Books & the Arts

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

Illustration by Lily Qian.

The Enigmatic Science Fiction of Djuna The Enigmatic Science Fiction of Djuna

The radical visions of South Korea’s mononymous, pseudonymous, and officially anonymous sci-fi novelist and film critic.

Oct 30, 2023 / Books & the Arts / E. Tammy Kim

African American women employed as gardeners in the rose garden of the Botanical Gardens, Washington DC, 1943.

The Pleasure and Peril of Gardening While Black The Pleasure and Peril of Gardening While Black

Poet Camille T. Dungy's Soil is a personal and wide-ranging history of the garden and the environment in African American life.

Oct 26, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Edna Bonhomme

A scene from the day Princess Isabel abolished slavery in Brazil, 1888.

In Brazil, a Best-Selling Novel Confronts the Brutal Afterlife of Slavery In Brazil, a Best-Selling Novel Confronts the Brutal Afterlife of Slavery

Crooked Plow made Itamar Vieira Junior an essential voice in Brazilian letters.

Oct 25, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Jimin Kang

The Dark Message of “Killers of the Flower Moon”

The Dark Message of “Killers of the Flower Moon” The Dark Message of “Killers of the Flower Moon”

Unlike the visions of unbounded freedom found in traditional westerns, Martin Scorsese’s new film is a study of a West bounded by the vertical geometry of oil rigs and the violent...

Oct 25, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Jorge Cotte

Osamu Dazai, 1924.

The Ironist and the Exhibitionist: On Osamu Dazai The Ironist and the Exhibitionist: On Osamu Dazai

The Japanese novelist’s dark-hearted comedies are at once unhinged and brilliant.

Oct 24, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Paul Franz

Stephen Schwarzman, billionaire and cofounder of Blackstone Group LP, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, 2015.

How Asset Managers Ruined Our Lives How Asset Managers Ruined Our Lives

Firms like Blackstone have made investments in real estate, energy, and infrastructure to become the world’s most crooked landlords and bill collectors.

Oct 23, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Michael Eby

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