Obituary

Founder of the far-right National Front party Jean-Marie Le Pen points his finger as he poses during a photo session at his home in Saint-Cloud on January 14, 2021.

The Toxic Legacy of Jean-Marie Le Pen The Toxic Legacy of Jean-Marie Le Pen

The elder Le Pen is dead, but far-right populists across the world still echo his mix of violent rhetoric, brazen lies, and outreach to mainstream conservatives.

Jan 8, 2025 / Obituary / David A. Bell

Jimmy Carter with his wife, Rosalynn, and their daughter, Amy, at the Baptist church in his hometown of Plains, Georgia, 1976.

How Jimmy Carter Lost Evangelical Christians to the Right How Jimmy Carter Lost Evangelical Christians to the Right

The Baptist Georgia governor won a majority of evangelical Christian voters in the 1976 presidential election. Next time around, those voters had changed sides—for the long haul.

Dec 30, 2024 / Obituary / Chris Lehmann

Jimmy Carter at a press conference

As an Ex-President, Jimmy Carter Fought for Peace As an Ex-President, Jimmy Carter Fought for Peace

He did more to advocate for peace as an ex-president than most politicians did in their entire career.

Dec 29, 2024 / Obituary / Katrina vanden Heuvel

Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter waves to a crowd of supporters at a rally in his honor in front of the Americana Hotel in Manhattan, New York City, on July 10, 1976.

Jimmy Carter’s Improbable Road to the Presidency Jimmy Carter’s Improbable Road to the Presidency

The Southern president, who kept his head down directly following Brown v. Board of Education, would eventually declare that “the time for discrimination is over.”

Dec 29, 2024 / Obituary / Joseph Crespino

Barry Malzberg at ReaderCon in 2010.

Novelist on a Deadline: Barry Malzberg, 1939–2024 Novelist on a Deadline: Barry Malzberg, 1939–2024

A speed demon at the typewriter, Malzberg wrote quickly and brilliantly in a variety of genres including mystery, thrillers, and erotica, but his core work was in science fiction....

Dec 23, 2024 / Obituary / Jeet Heer

Sundays With Noel

Sundays With Noel Sundays With Noel

Noel Parmentel was, according to his former lover and mentee, Joan Didion, the ‘outsider who lived by his ability to manipulate the inside.’

Nov 22, 2024 / Obituary / Richard Lingeman

Fernando Valenzuela, in his old Dodgers jersey, throws the pitch in a baseball field.

Fernando Valenzuela’s Magical Life and Tragic Death Reminds Us That Immigration Is Beautiful Fernando Valenzuela’s Magical Life and Tragic Death Reminds Us That Immigration Is Beautiful

The Dodgers pitcher had a legendary rookie year in 1981 in which he helped defeat the Yankees in the World Series.

Oct 23, 2024 / Obituary / Dave Zirin

A close-up photo of Fredric Jameson smiling in front of a microphone.

Fredric Jameson Named the System We Are Still Fighting Fredric Jameson Named the System We Are Still Fighting

The late literary critic revitalized Marxism to critique our postmodern and globalized reality.

Oct 3, 2024 / Obituary / Jeet Heer

Pete Rose holding a baseball mitt in position during a Cincinnati Reds game.

Gambling Is an Addiction. So Why Was Pete Rose an Outcast? Gambling Is an Addiction. So Why Was Pete Rose an Outcast?

The baseball legend was an example of not only the perils of gambling but also why the sports leagues’ embrace of the online-betting industry makes them predatory hypocrites.

Oct 1, 2024 / Obituary / Dave Zirin

Kris Kristofferson circa 1970.

How Kris Kristofferson Beat the Devil How Kris Kristofferson Beat the Devil

The country singer and actor has died at 88. His hard-won political commitments were fundamental to his closely observed, heartfelt writing.

Oct 1, 2024 / Obituary / Chris Lehmann

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