The unfortunate misogyny of Philip Larkin
When he wasn’t obsessing over pornography, he could be truly insightful and touching
Books
Sunday
Friday
The attack on Salman Rushdie is an ominous warning
The danger seemed to have passed but extremists continue to plague the world
Wednesday
Blake Bailey deserves to be heard one more time
The disgraced biographer may be ‘repellent’ but he still has a right to free speech
Monday
Evelyn Waugh’s sincerest form of flattery
He had a major but unsung inspiration: the now-neglected novelist William Gerhardie
Henry Kissinger’s likely last book is on leadership
And his biographies of great lives sparkle nicely
Mary Gaitskill and the body electric
Why do we find the dark side of sexuality so terrifying?
Berlin as the unreal city
A new book makes you ask, somewhat apprehensively, what will happen there next
Friday
Literature reminds us that indolence is underrated
What are we missing out on in our endless pursuit of productivity?
Thursday
Books you should plan to read this fall
The temperature might have soared but there’s plenty of good lit to look forward to
Thursday
The rise of gay Washington
Secret City: The Hidden History of Gay Washington by James Kirchick reviewed
The circus that was 80s literary Britain
A new book remembers all the excitement and absurdity
How not to live a life
Original Sins by Matt Rowland Hill reviewed
NIMBYs to the left of me, YIMBYs to the left
Yes to the City: Millennials and the Fight for Affordable Housing by Max Holleran reviewed
Helen DeWitt’s brilliance and unsuccess
The English Understand Wool by Helen DeWitt reviewed
Lost in translation
Why are we so content to minimize and forget the work of translators?
Monday
The Marxist writer who railed against Lenin
Maxim Gorky looked to literature and culture as much as to revolution
Tuesday
In praise of (very) small independent publishers
They punch above their weight, especially with religious books
Wednesday
Virginia Woolf’s very own Bloomsday
Celebrations of her novel Mrs. Dalloway should be more raucous than they are
Wednesday
Searching for the American summer novel
It’s a time of nostalgia, of seeking that which is perpetually, unrecoverably lost
Monday
The Optimist’s Daughter at fifty
A rich and daring novel reminds us that memory must be given its due
