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
Idle Hands Are the Dreamer’s Tools
Why lolling about is a worthwhile pursuit
By Charlotte Salley Monday, April 16, 2018
Last Words
One of the final poems that J. D. McClatchy (1945-2018) wrote
By Our Editors Wednesday, April 11, 2018
Remembering Sutherland Springs
A chronicle of a mass shooting and its aftermath
By Brandon Lingle Monday, April 9, 2018
Pictures
Reflecting on gun violence from the Happiest Place on Earth
By Chloe Shaw Tuesday, April 3, 2018
Bitter Fruits
Decades after leaving the Eastern Bloc, an author recalls the American dream
By Katarzyna Nowak Tuesday, March 27, 2018
The Year That Spring Did Not Come
Looking back on the turmoil of 1968
By Walter Nicklin Tuesday, March 20, 2018
That Common Heart
Finding unity and faith in the fiction of Marilynne Robinson
By Amanda Parrish Morgan Wednesday, March 14, 2018
On Gratitude
How a simple thank you can lift the spirits
By Edward Hoagland Wednesday, March 7, 2018
