Archive

Victims and Poseurs: On Rebecca L. Davis’s “Public Confessions: The Religious Conversions That Changed American Politics”
This ambitious study of famous religious conversions is hobbled by its own preconceptions.
Atar HadariFeb 12, 2022
- Religion
Footbawl! Footbawl! Footbawl!
Mitch SisskindFeb 12, 2022
The Cocaine Chronicles
Jervey TervalonFeb 12, 2022
The Enduring Power of the Charlatan
How a novella by Thomas Mann and a historical study of charlatantry can illuminate our times.
Claus LeggewieFeb 11, 2022
- Fiction
Second Acts: A Second Look at Second Books by Nathaniel Perry and Brigit Pegeen Kelly
Lisa Russ Spaar takes a look at second books by Nathaniel Perry and Brigit Pegeen Kelly.
Lisa Russ SpaarFeb 11, 2022
- Poetry
Sheila Heti’s “Pure Colour”
Kate Wolf and Medaya Ocher are joined by Sheila Heti to discuss her latest novel, “Pure Colour.”
LARB Radio HourFeb 11, 2022
Caring Versus Caregiving: On Talia Schaffer’s “Communities of Care: The Social Ethics of Victorian Fiction”
A new book about caregiving in Victorian novels sheds valuable light on the crisis of healthcare today.
Rachael Scarborough KingFeb 11, 2022
- Literary Criticism
Written in the Book of Life: On Kathryn Schulz’s “Lost & Found”
Hannah Joyner explores Kathryn Schulz’s forays into loss, including the inextricable nature of grief and joy, in “Lost & Found.”
Hannah JoynerFeb 10, 2022
- Memoir & Essay
The World Is a Strange Madhouse: 100 Years of Relativity
Paul Dicken marks the centenary of “The Meaning of Relativity,” Einstein’s attempt to explain his runaway theory and correct its “mad” cultural appropriations.
Paul DickenFeb 10, 2022
- Science & Technology
David Kipen on the Renewal of the Federal Writers' Project
Feb 10, 2022
Viral Stories: On Guobin Yang’s “The Wuhan Lockdown”
Yangyang Cheng reviews Guobin Yang's new book on China's COVID-19 response, "The Wuhan Lockdown."
Yangyang ChengFeb 9, 2022
- History
Crossing the Blood Meridian: Cormac McCarthy and American History
McCarthy imagined a vast border region where colonial empires clashed, tribes went to war, and bounty hunters roamed.
Bennett PartenFeb 9, 2022
- Fiction
- History
Hölderlin’s Errancy
The riddle of the poet’s madness is not the only mystery connected with his journey to France.
Robert S. HuddlestonFeb 8, 2022
- Poetry
Are “The Classics” Bad for You?
Naomi Kanakia tackles the question of whether certain English class Classics - say, Pride and Prejudice - should still be taught in schools.
Naomi KanakiaFeb 8, 2022
- Education
The Life of Nostalgic Content: On Li Ziqi
Stephanie Wong contemplates the realities of migrant labor in China, alongside the aestheticized content of rural lifestyle vlogger Li Ziqi.
Stephanie WongFeb 7, 2022
- Around the World
Exploring Racial Imaginaries in Soviet Visual Culture
Yevgeniy Fiks’s new book offers a rare glimpse into the Soviet Union’s ideological views on race and Blackness.
Sarah ValentineFeb 7, 2022
- Art & Architecture