Why does Irish art avoid the Troubles?
There is something truly pathological about the taboo given that Irish art is awash with politics
Books and Arts
Tuesday
Dead Outlaw is sharp-witted and irreverent
An irreverent musical about the ‘life’ of a mysterious dead body forces us to confront death
Tuesday
Who was William F. Buckley Jr., really?
This book, apparently 20 years in the making, is the product of immense learning and shows a rare familiarity with its subject and his times
The passage of Ragtime
Half a century on, how does E.L. Doctorow’s great American novel fare?
A profound account of the October 7 pogrom
Douglas Murray has authored a book for the ages
Ocean Vuong’s newest work is an affecting celebration of misfits
For all its flaws, The Emperor of Gladness is ultimately a worthwhile novel with a big heart
Keith McNally’s memoir is strangely unappetizing
I didn’t enjoy I Regret Almost Everything
Charles Ives was a composer before his time
He can be remembered as a time-traveler through American music whose presence changed everything
The Picture of Dorian Gray is headache-inducing
Sarah Snook excels in her 26-role masterclass — but there’s too much tech
My Bob Dylan pilgrimage
The lights dimmed and the crowd roared as he walked on stage
Wednesday
Amanda Knox’s new memoir asks what lies next
Free is expansive; contemplative in parts and kooky in others
The double life of a single man
Two biographies connect the life and work of Christopher Isherwood
A Charles Dickens patchwork
A night walk through the world of an author haunted by humanity
Whatever happened to the Panther Den Show?
Why a generation of online right-wingers embraced its esoteric memes
The genius of Gene Hackman
He was the greatest character actor of the past half-century
Thursday
How F. Scott Fitzgerald anticipated our modern age
The Great Gatsby turns 100 this month
Caroline Calloway wants to give you some advice
An unbidden collaboration between living and dead writers is as mad as you might expect
Scott Turow’s latest novel attempts to understand humanity
If Presumed Guilty seems slightly hollow, that may be because it’s all been done before so many times that it’s difficult to be original
A biography of Lorne Michaels that strays into hagiography
Susan Morrison’s book sets itself two tasks: where did its hero come from? And why is he so good at what he does?
Can a TV series capture the extraordinary story of the Mitford girls?
It remains to be seen whether Outrageous lives up to its billing