A Style Guide for the 1 Percent A Style Guide for the 1 Percent
The new grammar and usage handbook by Benjamin Dreyer, Twitter’s premier grammarian, reinforces an elitist view of writing and language.
Feb 11, 2019 / Kyle Paoletta
Kanye’s Discontents Kanye’s Discontents
At his best, Kanye West could be something of a Walt Whitman with Pro Tools. His new album, Ye, sadly feels like something halted in mid-sentence.
Jun 8, 2018 / David Hajdu
The Turmoil of Fearful Anticipation The Turmoil of Fearful Anticipation
Many of the stories in Dino Buzzati’s Catastrophe are more concerned with paranoia and fear than with dramatic repercussions.
May 9, 2018 / Bradley Babendir
Joseph Conrad and the Dawn of Globalization Joseph Conrad and the Dawn of Globalization
What passes for civilization is often just refined savagery.
May 3, 2018 / Books & the Arts / Greg Grandin
Harry Mathews’s Framed Stories Harry Mathews’s Framed Stories
Multiple meanings always simmer under the surface of his writing, but in The Solitary Twin, they’re more hidden.
Apr 16, 2018 / Alina Cohen
Clarice Lispector’s Lifelong Project Clarice Lispector’s Lifelong Project
At the core of Clarice Lispector’s works is the tension between language’s profound potential and its inability to reach the vital realm of the unspeakable.
Mar 30, 2018 / Nathan Goldman
A Recognizable Dystopia A Recognizable Dystopia
Leni Zumas’s Red Clocks suggests a different method for fashioning a dystopian novel.
Mar 23, 2018 / Mike Mariani
Natural-Born Bards Natural-Born Bards
A new volume collects African-American folk tales that foreshadow contemporary debates about cultural ownership and appropriation.
Feb 23, 2018 / Aaron Robertson
The Extraordinary Stories of Claribel Alegría The Extraordinary Stories of Claribel Alegría
The spirit of their romance lies in the fact that they are true.
Feb 5, 2018 / Chuck Wachtel