‘A Haunting on the Hill,’ Elizabeth Hand’s remake of Shirley Jackson’s ‘The Haunting of Hill House,’ is a perfect blend of a classic work with a modern twist. Read more
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‘Monica’ by Daniel Clowes
Clowes strikes an irresistible balance of cultural criticism, philosophy, and pulp. The pacing and interconnection of the stories tease the reader along as narration and dialogue pop with insight and humor. Clowes’ art retains a classic comics aesthetic while delivering a thoroughly modern vibe. A timeless nugget of polished pulp. Read more
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Meet This Year’s MacArthur ‘Genius Grant’ Recipients
A scientist who studies the airborne transmission of diseases, a master hula dancer and cultural preservationist, and the sitting U.S. poet laureate were among the 20 new recipients of the prestigious fellowships from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, known as “genius grants,” announced on Wednesday. Read more
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Norwegian Writer Jon Fosse Wins the Nobel Prize in Literature
The Norwegian novelist and playwright Jon Fosse has won the Nobel Prize for literature, the Swedish Academy announced on Thursday, for works that “give voice to the unsayable.” Read more
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‘Lou Reed: The King of New York’ by Will Hermes
…Hermes, a superb writer, does poetic justice to the complicated life of his difficult subject. As Hermes details, a raft of current singers claim debt to Reed, from Courtney Barnett and St. Vincent to Sharon Van Etten and Kurt Vile, as well as creatives in television, art, and fashion. Hermes offers a fresh and deep immersion in Reed’s world in all of its weird and wonderful, curmudgeonly glory, from Andy Warhol’s Factory and the Velvet Underground to days and nights of rock ’n’ roll decadence and his final moments surrounded by family and friends. Reed was influenced by many people over the years, including Delmore Schwartz and Bob Dylan, but none more so than his third wife, multimedia artist Laurie Anderson, who is a big part of this powerful story, this biographical magnum opus. Read more
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‘Julia’ by Sandra Newman is a Feminist Retelling of 1984
Though Newman sticks with the worldbuilding Orwell planned in 1949, not adding post-’84 developments like smartphones, home assistants, or the internet (though these actually do seem to play the surveillance role that Orwell assigned to the telescreens), she embroiders the edges of the original WWII-flavored vision with myriad amusing flourishes (and if you remember anything about 1984, you remember that amusing is not one of the adjectives that comes to mind). For example, though Julia is still a mechanic, working on the machines of Fiction, her first job at the Ministry of Truth was producing porno novels for proles, e.g., Inner Party Sinners: ‘My Telescreen is Broken, Comrade!’ Read more
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Wes Anderson’s Roald Dahl Project Hits Netflix
Four short films, based on Dahl’s stories, hit Netflix at the end of September. Beginning with The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar on September 27, followed by The Swan (Sept. 28), The Ratcatcher (Sept. 29) and Poison (Sept. 30). Watch trailer
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The Best Food Books to Read This Fall
As the blistering heat of summer subsides, giving way to cooler temperatures and changing leaves, there’s no better time than the present to cozy up with a good book. Read more
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Unknown Truman Capote Story Published for First Time
A previously unknown short story by Truman Capote, discovered written in pencil in a notebook then carefully deciphered and transcribed, will be published on Friday. Read more
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China’s Underground Historians and Their Battle for the Future
This conviction of history’s importance is driving a national movement of underground historians that has slowly taken shape over the past 20 years. I call these people historians as a shorthand for a broad array of China’s brightest minds: university professors, independent filmmakers, underground magazine publishers, novelists, artists and journalists. Some might be thought of as dissidents, but most have one foot inside the system, where they continue to hold jobs, own property and raise families. All of them risk their careers, their futures and prison to publish clandestine journals, banned books and independent documentary films. Read more
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