Books and Ideas

World War II veterans and military men pay their respect as they lay wreaths at the monument of the Soviet Army in central Sofia on May 9, 2008.

Balkan Dispatch: Bulgaria’s Crisis of Confidence Balkan Dispatch: Bulgaria’s Crisis of Confidence

Caught between a Russian past and a NATO future, the poorest country in the EU faces a political crisis—and a struggle over competing visions of national pride.

Aug 22, 2022 / Jeet Heer

Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan, 1992.

Will Neoliberalism Ever End? Will Neoliberalism Ever End?

A new history shows how neoliberalism took power during a period of crisis, which leaves open the question of whether it can be forced out as a result of one.

Aug 22, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Steven Hahn

Salman Rushdie speaks on stage at a 2019 discussion of

Salman Rushdie Joins Indian Writers on 75 Years of Independence Salman Rushdie Joins Indian Writers on 75 Years of Independence

Shortly before he was attacked, Rushdie joined with dozens of Indian literary artists to lament the rise of Hindu nationalism and the fragile state of the country's democracy.

Aug 18, 2022 / Pranay Somayajula

How Eco-Fiction Became Realer Than Realism

How Eco-Fiction Became Realer Than Realism How Eco-Fiction Became Realer Than Realism

Encompassing everything from the ecosystems novel to sci-fi, a growing body of literature is imagining and interrogating the past, present, and future of the planet's climate.

Aug 18, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Lynne Feeley

Salman Rushdie walks free before a media conference in Islington, North London, in 1998

The Left Has a Responsibility to Side With Salman Rushdie The Left Has a Responsibility to Side With Salman Rushdie

Religious extremism is always dangerous, no matter the source.

Aug 17, 2022 / Katha Pollitt

Some Day We Shall Remember Exile

The Building Blocks of History The Building Blocks of History

A conversation with Richard Cohen about Making History, his lively defense of narrative history, and the lived experience that informs historical writing.

Aug 17, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Walker Mimms

A classroom in Siloam, Georgia, 1941.

Learning and Healing in the Archive of Black Thought Learning and Healing in the Archive of Black Thought

Farah Jasmine Griffin’s memoir Read Until You Understand doubles as a syllabus, taking readers on a personal tour through Black intellectual history.

Aug 16, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Edna Bonhomme

Steven Thrasher on “The Viral Underclass”

Steven Thrasher on “The Viral Underclass” Steven Thrasher on “The Viral Underclass”

The Nation spoke with Thrasher about who makes up the viral underclass—the subject of his new book—and what we should do to confront the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

Aug 11, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Charlotte Rosen

Palestinian Resistance Tore Down the Green Line Long Ago

Palestinian Resistance Tore Down the Green Line Long Ago Palestinian Resistance Tore Down the Green Line Long Ago

Despite their physical dispersal, the Palestinian people have never been more connected.

Aug 10, 2022 / Feature / Amjad Iraqi

The Line Separating Israel From Palestine Has Been Erased—What Comes Next?

The Line Separating Israel From Palestine Has Been Erased—What Comes Next? The Line Separating Israel From Palestine Has Been Erased—What Comes Next?

For 55 years, the Green Line has shut down our political imagination. Its disappearance gives us a chance to do things differently.

Aug 10, 2022 / Feature / Meron Rapoport

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