The Poet and the Muse The Poet and the Muse
A new collection of letters between Rainer Maria Rilke and Lou Andreas-Salome reveals an intimate portrait of a poet and his muse.
Jun 15, 2006 / Books & the Arts / Mark M. Anderson
Short Takes Short Takes
Reviews of novels by Anne Tyler, Chris Abani, and Rodrigo Fresan.
Jun 15, 2006 / Books & the Arts / Ruth Baldwin and Christine Smallwood
We Are the World We Are the World
When liberals and conservatives discuss the United States' role in the world, they are really talking about the narcissism of small differences. Two new books show how both sides s...
Jun 15, 2006 / Books & the Arts / David Rieff
When Soldiers Shoot a War When Soldiers Shoot a War
The War Tapes, a documentary shot by US soldiers and sanctioned by the military, may turn out to be the most powerful statement against the war to date.
Jun 14, 2006 / Books & the Arts / Kevin McCarthy
News of a Kidnapping News of a Kidnapping
Reviews of The Road to Guantanamo and Crossing the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul.
Jun 14, 2006 / Books & the Arts / Stuart Klawans
Frank Church’s Quixotic Vision Frank Church’s Quixotic Vision
A Father's Day remembrance of a courageous politician who, in an earlier era, challenged America to resist the apostles of fear who would barter liberty for false security.
Jun 13, 2006 / Books & the Arts / Forrest Church
Heat Wave Heat Wave
As the planet warms and global catastrophe beckons, what changes are we willing to make to adjust to a brave new world? Tim Flannery and Elizabeth Kolbert seek answers in two provo...
Jun 13, 2006 / Books & the Arts / Peter Canby
Boxed In Boxed In
In his new short story collection In Persuasion Nation, absurdist extraordinaire George Saunders offers a surreal depiction of the destruction of individuality through consumer meg...
Jun 8, 2006 / Books & the Arts / Vince Passaro
The Zionist Imagination The Zionist Imagination
As the founding father of the Zionist right, Vladimir Jabotinsky rejected Diaspora existence. Yet in his 1935 novel The Five he tenderly evoked it, offering a glimpse of something ...
Jun 8, 2006 / Books & the Arts / Jacqueline Rose
P-Funk Politics P-Funk Politics
As hurricane season began in earnest, Ray Nagin, who famously declared New Orleans a "chocolate city," began his second term as mayor. What better time to appreciate the way Georg...
Jun 5, 2006 / Books & the Arts / Ned Sublette