film history's many strains of queer comedy highlights the collaborative aspect inherent in his project as a director.
Mar 26, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Vikram Murthi
Radu Jude’s Wild and Caustic Films Radu Jude’s Wild and Caustic Films
His latest, Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World, is a a digressive and transgressive movie of ideas about the social media age.
Mar 25, 2024 / Books & the Arts / J. Hoberman
At Mathias Énard’s Table At Mathias Énard’s Table
Set between the 16th and 22nd centuries, The Annual Banquet of the Gravediggers’ Guild is a work of political comedy, fixated on class, climate, food, wine, and the afterlife.
Mar 25, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Dustin Illingworth
The Visions of Alice Coltrane The Visions of Alice Coltrane
In the years after her husband John’s death, the harpist discovered a sound all her own, a jazz rooted in acts of spirit and will.
Mar 21, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Marcus J. Moore
The Problematic Past, Present, and Future of Inequality Studies The Problematic Past, Present, and Future of Inequality Studies
Branko Milanović’s century-spanning intellectual history of inequality in economic theory reveals the ideological reasons behind the field’s resurgence in the last few decades.
Mar 20, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Daniel Steinmetz-Jenkins
How Unions Are Made How Unions Are Made
A new history of labor organizing in Coachella tells us not only the story of the United Farm Workers but also how its rank-and-file members drove the union to success.
Mar 19, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Juan Ignacio Mora