Books & the Arts

Santiago, Chile, June 1973.

How Pinochet’s Chile Became a Laboratory for Neoliberalism How Pinochet’s Chile Became a Laboratory for Neoliberalism

A new book examines how a group of University of Chicago–trained economists sought to remake the Chilean economy in the aftermath of 1973.

Nov 14, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Vincent Bevins

Influence and the Rise of Digital Celebrity

Influence and the Rise of Digital Celebrity Influence and the Rise of Digital Celebrity

A history of social media from the perspective of the poster, Taylor Lorenz’s Extremely Online examines the roots and rise of our sponsorship-saturated ecosystem.

Nov 11, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Tarpley Hitt

Donald Trump, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, and Vince McMhaon at a press conference before Wrestlemania 23, 2007.

The Misunderstood History of American Wrestling The Misunderstood History of American Wrestling

A recent biography of WWE executive Vince McMahon presents him as an entertainment tycoon who changed culture and politics. The real story of his rise is as banal as it is brutal....

Nov 10, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Nadine Smith

A scene from “Youth (Spring).”

Wang Bing, the World’s Hardest-Working Director Wang Bing, the World’s Hardest-Working Director

In his new film, Youth (Spring), the prolific director examines how the People’s Republic became the workshop for much of the world.

Nov 9, 2023 / Books & the Arts / J. Hoberman

A New York City apartment building.

A Modern-Day Fable for the Tenant Class A Modern-Day Fable for the Tenant Class

Hilary Leichter’s fiction examines contemporary crises like work and inequality through the lens of magical realism. Her latest novel, Terrace Story, is a parable about the family...

Nov 8, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Grace Byron

Surreal Tales From Erdoğan’s Turkey

Surreal Tales From Erdoğan’s Turkey Surreal Tales From Erdoğan’s Turkey

In Kenan Orhan's collection I Am My Country, he examines a pervasive sense of estrangement in contemporary Turkish life for both citizens and exiles.

Nov 7, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Kaya Genç

Coenties Slip in New York, 1850–1900.

How the New York Waterfront Shaped American Modernism How the New York Waterfront Shaped American Modernism

In The Slip, Prudence Peiffer looks at the role an overlooked neighborhood played in the lives and work of an eclectic set of postwar artists.

Nov 6, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Tausif Noor

Nation Poetry

Talk Talk

Oct 31, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Noah Warren

A scene from “Infinite Life.”

The Small Gestures and Big Questions of Annie Baker’s Plays The Small Gestures and Big Questions of Annie Baker’s Plays

In Infinite Life, Baker asks: How do you reach out to others when everyone ultimately suffers alone?

Oct 31, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Vikram Murthi

Barricade fight in Berlin, March 1848.

The Year Europe Revolted The Year Europe Revolted

A new history by Christopher Clark on the 1848 revolutions.

Oct 31, 2023 / Books & the Arts / David A. Bell

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