Biography

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Letters From the November 11/December 7, 2020, Issue Letters From the November 11/December 7, 2020, Issue

Hofstadter’s legacy…

Nov 17, 2020 / Our Readers and Jeet Heer

How Did American Cities Become So Unequal?

How Did American Cities Become So Unequal? How Did American Cities Become So Unequal?

A new history of Ed Logue and his vision of urban renewal documents the broken promises of midcentury liberalism.

Oct 19, 2020 / Books & the Arts / Kim Phillips-Fein

Synthesizing Sound and Self

Synthesizing Sound and Self Synthesizing Sound and Self

The vexed legacy of electronic music pioneer Wendy Carlos.

Oct 15, 2020 / Sasha Geffen

How Kendrick Lamar Became the Voice of a Generation

How Kendrick Lamar Became the Voice of a Generation How Kendrick Lamar Became the Voice of a Generation

A conversation with Marcus J. Moore about his cultural biography of Lamar and the L.A. rapper’s impact on Black America.

Sep 30, 2020 / Q&A / Ann-Derrick Gaillot

Julian Bond’s Life in Protest and Politics

Julian Bond’s Life in Protest and Politics Julian Bond’s Life in Protest and Politics

A new collection of essays demonstrates how the civil rights icon’s thinking evolved amid the upheavals of the 20th century.

Aug 10, 2020 / Books & the Arts / Robert Greene II

The Biography That Reimagined a Life—and the Genre

The Biography That Reimagined a Life—and the Genre The Biography That Reimagined a Life—and the Genre

Diane Johnson’s The True History of the First Mrs. Meredith and Other Lesser Lives uses speculation and fabulation to correct the biases of history.

Jul 30, 2020 / Marie Solis

The Worlds of Edward Said

The Worlds of Edward Said The Worlds of Edward Said

An exile who made the world his home, Said infused his literary style with a cosmopolitan ease and his political commitments with a cosmopolitan ethics.

May 5, 2020 / Books & the Arts / Rashid Khalidi

The Unfortunate Ugliness of ‘The Last Dance’

The Unfortunate Ugliness of ‘The Last Dance’ The Unfortunate Ugliness of ‘The Last Dance’

Michael Jordan is compelling, but not when his bullying is portrayed as a positive part of his brand.

Apr 22, 2020 / Dave Zirin

Lorraine Hansberry’s Radicalism

Lorraine Hansberry’s Radicalism Lorraine Hansberry’s Radicalism

For the playwright and activist, neither liberal reform nor countercultural art were enough. The very foundations of American democracy needed to be transformed. 

Apr 21, 2020 / Books & the Arts / Elias Rodriques

The Making of France’s Presidential System

The Making of France’s Presidential System The Making of France’s Presidential System

Focusing on the tensions between top-down reforms and bottom-up democratic discontent, Herrick Chapman’s new history tells a very different story about postwar France.

Feb 18, 2020 / Books & the Arts / Hugo Drochon

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