Highlights

These online-only pieces were featured in the print issue of The Nation. Log in to access all Nation stories with your subscription.

Juan de la Corte's “The Fire of Troy,” found in the collection of the Museo del Prado, Madrid.

Why Is the Right Obsessed With Epic Poetry? Why Is the Right Obsessed With Epic Poetry?

From Elon Musk to Jordan Peterson, a certain strand of conservatism has recruited the poetry of Homer and Dante in their culture war.

Jan 6, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Orlando Reade

Mugshots of Ethel Rosenberg in 1951, the year of her conviction alongside her husband, Julius, for passing atomic secrets to the Soviets.

President Biden Should Pardon Ethel Rosenberg President Biden Should Pardon Ethel Rosenberg

A newly released classified document shows that the National Security Agency knew Ethel Rosenberg was not a spy—and that the government executed her anyway.

Jan 2, 2025 / Phillip Deery

Peter Schjeldahl’s Pleasure Principle

Peter Schjeldahl’s Pleasure Principle Peter Schjeldahl’s Pleasure Principle

His art criticism fixated on the narcissism of the entire enterprise. But over six decades, his work proved that a critic could be an artist too.

Dec 9, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Zachary Fine

A detail of a painting by Thomas Nast.

Slavery in an Age of Emancipation Slavery in an Age of Emancipation

Robin Blackburn’s sweeping history of slavery and freedom in the 19th century.

Nov 19, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Manisha Sinha

Joe Biden Benjamin Netanyahu

The Case Against Joe Biden for Complicity in Genocide The Case Against Joe Biden for Complicity in Genocide

The ICC has applied for an arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu. But Israel’s assault on Gaza has been made possible by US support.

Nov 18, 2024 / James Bamford

Elaine May poses for a portrait in a bowling alley in New York City, 1961.

The Irrepressible Elaine May The Irrepressible Elaine May

Her films reveled in the possibility of capturing the spontaneous beauty of improvisation.

Oct 21, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Alex Kong

Gary Oldman, Rosalind Eleazar, and Dustin Demri-Burns in “Slow Horses.”

The Ornery Intrigues of “Slow Horses” The Ornery Intrigues of “Slow Horses”

Emblematic of post–prestige television drama, AppleTV+’s spy thriller relies on the dyspeptic repartee and verbal sparring instead of sophisticated plot twists.

Sep 16, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Jorge Cotte

Stormy Daniels at the

What We Owe Stormy Daniels What We Owe Stormy Daniels

She is the latest in a long line of women who have survived mass-media humiliation. We are survivors, but we will always be surviving.

Sep 10, 2024 / Melissa Petro

Colombian President Gustavo Petro looks on before the 2024 Colombia Independence Day Parade on July 20, 2024, in Bogotá.

It’s Hard to Be a Leftist Leader in Colombia It’s Hard to Be a Leftist Leader in Colombia

Since taking office in August 2022, Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro has pursued an ambitious agenda—with mixed results.

Aug 15, 2024 / Gabriel Hetland

Detail of Bundi School, 17th century, National Museum, New Delhi, India.

A Paean to Nonhuman Life A Paean to Nonhuman Life

In Lydia Millet’s We Loved It All, she compels readers to decenter human experience in the stories we tell about the natural world.

Aug 14, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Julia Case-Levine

x