A New History of World War II
A new book argues that the conflict was a battle for empire.
Mysterium Lunae
A poem for Sunday
Whatever You Write, There You Are
These nine nonfiction authors set out to investigate the outside world and ended up finding themselves.
Lying Is Its Own Form of Storytelling
In literature, nothing is as fascinating or destabilizing as deception: Your weekly guide to the best in books
Your Feelings Are No Excuse
Emotions may explain why people overreact, but they don’t justify it.
The Law of Falling Bodies
A poem for Wednesday
The 12 Most Unforgettable Descriptions of Food in Literature
Haruki Murakami’s stir fry, Maurice Sendak’s chicken soup with rice—only the most gifted writers have made meals on the page worth remembering.
Goodbye Letter to My Lover’s Wife
A poem for Sunday
Her World Began to Collapse, So She Started Keeping a Diary
The Ukrainian writer and photographer Yevgenia Belorusets on what it means to make art during wartime
The Tricky Task of Writing a Villain
Whether in fiction or in journalism, telling stories about bad guys isn’t clear-cut: Your weekly guide to the best in books
The Conundrum of Sexual Life in Today’s America
And one novel’s attempt to bypass it
Five Books in Which Romance Sneaks Up on You
All kinds of novels can contain love—and the pleasure of encountering a good one that does is universal.
The Change
A poem by Stephen Sandy, published in The Atlantic in 1997
Literature Isn’t Bound by the Rules of Time
In poetry and in prose, past and present can warp, twist, and buckle: Your weekly guide to the best in books
Why We Should Read Hannah Arendt Now
The Origins of Totalitarianism has much to say about a world of rising authoritarianism.
The Living
A poem for Wednesday
The Pleasures That Lurk in the Back of the Book
The index has a fascinating history and holds a special place for one obsessive who sees it as a sort of conceptual map.
How Charles Dickens Made the Novel New
A new biography argues that the year 1851 marked an artistic renewal for the author.
The Goon Squad Gets Old
Do Jennifer Egan’s tricks still work?
Ireland’s Great Gamble
The country wanted modern prosperity and traditional values. It could only have one.