Literature

To Thine Own Self Be True

Tara Isabella Burton’s new book ‘Self-Made’ surveys the grand, and sometimes ridiculous, history of how crafting identities shaped our modern world.

An Essayist’s Defense of the Novel

Joseph Epstein’s new book explains why serious fiction matters, and what we’ll lose if we stop reading it.

To Understand ‘Oppenheimer,’ Look Back at Prometheus

Christopher Nolan’s film, like the Greek myth, refuses to simply glorify its protagonist.

Cormac McCarthy’s Blood and Guts Catholicism

The late writer’s gritty style gives us a window into his religious upbringing and imagination.

Paternal Roots

A look back at Seamus Heaney’s best poem about fathers.

Whodunit, Japanese Style

A review of Yukito Ayatsuji’s 'The Mill House Murders.'

Socrates and Xi Jinping Go Into a Bar

A review of ‘Plato Goes to China: The Greek Classics and Chinese Nationalism.’