Book Review
Book Review
Evelyn Waugh’s Life Revisited
Oct 25, 2019 The British writer hailed "from plenty of useless lords," per his biographer. Luckily, his novels will likely outlive his biographies.
2 Nobel Literature Prize Winners Expose Europe’s Fault Lines
Oct 10, 2019 Poland's Olga Tokarczuk has irked her nation's conservatives and Austria's Peter Handke is criticized for his vigorous defense of the Serbs.
Can Literature Really Be an Agent of Political Resistance?
Sep 27, 2019 In her latest book, Juliana Spahr explores what radical literature has done to challenge forms of nationalism in the U.S. and reaches a disappointing conclusion.
Resisting a World That Privileges Whiteness—While We Still Can
Sep 13, 2019 As Latinx authors contend with Trump’s anti-immigration rhetoric, their work has become a site of resistance, of hope, of sorrow.
Lost in India
Sep 6, 2019 In "The Twice-Born," a Pakistani-Indian journalist living in London travels back to India on a personal quest, but is unsure what he is searching for.
Harold Bloom’s Tragic Confession
Jul 27, 2019 The provocative literary critic's recent book reveals that he yearns for more time to reconcile that he's merely "a reader and a teacher, and not a creator."
Arts & Culture
The Trickster King and the Erudite Literalist
Apr 20, 2019 Approaching Vladimir Nabokov’s 120th birthday, Truthdig looks at his friendship and falling-out with another literary giant, Edmund Wilson.2019 National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Award: Second Place, Commentary Analysis/Trend—Books/Arts
The Political Education of Hunter S. Thompson
Nov 2, 2018 Despite an embargo on his archive, a new biography examines how events between the Kennedy assassination and Nixon's resignation pushed the writer toward his most trenchant work.
The Blight of Fracking Seeps Into America’s Foundations
Oct 26, 2018 Based on years of immersive reporting, Eliza Griswold’s “Amity and Prosperity” follows the legal battle that ensued when a single frack site began to affect three neighboring families.
From Academia to Art School: An ‘Old Black Woman’ Starts Anew
Aug 31, 2018 African-American historian Nell Painter's inspiring and captivating memoir tells of her going to art school at age 64 after a brilliant academic career.