Passions of the Void
A poem
A Novel That Reimagines the Meaning of Outer Space
In Pip Adam’s extraordinary, humane book Audition, the stars are both a dystopian place and a site of uncharted possibility.
How a Book Can Change a Graduate’s Life
After I finished college, Leslie Jamison’s The Empathy Exams won my allegiance immediately and forever.
A Provocative Argument About What Creates Serial Killers
In her new book, Murderland, Caroline Fraser argues that the rise of these criminals has deep roots in the release of industrial waste.
Yes I Will Read Ulysses Yes
How Richard Ellmann made James Joyce a hero to generations of readers and scholars
A Father’s Prayer
A poem
Fathers Don’t Just Protect—They Prepare
My grandfather helped his family survive in Nazi-occupied Austria. What his story taught me about fatherhood.
The Benefits of Refusing
Melissa Febos’s The Dry Season made me wonder what narrow portals I’m looking through in my life, and what I might see if I turn away from them.
Seven Books for People Figuring Out Their Next Move
These titles are great tools for anyone trying to navigate new opportunities, new places, or new phases of life.
Weepers
A short story
How One Animal Divided Europe
A new book explores what the wolf’s return to the continent means for people who have never known its presence.
What to Read When You’re Ready to Say No
Purposeful refusal, far from depriving us, can make way for unexpected bounty.
The Real Message Behind Les Misérables
As Donald Trump prepares to host Les Mis at the Kennedy Center, a Victor Hugo scholar imagines what the author would make of the president.
Under a Supermoon
Fast Times and Mean Girls
What the great teen movies tell us about American adolescence
An Innocent Abroad in Mark Twain’s Paris
My quest for a true literary experience resulted in choucroute, a surprise organ feast, an epiphany at the Louvre, existential dread, and a rowboat.
The Writer Who Knew the Joys of Sex
Edmund White, who died yesterday at 85, infused his life with as much pleasure as he did his writing.
A Ukrainian Crime Caper That Undermines Expectations
Andrey Kurkov’s crime thrillers provide timely lessons for anyone living under an oppressive regime.
The Novelist Who Learned to Write Anger—And Its Aftermath
Susan Choi’s new book, Flashlight, considers the evolution of rage.
What You Lose When You Focus on Partnership
Melissa Febos’s new book, The Dry Season, recounts a year of celibacy and the freedom it gave her to reconnect with the world.
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