Books and Ideas

France’s Philosophe Impolitique France’s Philosophe Impolitique

Recent French philosophy has been most passionately loved and hated for its militant radicalism.

Apr 15, 1999 / Books & the Arts / Richard Shusterman

Solzhenitsyn’s History Lesson Solzhenitsyn’s History Lesson

Knowledge of Khrushchev's reaction cited above is personal; he was the author's grandfather.

Apr 15, 1999 / Books & the Arts / Nina Khrushcheva

Bioterrorism Hits Home Bioterrorism Hits Home

The high moral tone in Washington and London about "rogue" states, such as Iraq, building arsenals of biological weapons belies a shameful past.

Apr 15, 1999 / Books & the Arts / Peter Pringle

Front Page With a Human Face Front Page With a Human Face

Back in the fifties, before the term "new journalism" was coined, back when Gay Talese was writing minor obituaries for the New York Times, Tom Wolfe was a grad student at Yale a...

Apr 8, 1999 / Books & the Arts / Dan Wakefield

False History Lessons False History Lessons

Confronted with the inexplicable, policy-makers and pundits alike grope for the apt historical analogy. It's a natural human reaction.

Apr 8, 1999 / Books & the Arts / Kai Bird

Political Chapter, Bible Verse Political Chapter, Bible Verse

After writing this, her fourth book on the Christian right, Sara Diamond donated fourteen years' worth of research--right-wing pamphlets, fliers and position papers--to the Unive...

Apr 8, 1999 / Books & the Arts / Abby Scher

Comic Relief, NEA-Style Comic Relief, NEA-Style

The world is a bleak canvas, all black and white, with only some grays "so that the black and the white [don't] bump into each other so hard." The gods are quarrelsome and bored...

Apr 1, 1999 / Books & the Arts / JoAnn Wypijewski

Buddha Leaves Suburbia Buddha Leaves Suburbia

If you adored Catherine Texier's Breakup last year, fell to the floor gushing sympathetic tears for the abandoned raconteur and raised your fists with indignant empathy over the...

Apr 1, 1999 / Books & the Arts / Minna Proctor

All the President’s Man? All the President’s Man?

When Dick Morris announced that he would write a book to divert attention from his adventure with the toes of a call girl, George Stephanopoulos, the President's senior policy a...

Apr 1, 1999 / Books & the Arts / Stanley I. Kutler

Holocaust Denial: A Sequel Holocaust Denial: A Sequel

The Case of Binjamin Wilkomirski's Fragments Until the past few months, bestowing any Holocaust honorific upon Binjamin Wilkomirski, the author of the

Apr 1, 1999 / Books & the Arts / Harvey Peskin

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