Revolutionary Victor Serge Has a Message for Our Times
Victor Serge, a rare survivor of Stalin's Terror, had a keen, razor-sharp intelligence and made observations that are highly relevant to our troubled times.
cultural criticism
‘The Poetry of Pop’ Stretches the Definition of Pop Generously
Adam Bradley’s The Poetry of Pop is academic, literary, and breezy – it works well for what it obviously wants to be, a primer on American popular music.
Queer Capitalism: A Street-Level, #LGBTQ Response to Life in the Times of Trumpism
Legislation, the vehicle of idealists, is bereft of ideas in the times of Trumpism. We are left to fend for ourselves.
Combustible Hope: Critics Simon Reynolds and Darren Ambrose on Mark Fisher’s Works and Philosophy
Critic Mark Fisher never stooped to suckle the masses; nor did he fluff the pillows of academics. Colleagues Simon Reynolds and Darren Ambrose provide insight into Fisher’s posthumous book, k-punk, and his intriguing legacy.
How Is It That Agnès Varda Is So Well Known — Yet So Unknown?
Our pop culture landscape is controlled by capitalistic saturation and a deeply-entrenched machismo ethic. It might not be powerful enough to erase Agnès Varda's genius, but it is shameless enough to eliminate her from the common discourse.
‘Out of Our Minds’ Considers Freedom and Force, Coercion and Custom
In Out of Our Minds, Fernández-Armesto encourages readers to distrust visionaries who promise perfection.
Jia Tolentino’s ‘Trick Mirror’ Is a Studied Index of Contemporary Ills
Jia Tolentino's first collection of essays, Trick Mirror, expertly navigates how the byproducts of capitalism and the Internet permeate culture, values, politics, and the daily lives of people worldwide.
Absurdism and Power: Robert Altman’s ‘Brewster McCloud’ in Today’s America
Robert Altman’s comedy Brewster McCloud is as relevant to our absurd society today as it was to our absurd society half a century ago.
Do Canadians Think They’re Morally Superior to Everyone Else?
Yves Engler's Left, Right: Marching to the Beat of Imperial Canada debunks the myth of Canada the good.
When You Speak to Your Muse, Does It Answer? It Does in ‘Boss Broad’
Wild rebellion and reckless combat are increasingly less valued than ethical wit and spiritual sustenance in Megan Volpert's entertaining and insightful Boss Broad.
‘Garage’: A Visually and Intellectually Rich Study of a Seemingly Blank Space
Olivia Erlanger and Luis Ortega Govela's Garage challenges the beguiling, energizing, and yet limiting power of the garage in America as a symbol of escape and reinvention.
Eula Biss’s Reissued ‘Notes from No Man’s Land’ Resonates
Eula Biss's essay collection remains compelling not only for its elegant prose that melds politics and personal essay but because its subject matter may be even more relevant today.