Mitski’s Ghost Stories Mitski’s Ghost Stories
The singer-songwriter’s new album, Laurel Hell, explores the terror of fame.
Feb 17, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Samantha Schuyler
What Inspired “Crime and Punishment”? What Inspired “Crime and Punishment”?
A new book links Dostoevsky’s fictional masterpiece to the story of an infamous French spree killer. But was this the central inspiration for his book?
Feb 16, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Jake Bittle
What We Can Learn From Harm Reduction’s Defeats What We Can Learn From Harm Reduction’s Defeats
The history of the movement, as told in Maia Szalavitz’s recent book, is one of unlikely success. But what can we learn from embattled experiments like prescribed heroin?
Feb 15, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Sessi Kuwabara Blanchard
The Immortal Influence of Greg Tate The Immortal Influence of Greg Tate
His writing will be a touchstone for generations of critics to come.
Feb 14, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Stephen Kearse
Manthia Diawara in the Archive of Postcolonialism Manthia Diawara in the Archive of Postcolonialism
His films put into practice the history of radical Black thought by placing generations of thinkers in conversation.
Feb 10, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Elias Rodriques
Is “The Matrix Resurrections” About Authorial Anxiety? Is “The Matrix Resurrections” About Authorial Anxiety?
At times myopic and contrarian, the latest entry in the series feels more like a copyright renewal than a narrative.
Feb 9, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Stephen Kearse
The Haunted World of Edith Wharton The Haunted World of Edith Wharton
Whether exploring the dread of everyday life or the horrors of the occult, her ghost tales documented an America haunted by the specters of isolation, class, and despair.
Feb 8, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Krithika Varagur
Has the Pandemic Pushed Universities to the Brink? Has the Pandemic Pushed Universities to the Brink?
Covid has turned the gap between universities and colleges serving mainly privileged students and those serving needy ones into a chasm and it is unclear if the latter will be able...
Feb 7, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Andrew Delbanco
In Search of Self-Destruction on an Oil Rig In Search of Self-Destruction on an Oil Rig
Tabitha Lasley’s Sea State is an intimate and blistering memoir of a writer’s life amidst the UK’s offshore natural gas industry.
Feb 3, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Jess Bergman
Norman Mailer Wasn’t Canceled Norman Mailer Wasn’t Canceled
What’s most striking about the Mailer contretemps is how it embodies so many aspects of the current discourse around cancel culture and free speech.
Feb 2, 2022 / Books & the Arts / David Klion