Fractured Odysseus
The psychiatrist Jonathan Shay’s books on Homer are the key to Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey
By Colin Dickey Thursday, August 20, 2026
Gratitude Isn’t Everything
The revolutionary Patriots owed much to their forefathers, but their fight for universal rights embraced a wider mission
By Robert A. Gross Friday, July 31, 2026
It All Comes Down to This
As the recent World Cup showed, the drama of a penalty shootout can at times be Shakespearean
By Eric Wills Thursday, July 30, 2026
What He Stood For
How Angus Cameron, one of the most significant editors in the history of American publishing, responded to being targeted by the McCarthy blacklist
By Jonathan Coleman Friday, April 24, 2026
Who Is Blake Whiting?
The most astonishingly productive historian in recent times is someone you’ll never meet
By Andrew Lawler Thursday, April 16, 2026
The Importance of Being Idle
What Paul Lafargue taught us about work
By Robert Zaretsky Monday, March 30, 2026
Gilded Guilt
On Taylor Swift, Julian Fellowes, and the class conflicts that never die
By Jessa Crispin Friday, February 13, 2026
The Popper Principle
Did Plato really espouse ideas that led eventually to totalitarianism?
By Robert Zaretsky Thursday, January 29, 2026
It’s a Wonderful (Falling Apart) Life
In the disrepair of our everyday world are suggestions of life’s burdens and consolations
By Ben Slote Friday, December 19, 2025
The Conspiracist Cotton Mather
The zealot who oversaw the Salem Witch Trials initially voiced restraint—what changed?
By Colin Dickey Wednesday, October 29, 2025
An Exchange of Bullets in Belfast
Revisiting Carol Reed’s 1947 masterpiece Odd Man Out
By David Lehman Thursday, July 9, 2020
“A Heap of Juneteenths”
How the word, and the holiday, came about
By John F. Callahan Thursday, June 18, 2020
Strangers and Mirrors
Orson Welles’s The Stranger (1946) and The Lady from Shanghai (1947)
By David Lehman Tuesday, May 26, 2020
Radical Elegies
At a time when many of us are cut off from the natural world, Wordsworth seems more essential than ever
By Jonathan Bate Thursday, May 21, 2020
The Givers
On this Mother’s Day, let’s acknowledge the power of those who offer both professional and domestic care
By Amanda Parrish Morgan Friday, May 8, 2020
Great Movie Music
Fifteen examples that avoid the usual suspects
By David Lehman Tuesday, April 28, 2020
Witness to an Unfolding Disaster
On this 50th Earth Day, a painter meditates on the changing relationship between her art and our imperiled planet
By Susan Williams Wednesday, April 22, 2020
Separating Viral Truths and Lies
Nudging people to be more skeptical on social media
By Marcus A. Banks Monday, March 23, 2020
