Has the United States Ever Been a Democracy? Has the United States Ever Been a Democracy?
Blending history, political theory, and commentary on current events, Jedediah Purdy's new book examines how that the United States continues to fail to qualify as a system defined...
Jan 3, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Sophia Rosenfeld
The Best Albums of 2022 The Best Albums of 2022
David Hajdu’s favorite albums encompass everything from Bad Bunny to English metal to Afrobeat.
Dec 29, 2022 / Books & the Arts / David Hajdu
The Faith of Halldór Laxness The Faith of Halldór Laxness
Salka Valka, the first novel written after the Nobel Prize winner’s apparent loss of faith, betrays an ongoing religious aesthetic.
Dec 28, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Jack Hanson
Jerzy Skolimowski’s Wild and Kinetic EO Jerzy Skolimowski’s Wild and Kinetic EO
If Au Hasard Balthazar is austere and precise, EO is excessive and elusive.
Dec 28, 2022 / Books & the Arts / J. Hoberman
Rachel Aviv’s Report From Psychiatry’s Gray Zones Rachel Aviv’s Report From Psychiatry’s Gray Zones
Her debut, Strangers to Ourselves, asks: Who shapes the story of someone's illness?
Dec 28, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Kevin Lozano
Emmanuel Carrère’s Brilliant Narcissism Emmanuel Carrère’s Brilliant Narcissism
His latest “nonfiction novel,” Yoga, explores his favorite theme: himself.
Dec 22, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Max Norman
The Most Dangerous Architect in America The Most Dangerous Architect in America
Gregory Ain wanted to create social housing in Los Angeles. Dogged by the FBI, his hope for more egalitarian architecture never came to be.
Dec 21, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Kate Wolf
Michael Cimino, a Chaotic Auteur Michael Cimino, a Chaotic Auteur
A new biography examines the work of a flamboyant director who placed himself at the center of his own private Hollywood cosmology.
Dec 20, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Adam Nayman
Beyond Zombie Figuration Beyond Zombie Figuration
The craze for figurative painting might be at an impasse. These three painters stand above the pack, making work that challenges the very idea of the form.
Dec 19, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Barry Schwabsky
The Mythology of George Balanchine The Mythology of George Balanchine
A conversation with Jennifer Homans about the ballet master's literary influences, his complicated legacy, and the metaphysical side of dance.
Dec 15, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Dilara O’Neil