Where Han Kang’s Nightmares Come From
In her novels, the South Korean Nobel laureate returns again and again to her country’s bloody past.
A Holocaust Novel Confronts Fiction’s Limits
Lily Tuck’s attempt to bring to life a victim of the atrocity turns her into a prosecutor, not a novelist.
A Palestinian Story Unlike Any Other
In her debut novel, Too Soon, Betty Shamieh isn’t trying to educate or enlighten.
We stay and its ours
A poem for Sunday
Why We Celebrate When Copyright Expires
Every January 1 in the Books department, we like to make an extra toast for a concurrent holiday: Public Domain Day.
The Saint America Needs Now
Kindness has become countercultural. Perhaps Saint Francis can help.
What to Read When the Odds Are Against You
Literature is full of reminders that long odds can sometimes be surmounted.
How Sherlock Holmes Broke Copyright Law
Adaptations of Holmes stories are exploding now that the detective is in the public domain. Critics believe it should have happened decades ago.
How ‘the End’ Helps Us Find New Beginnings
Contemplating death at the start of a new year
Five Books That Offer Readers Intellectual Exercise
Each of these titles exercises a different kind of reading muscle so that you can choose the one that will push you most.
Birthmark
A poem for Wednesday
Apocalypse, Constantly
Humans love to imagine their own demise.
Bridge of the Gods
A poem for Sunday
Six Books to Read by the Fire
Each of these titles is a perfect companion while the days grow imperceptibly longer.
Two Different Ways of Understanding Fatherhood
Recent entries into the literature of parenting offer disparate visions of dadhood as part of a man’s private, or public, life.
The Custodian
A poem published in The Atlantic in 2011
The Art Monster Under the Bed
Ella Baxter’s new novel reminds us that mediocrity is far more common than genius.
A Biting Satire of the Art World’s Monstrousness
Ella Baxter’s new novel explores why creative genius so often seems to be at odds with being a good person.
Oliver Sacks’s Lifelong Search for Recognition
The famous neurologist and author devoted his life to revealing his patients’ humanity. He struggled harder to reveal himself.
Fossil Record for My Grandmother
A poem for Sunday