Archive

Almost Too Sober: On the Appeal of Stoicism
Robert Zaretsky contemplates “How to Be Free: An Ancient Guide to the Stoic Life,” a selection of Epictetus’s thought translated by A. A. Long.
Robert ZaretskyOct 30, 2018
- Cultural Studies
- Philosophy & Religion
The Turk and the Diplomat: An Introduction to Ivo Andrić’s “Omer Pasha Latas”
LARB presents William T. Vollmann’s introduction to Ivo Andrić’s “Omer Pasha Latas: Marshal to the Sultan,” published by NYRB Classics this month.
William T. VollmannOct 30, 2018
- Around the World
- Fiction
The Horror of Mandy’s Many Orgasms
Niv M. Sultan reviews Panos Cosmatos’s "Mandy," in which sex and death are one.
Niv M. SultanOct 30, 2018
Hungry Hearts: The Digestive Tract Trilogy of Hamsun’s “Hunger,” Kafka’s “A Hunger Artist,” and Sartre’s “Nausea”
Hamsun’s "Hunger," Kafka’s “A Hunger Artist,” and Sartre’s "Nausea" are timeless works from a past that must be reckoned with. But what do they say today?
Bruce BaumanOct 29, 2018
- Around the World
- Fiction
A Better Future
Désirée Zamorano interviews Sara Gran about her new novel, “The Infinite Blacktop.”
Désirée ZamoranoOct 29, 2018
- Noir
Thoughts on Pittsburgh, Empathy, and the Novel
Seth Greenland shares his opening remarks from a conversation about his new novel, the night after the Pittsburgh shooting.
Seth GreenlandOct 29, 2018
His Own “Final Thing”: On Varlam Shalamov’s “Kolyma Stories”
Patrick Kurp on the artfully rendered accounts of suffering in “Kolyma Stories” by Varlam Shalamov, translated by Donald Rayfield.
Patrick KurpOct 29, 2018
- Around the World
- Fiction
Amusements Among the Dead
"As a child I had an unhealthy attraction to the supernatural." Jervey Tervalon visits the Mountain View Mausoleum with his daughter.
Jervey TervalonOct 29, 2018
Grad School As Conversion Therapy
Grace Lavery asserts: "deadnaming and misgendering are not acceptable scholarly practices, and they are not covered by the principle of academic freedom."
Grace LaveryOct 29, 2018
Combining the Personal with the Critical: An Interview with Alice Bolin
A new collection of essays about the American West, Britney Spears, female friendships, and reality TV, among other things.
Aaron ShulmanOct 28, 2018
- Memoir & Essay
The Supernatural as Natural, Healthy, and Banal
Jeffrey J. Kripal has a big problem with Clay Routledge's "Supernatural: Death, Meaning, and the Power of the Invisible World."
Jeffrey J. KripalOct 28, 2018
- Religion
The Torturer
Today’s election in Brazil will almost certainly elevate a crude Trumpian nationalist.
Juliano Fiori, Louis AmisOct 28, 2018
- Around the World
- Politics
Philosophy, Dystopia, Fountain Pens, and Other Preoccupations of a Twentysomething Korean Book Vlogging Star
Colin Marshall on the YouTube book vlogging channel Winter Bookstore.
Colin MarshallOct 28, 2018
Tade Thompson’s “Rosewater” — An Alien Invasion That “Grows On You”
Tade Thompson’s “Rosewater” is a hard-boiled alien invasion novel that investigates the perils and opportunities of inescapable networked connection.
Jessica FitzPatrickOct 27, 2018
- Around the World
- SF
Why Still Look at Animals: A Conversation with Oxana Timofeeva
M. Buna interviews Oxana Timofeeva about her book “The History of Animals: A Philosophy.”
M. BunaOct 27, 2018
- Cultural Studies
- Philosophy & Religion
The Second Front Door: A Poem
Maureen N. McLaneOct 27, 2018
- LARB Lit