Essays Archive | Los Angeles Review of Books

All Essays

#consentsowhite: On the Erotics of Slave Play in “Slave Play”
Avgi Saketopoulou explores the charged interconnections between racism and sexuality in Jeremy O. Harris’s “Slave Play.”
Avgi SaketopoulouJan 10, 2020
- Art & Architecture
- Gender & Sexuality
Extras: A Short Story by Yuri Felsen
Bryan Karetnyk introduces his translation of “Extras,” a short story by Yuri Felsen, a Russian émigré author whose English-language debut is long overdue.
Bryan Karetnyk, Yuri FelsenJan 8, 2020
- Around the World
- Fiction
Helicopter Parenting, the College Admissions Scandal, and James M. Cain’s “Mildred Pierce”
What James M. Cain’s classic noir novel has to teach us about the pathologies of parenting.
Leah GriesmannJan 7, 2020
- Noir
Binge and Purge: The Rise of Extreme Film Criticism
Noah Gittell considers the growing phenomenon of “Extreme Film Criticism” in the wake of media conglomeration and the decline of long-form journalism.
Noah GittellJan 7, 2020
- Film
Confessions of a Cake Boy
Another robot world is possible, one not built on hidden human labor and not dependent on damage to the soul
Ramsey McGlazerJan 6, 2020
Queer Nigerians Rewrite the Body
Erik Gleibermann on the emerging generation of LGBT Nigerian writers.
Erik GleibermannJan 6, 2020
The Longest Failed Regime in the World
Hun Sen has hung on in Cambodia through a combination of shape-shifting, self-dealing, and luck.
Charles DunstJan 6, 2020
- Around the World
- Politics
Eravamo Noi: A Short Story
Molly PrentissJan 5, 2020
- LARB Lit
Cold War Propagandist: Nicolas Nabokov, JFK, and the Shostakovich Wars
Joseph Horowitz on Nicolas Nabokov, classical music, and the Cold War.
Joseph HorowitzJan 4, 2020
The De-Colonization of Miles Morales
Vincent Haddad on the promise of Miles Morales.
Vincent HaddadJan 4, 2020
- Comics
Big Lit Meets the Mexican Americans: A Study in White Supremacy
Latinx novelist Michael Nava considers the unbearable whiteness of publishing.
Michael NavaJan 2, 2020
- Fiction
- Politics
Across Borders: A Conversation with Ishion Hutchinson
Danielle Charette and Paul Cato interview poet Ishion Hutchinson.
Danielle Charette, Paul CatoJan 1, 2020
- Poetry
Dr. Manhattan is a Cop: "Watchmen" and Frantz Fanon
Aaron Bady, for Dear Television, considers the way that HBO's Watchmen came so close to unmasking the world's real supervillain.
Aaron BadyDec 31, 2019
- Dear Television
The Midlife Crisis of the American Restaurant Review
Theodore Gioia samples the American restaurant review at present and offers a recipe for the future.
Theodore GioiaDec 31, 2019
- Food & Drink
- Nonfiction
The California Design Dominion: Thirteen Propositions
Peter LunenfeldDec 30, 2019
- Philosophy & Religion
The Year in Yelling: "Catastrophe," "Marriage Story," "Moonstruck"
Phillip Maciak, for Dear Television, considers the year in culture by way of three arguments: from Catastrophe, from Marriage Story, and from Moonstruck.
Phillip MaciakDec 30, 2019
- Dear Television