The Writer in the Family
The fiction of E. L. Doctorow gave a young man hope of connecting his father and his literary hero
By Jonathan Liebson Wednesday, January 8, 2025
The Weight of a Stone
Searching for stability in an erratic world led Oliver Sacks and other writers to the realms of geology
By Megan Craig Thursday, January 2, 2025
“The Horses” by Edwin Muir
Poems read aloud, beautifully
By Amanda Holmes Tuesday, December 31, 2024
The Snow Maiden
Our final episode of 2018 is a send-off to the solstice
By Stephanie Bastek Monday, December 30, 2024
Ho Ho Horror
Why not make this Christmas a little darker?
By Stephanie Bastek Friday, December 27, 2024
Fear of Falling
Working in the mop-and-bucket brigade in college created the perspectives of a lifetime
By James McConkey Friday, December 1, 2006
Glorious Dust
The posthumous masterwork of an influential black historian tells how slavery itself undermined the Confederacy
By Robert Roper Friday, December 1, 2006
The Ballad in the Street
Listening for the muffled strains of a national culture
By Alan Trachtenberg Friday, December 1, 2006
The Edgy Optimist
At 76, saxist Sonny Rollins is still on top of his game
By Gene Santoro Friday, December 1, 2006
When Maestros Were Maestros
Innovator, mentor, tyrant, Leopold Stokowski brought real joy to music making
By Janet Frank Friday, December 1, 2006
The Historical Present
Robert Fagle’s bold solutions to the problem of Virgil
By A. E. Stallings Friday, December 1, 2006
The Aeneid By Virgil, translated by Robert Fagles
Pleasure out of Desperation
Thomas Eakins, yearning for the ideal in a materialistic age