All Essays

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  Allegorical Moments: Lyn Hejinian’s Life in Writing

  Nine poets and critics commemorate the late Lyn Hejinian.

  Abigail Lang, Alan Golding, Barrett Watten, Carla Harryman, Jeanne Heuving, Kit Robinson, Rae Armantrout, Roberto Harrison, Vladimir FeshchenkoMar 31, 2024

  • Memoir & Essay

  • Poetry

• 

  “A Passage to India” on Its 100th Birthday

  Sameer Pandya traces the path of E. M. Forster’s classic novel in his own passage to India.

  Sameer PandyaMar 27, 2024

  • Fiction

  • Memoir & Essay

• 

  There Is No Point in My Being Other Than Honest with You: On Toni Morrison’s Rejection Letters

  Melina Moe writes about the rejection letters Toni Morrison sent as an editor at Random House.

  Melina MoeMar 26, 2024

  • Cultural Studies

  • History

• 

  Killerheimer: American Betrayal in Martin Scorsese and Christopher Nolan

  Jimmy So analyzes what “Oppenheimer” and “Killers of the Flower Moon” have to say about America.

  Jimmy SoMar 20, 2024

  • Film

  • Politics

• 

  Every Ship Is a Passenger Too: On Publishing Today

  Chris Molnar considers what it's like to be a writer today.

  Chris MolnarMar 15, 2024

  • Literary Criticism

  • Memoir & Essay

• 

  Vincent O. Carter at 100: A Voyage of the Mind

  Hans J. Rindisbacher ponders the work of the Black American expat Vincent O. Carter in his centennial year.

  Hans J. RindisbacherMar 13, 2024

  • Fiction

  • Memoir & Essay

• 

  A Cinematographer’s Lens: On This Year’s Oscar Nominees

  Cinematographer Michael M. Pessah surveys this year’s Oscar nominees in the category and considers the state of the art.

  Michael M. PessahMar 10, 2024

  • Film

• 

  Viewing the Ob-scene: On Jonathan Glazer’s “The Zone of Interest”

  David Hering reviews Jonathan Glazer’s film “The Zone of Interest.”

  David HeringMar 4, 2024

  • Cultural Studies

  • Film

• 

  The Secret Growing: On the New Spiritual Art Canon

  Steffie Nelson surveys the recent institutional embrace of visionary women artists.

  Steffie NelsonFeb 23, 2024

  • Art & Architecture

• 

  Through a Herne’s Eye: On Ursula K. Le Guin’s “Five Novels”

  Brian Attebery offers a critical reflection on five of Ursula K. Le Guin's short novels, recently reissued by Library of America.

  Brian AtteberyFeb 21, 2024

  • Fiction

  • SF

• 

  Apple’s Gimmick: On “Fingernails” and the TV+ Brand

  Michael Szalay compares apples and Apples in parsing the streamer’s strategy financially, aesthetically, narratively, and otherwise.

  Michael SzalayFeb 16, 2024

  • Film

  • Television

• 

  Dreaming into Existence: Collaborative Art in Prison

  Annie Buckley describes her experiences working with incarcerated artists via the Prison Arts Collective.

  Annie BuckleyFeb 15, 2024

  • Art & Architecture

  • Memoir & Essay

• 

  Red Flags/Green Flags

  LARB social media director Maya Chen rounds up her ultimate relationship red and green flags for 2024.

  Maya ChenFeb 14, 2024

  • Cultural Studies

• 

  Still Raw: Love in David Cronenberg’s “Crash”

  Hattie Lindert argues for David Cronenberg’s “Crash” as the ideal Valentine’s Day movie.

  Hattie LindertFeb 14, 2024

  • Film

• 

  The College Writing Center in Times of Crisis

  Genie N. Giaimo explores the need for more comprehensive guidance for writing centers during various crises of late-stage capitalism.

  Genie N. GiaimoFeb 13, 2024

  • Education

• 

  I Had Become the Target: On Taylor Swift and the Power of Revisionism

  In a preview of the upcoming LARB Quarterly issue, no. 41: “Truth,” Claire Shaffer muses on how Taylor Swift has begun to recast her personal story and musical legacy.

  Claire ShafferFeb 10, 2024

  • Cultural Studies

  • Music