The Metaphysical Horror of “The Curse” The Metaphysical Horror of “The Curse”
From its first moments to its antic end, the series exposes its viewers to an abundance of anxious perturbation but it does something else too: It reveals the absurdity all around...
Jan 12, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Sarah Chihaya
Edward Yang’s States of Flux Edward Yang’s States of Flux
His dark comedies and family dramas of life in late-20th-century Taiwan depict a generation’s crisis, confronting the forces of finance and globalization.
Jan 11, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Vikram Murthi
“The Subject of Painting Is Paint”: On Frank Bowling “The Subject of Painting Is Paint”: On Frank Bowling
The British artist's work challenges all notions you might have about the relationship between politics and aesthetics.
Jan 10, 2024 / Books & the Arts / John-Baptiste Oduor
Wendy Brown: A Conversation on Our “Nihilistic” Age Wendy Brown: A Conversation on Our “Nihilistic” Age
The Nation spoke with the political theorist about the multifront crisis of the post-Trump era and the moral and intellectual commitments of scholars and higher education.
Jan 10, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Daniel Steinmetz-Jenkins
The Idea of the Nation-State Is Synonymous With Genocide The Idea of the Nation-State Is Synonymous With Genocide
A conversation with political theorist Mahmood Mamdani on the inherent violence at the heart of a nation-building project, the war in Gaza, and the changing meaning of homeland.
Jan 9, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Francis Wade
A Metaphysical Memoir of Heroin A Metaphysical Memoir of Heroin
Michael Clune’s White Out is among the most intense and intellectually thrilling books on opiate addiction.
Jan 8, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Daniel Kolitz
Susan Taubes’s Uncanny Chronicles of Domestic Hell Susan Taubes’s Uncanny Chronicles of Domestic Hell
Her previously unreleased fiction—a novella and short stories—in Lament for Julia peek into the banal and nightmarish travails of married life.
Jan 4, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Kathy Chow
Michael Mann’s Need for Speed Michael Mann’s Need for Speed
The director’s biopic of Enzo Ferrari is a perfect encapsulation of his primary aesthetic interest: the death drive and male melancholy.
Jan 3, 2024 / Books & the Arts / James Duesterberg
“All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt”: A Masterpiece of American Southern Filmmaking “All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt”: A Masterpiece of American Southern Filmmaking
Raven Jackson’s remarkable debut is a poetic look into Black family life in the South.
Jan 2, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Kelli Weston
Norman Erikson Pasaribu’s Portrait of Gay Indonesia Norman Erikson Pasaribu’s Portrait of Gay Indonesia
In, Happy Stories, Mostly, a collection of short stories, the complexities of queer life in the Southeast Asian country come into focus.
Dec 28, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Bryony Lau