Books & the Arts

Sevgi Soysal’s Liberation of the Mind

Sevgi Soysal’s Liberation of the Mind Sevgi Soysal’s Liberation of the Mind

Her novel Dawn, which documents the discontents of the 20th century Turkish left, proposes that any account of historical upheaval requires equally radical artistic methods. 

Feb 13, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Shaj Mathew

The Beautiful and Useless Return of “Avatar”

The Beautiful and Useless Return of “Avatar” The Beautiful and Useless Return of “Avatar”

James Cameron has spent a fortune to bring audiences back to Pandora. Was it worth it?

Feb 8, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Erin Schwartz

Eugene Debs at the US Penitentiary in Atlanta

The Crusade Against Civil Liberties During World War I The Crusade Against Civil Liberties During World War I

Adam Hochschild’s latest book, American Midnight, examines a dark era in US history in which Woodrow Wilson and his administration went to war at home as well as abroad. 

Feb 7, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Eric Foner

The Radicalization of Édouard Louis

The Radicalization of Édouard Louis The Radicalization of Édouard Louis

Two new books by the French novelist mark a political turn in his writing.

Feb 6, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Tara K. Menon

Ginza at Night by Franklin McMahon

A Translator in Tokyo, or: A Language Love Story A Translator in Tokyo, or: A Language Love Story

Polly Barton's memoir Fifty Sounds documents the intimacy of the act of translation and the process of learning a new language.

Feb 2, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Max Norman

Buckminster Fuller’s Hall of Mirrors

Buckminster Fuller’s Hall of Mirrors Buckminster Fuller’s Hall of Mirrors

Alec Nevala-Lee’s new biography assesses the complicated legacy of an architect better known for his image than his work.

Feb 1, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Daniel Luis Martinez

Members of the League of Nations looking over their shoulders during an assembly in Geneva, Switzerland, 1920

The Long, Bitter History of Globalism The Long, Bitter History of Globalism

A conversation with Tara Zahra about the early-20th-century origins of globalism, how debates over a globalized world have morphed across a century, and her new book, Against the W...

Jan 31, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Daniel Steinmetz-Jenkins

Love in the Time of Chatbots

Love in the Time of Chatbots Love in the Time of Chatbots

Will dating as we know it change with the rise of AI? A recent book argues that it already has.

Jan 30, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Zachary Fine

Serge Daney’s Cinema of Life and Death

Serge Daney’s Cinema of Life and Death Serge Daney’s Cinema of Life and Death

The French critic and editor helped establish a critical vision of film that was both rigorous and revolutionary.

Jan 26, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Max Nelson

The Anxious Influences of Netflix’s “White Noise”

The Anxious Influences of Netflix’s “White Noise” The Anxious Influences of Netflix’s “White Noise”

What has Noah Baumbach wrought in his adaptation of the 1985 postmodern novel?

Jan 25, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Vikram Murthi

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