Alejandro Zambra’s ‘Chilean Poet’ Is a Tender Ode to Parents and Language
In ‘Chilean Poet’, Alejandro Zambra reaches the sublime through descriptions of everyday routine amongst family members – however they describe themselves.
book feature
Eight Great Speculative Fiction Books by Women
Need a break from so-called reality? These eight speculative fiction authors represent the best of the best in the sci-fi genre.
John McWhorter’s Polemic ‘Woke Racism’ Covers Controversial Issues with Snark Gnarled by Outrage
John McWhorter’s pushback against the antiracist orthodoxy of Robin DiAngelo and Ibram X. Kendi lands palpable hits but is too scattered to win the match.
Jonathan Franzen’s ‘Crossroads’ Contemplates Something Harder Than Being Alone
Breaking form with his latest work, Crossroads, Franzen has not written a social novel. He has written an Antisocial Novel.
The British ‘Idea of Europe’ Is Still a Mess
Shane Weller’s The Idea of Europe, hampered by an unconscious form of Euroscepticism, suggests that British critics are still not ready to listen to their neighbors.
How Can One Capture the Life and Mind of Elizabeth Hardwick?
Cathy Curtis has published four biographies in six years but her recent work on Elizabeth Hardwick is missing a strong point of view.
Sylvain Cypel’s ‘The State of Israel vs. the Jews’ Addresses Burning Questions
Cypel’s The State of Israel vs. the Jews addresses the prejudices embedded in Israeli policies toward Palestinians and their implications for Jews worldwide.
The Unmentionable Whiteness of ‘Americanaland’
John Milward’s new history of Americana puts the mixed genre at the corner of country and rock while slighting race and the music’s Black roots and performers.
Recorded Music Is Everlasting and That’s a Problem Argues ‘Decomposed’
Kyle Devine’s Decomposed is a landmark contribution to musicology, offering a sobering but sorely needed account of recorded music’s environmental consequences.
Is Louis Menand Right About the Death of Art and Thought in America?
For intellectual historian Louis Menand, the Cold War gave rise to prospects and paradoxes in America, and Art was given status through essential criticism.
Bob Dylan Would Dig Michael Gray’s ‘Outtakes’
Michael Gray is the Bob Dylan of Dylan studies, a man whose Dylan criticism has done more to augment and illuminate Dylan’s art than all of his rivals combined.
Simone de Beauvoir’s ‘Inseparable’ Resonates in Our Times
Simone de Beauvoir’s Inseparable reveals the devastating consequences of succumbing to conventions at the expense of one’s own autonomy and well-being.