Essays Archive | Los Angeles Review of Books

All Essays

How Israel Lost America
Saree Makdisi writes on the student protests against Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
Saree MakdisiJul 12, 2024
“Chinatown” at 50, or Seeing Oil Through Cinema
Michael Rubenstein writes on the 50th anniversary of “Chinatown” and the beginning of the end of petromodernity.
Michael RubensteinJul 8, 2024
The Gap at the End of the World
In an excerpt from LARB Quarterly no. 41, “Truth,” Cynthia Cruz seeks truth in melancholia, Hegel, and capitalist civilization’s possible futures.
Cynthia CruzJul 8, 2024
Lyrical Silicone
Cristóbal Riego explores the hybrid nonfiction writings of Chilean author Pedro Lemebel.
Cristóbal RiegoJul 7, 2024
Reviving “Ophelia”: On Returning to the Music of Natalie Merchant
Jenny Boyar writes about her midlife rediscovery of singer-songwriter Natalie Merchant.
Jenny BoyarJul 5, 2024
Unhooking: On the Gigification of Intimacy
Kelly Coyne examines gig-work philosophy in Emma Cline’s novel “The Guest” and Gene Stupnitsky’s movie “No Hard Feelings.”
Kelly Marie CoyneJul 3, 2024
- Fiction
- Film
Junk and Underwear: Fabrication and Factography in the Soviet Union
Wendi Bootes examines the contradictory nature of facts through an assessment of Soviet factography, in an excerpt from LARB Quarterly no. 41, “Truth.”
Wendi BootesJul 3, 2024
- LARB Lit
- Nonfiction
Keeping Up with the Klimate
Hannah Bonner connects Kōhei Saitō’s book “Slow Down: The Degrowth Manifesto” to Sara Sowell’s short film “Color Negative” by way of the Kardashians.
Hannah BonnerJul 2, 2024
The DMZ at 70
Matthew Longo reflects on the surreal experience of the DMZ, where borders create both division and unity.
Matthew LongoJul 2, 2024
Embracing the Chaos: On John Mulaney’s “Everybody’s in L.A.”
Henry Luzzatto puzzles over John Mulaney’s Netflix talk show “Everybody’s in L.A.”
Henry LuzzattoJun 24, 2024
- Cultural Studies
- Television
A Cloth Woven of Stories Told: John Barth and the Literature of Rectification
Zach Gibson reflects on the late-career achievement of the late novelist John Barth.
Zach GibsonJun 23, 2024
- Fiction
- Memoir & Essay
Hagiography of a Narcissist: On J. D. Salinger’s “Hapworth 16, 1924”
Grace Byron explores J. D. Salinger’s literary and personal legacies through the lens of “Hapworth 16, 1924.”
Grace ByronJun 18, 2024
- Memoir & Essay
- Fiction
Hunger-Time
Alma Igra illustrates how, through the scrupulous caloric management of Gaza, Israel and the international community have weaponized food.
Alma IgraJun 16, 2024
Fools Rush In: On Kenneth Anger’s “Scorpio Rising”
Kevin Gonzalez looks back at Kenneth Anger’s “Scorpio Rising” as a biker and a present-day political subject.
Kevin GonzalezJun 14, 2024
Dispelling the “Stink of Love”: On the Ken-ification of Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s “Querelle”
David A. Gerstner considers the sterilized presentation of Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s “Querelle” in its new rerelease.
David A. GerstnerJun 12, 2024
Bella Baxter and the Machine: On Yorgos Lanthimos’s “Poor Things” and Julie Wosk’s “Artificial Women”
Marion Thain analyzes Yorgos Lanthimos’s film “Poor Things” in the context of Julie Wosk’s new book “Artificial Women: Sex Dolls, Robot Caregivers, and More Facsimile Females.”
Marion ThainJun 10, 2024