The Notorious Life of a Nineteenth-Century Abortionist The Notorious Life of a Nineteenth-Century Abortionist
Novelist Kate Manning richly reimagines Madame Restell as a defender of women from the horrors of poverty, male privilege and their own physiology.
Oct 9, 2013 / Books & the Arts / Katha Pollitt
Imagine: On J.M Coetzee Imagine: On J.M Coetzee
The Childhood of Jesus explores the fictitious dimensions of a just and compassionate world.
Sep 24, 2013 / Books & the Arts / Laila Lalami
Dispatches from the Front: On Narconovelas Dispatches from the Front: On Narconovelas
All wars have their bards, and Mexico’s ongoing narco wars are no exception.
Jul 31, 2013 / Books & the Arts / Jorge Volpi
This Week in ‘Nation’ History: Reviewers Have Argued About ‘Gatsby’ Since 1925 This Week in ‘Nation’ History: Reviewers Have Argued About ‘Gatsby’ Since 1925
The debate surrounding Baz Luhrmann’s film adaptation is nothing new.
May 18, 2013 / Books & the Arts / Katrina vanden Heuvel
Adler’s Way Adler’s Way
The slowly panic-making power of Renata Adler’s novels Speedboat and Pitch Dark.
May 15, 2013 / Books & the Arts / Alexandra Schwartz
Adventures in Neurohumanities Adventures in Neurohumanities
Applying neuroscience to the study of literature is fashionable. But is it the best way to read a novel?
May 8, 2013 / Books & the Arts / Alissa Quart
Shelf Life Shelf Life
Nikolai Leskov’s The Enchanted Wandered and Other Stories; Ludmilla Petrushevskaya’s There Once Lived a Girl Who Seduced Her Sister's Husband, and He Hanged Himself...
Apr 30, 2013 / Books & the Arts / Alexandra Schwartz
The Strange Arcane: On George Saunders The Strange Arcane: On George Saunders
In the short stories of Tenth of December, the impression of chaos belies a careful design.
Mar 20, 2013 / Books & the Arts / Aaron Thier
Darkness Lit From Within: On A.B. Yehoshua Darkness Lit From Within: On A.B. Yehoshua
The soul-destroying weariness in A.B. Yehoshua’s stories seems as old as time itself—and unique to contemporary Israel.
Mar 6, 2013 / Books & the Arts / Vivian Gornick
Making Strange: On Victor Shklovsky Making Strange: On Victor Shklovsky
A Russian novelist’s fight, in life and art, to see the world afresh in all its cruelty and splendor.
Feb 5, 2013 / Books & the Arts / Ben Ehrenreich