Archive

The Hand That Feeds: Olivier Zunz’s “Philanthropy in America”
Zunz’s may be a history of American philanthropy, but it is, by any reasonable contemporary standard, the wrong one.
Malcolm HarrisMar 13, 2012
From Cocks to Corpses: Michel Houellebecq’s “The Map and the Territory”
It can be entertaining, disordered, ruminative, wider in range than Houellebecq’s previous books
Domenick AmmiratiMar 12, 2012
- Literary Fiction
Portrait of the Artist in the Age of Wikipedia
One can only wonder what it would have been had Houellebecq actually believed in the novel as an art form.
Cécile AlduyMar 12, 2012
- Literary Fiction
The Wrong Marlowe
Let’s say it’s 1978 and you are Dan J. Marlowe, once one of the hottest suspense novelists of your day
Charles KellyMar 10, 2012
Dissent: Liu Xiabo's "No Enemies, No Hatred"
In the forefront of calls for democracy in China, Liu has engaged in various forms of dissent.
Gordon FellmanMar 9, 2012
Church and State
In his latest book, God is Red, Liao continues his study of the bottom rung of society by focusing on underground Christian communities in China.
Albert WuMar 8, 2012
People Who Eat People
While the cannibal was a prize specimen for theories of the state and human nature, he also posed a grave problem.
Steven ShapinMar 7, 2012
Living with Linsanity
Racial difference was an integral part of Linsanity since the beginning and, as the phenomenon grew, the issue would continue to snowball.
Oliver WangMar 6, 2012
Harrowing Idealism
First and foremost, however, These Dreams of You may well be the first true Obama novel.
Pawel FrelikMar 5, 2012
- Fiction
Russia's New Time of Troubles
Russians applauded. They wanted order and didn’t mind if Putin suspended civil rights to provide it.
Martin SixsmithMar 4, 2012
Feeding the Poor
In truth, it is the ones who uncritically embrace new technical innovations that are being naïve and idealistic.
Jeff DietrichMar 3, 2012
Understated Turmoil
Bainbridge’s point is that modernity will tell us little and the people who record it, even less.
David FreemanMar 3, 2012
Decay is the Way Dead Things Live
It’s hard not to read this as a profession of artistic faith, of Schulz’s conviction in an art made out of scraps and remnants.
Jacob MikanowskiMar 2, 2012
Dreaming in Chinese
Today in China, individualism and pluralism thrive as never before. But, all in all, it is an opportunistic and self-regarding individualism.
Richard WolinMar 1, 2012
Finer Dining Through Chemistry
Food could be more than nourishment; it could express ideas about form and function. It could be art.
John McIntyreFeb 29, 2012
- Food & Drink
From Moscow Art Theatre to Catfish Row
Mamoulian, perhaps more than anyone else, defined the original racial landscape that became the setting for Porgy and Bess.
Kurt JensenFeb 28, 2012