Totalitarianism, Famine and Us Totalitarianism, Famine and Us
Have histories of famines caused by totalitarianism become a distraction to the new politics of hunger?
Nov 7, 2012 / Books & the Arts / Samuel Moyn
Transmigrations Transmigrations
Tom Tykwer and Lana and Andy Wachowski’s Cloud Atlas, Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln, Ra’anan Alexandrowicz’s The Law in These Parts.
Nov 7, 2012 / Books & the Arts / Stuart Klawans
The Journeys of Fred Halliday The Journeys of Fred Halliday
On socialism or the Middle East, Fred Halliday’s intellectual flexibility was one of his greatest strengths.
Oct 30, 2012 / Books & the Arts / Susie Linfield
Singularly Adaptable: On Alain Mabanckou Singularly Adaptable: On Alain Mabanckou
In Black Bazaar, characters vent and stumble over their shared obsession with the colonial past.
Oct 30, 2012 / Books & the Arts / Aaron Thier
The Master’s Servants: On Henry James The Master’s Servants: On Henry James
Nothing ages faster than the idea of an “ageless” writer. Consider the posthumous career of Henry James.
Oct 23, 2012 / Books & the Arts / Leo Robson
The Delirium Scale: The Fiftieth New York Film Festival The Delirium Scale: The Fiftieth New York Film Festival
Among the standouts at this year’s NYFF are Christian Mungiu’s Beyond the Hills and Dror Moreh’s The Gatekeepers.
Oct 23, 2012 / Books & the Arts / Stuart Klawans
In the Country of No Country In the Country of No Country
In the country the buildings seem smooth as if their faces were lifted by benevolent surgeons— so laid-back, they rarely make a mistake. And their doors—true the wood seems insecure when bothered by cathedral fantasies but they remain upright, with a steadfast reach like people who speak clearly in crisis. To some the local is not alive—it is a process that has stopped, like a factory machine the day of the big shutdown. But to others, who see past the horizon of the cliché industry returns to the valley an extravagant, steampunk renaissance fair.
Oct 23, 2012 / Books & the Arts / Jerome Sala
After the Euphoria: On the Arab Uprisings After the Euphoria: On the Arab Uprisings
What are the new rules of the political game in the Middle East? Nobody knows, but Marc Lynch’s The Arab Uprising is a useful guide.
Oct 16, 2012 / Books & the Arts / Patrick Cockburn
What Goes With What: On Richard Tuttle What Goes With What: On Richard Tuttle
Richard Tuttle’s sculpture seems to proclaim “No spirit but in things.”
Oct 16, 2012 / Books & the Arts / Barry Schwabsky
Madrigal Madrigal
People snap like asparagus stems. Oh no? She is flying along the base paths and the sun is nestled in her hat. She has the color of a stone roof which clearly enjoys it. If the year could do without spring, I’m guessing it would. The planet, mild analgesic, revolving around a similarly gaseous idea awash in consonants.
Oct 16, 2012 / Books & the Arts / Charles North