Books & the Arts

An Empire of Their Own An Empire of Their Own

"I have never had such a bad feeling about a war ever before," wrote Sha Twa Nee on the Prophecy Club message board in April.

Sep 4, 2003 / Books & the Arts / Melani McAlister

Bull’s Eye Bull’s Eye

This was the summer when the movies were so bad, people were reduced to complaining about a Mel Gibson film they hadn't seen.

Aug 28, 2003 / Books & the Arts / Stuart Klawans

Regarding the Pain of Others Regarding the Pain of Others

In Plato's Republic, Socrates illustrates his theory of the parts of the soul with the story of Leontius, who saw some corpses rotting outside the walls of Athens and was torn ...

Aug 28, 2003 / Books & the Arts / Arthur C. Danto

Swing Time for Hitler Swing Time for Hitler

It is of some small comfort that totalitarian regimes are never quite as total as either their leaders or subsequent historians might imagine.

Aug 28, 2003 / Books & the Arts / Brian Morton

The Life of the Party The Life of the Party

Interesting Times is a curiously feeble title for an autobiography, rather as if Noam Chomsky were to write an article called "Could America Do Better?" It carries, of co...

Aug 28, 2003 / Books & the Arts / Terry Eagleton

Urban Legend Urban Legend

Here's our man, starring in a movie about himself.

Aug 14, 2003 / Books & the Arts / Stuart Klawans

The Mess in Mesopotamia The Mess in Mesopotamia

If you want to read everything The Nation has ever published on Iraq, click here for information on how to acquire individual access to the Archive--an electronic database of every...

Aug 14, 2003 / Books & the Arts / Andrew Cockburn

Untimely Meditations Untimely Meditations

Beethoven has been particularly fortunate in his recent critics and biographers.

Aug 14, 2003 / Books & the Arts / Edward W. Said

Space Is the Place Space Is the Place

I recently returned to dingy England after a road trip in America, where, as usual, I failed to take any photographs.

Aug 14, 2003 / Books & the Arts / Geoff Dyer

Creative Destruction Creative Destruction

Edward Burtynsky's photographs are large, colorful and mostly ravishing, despite their subjects.

Aug 14, 2003 / Books & the Arts / Rebecca Solnit

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