Poor Reading, Weak Theory: An Excerpt from “The Amateur”
LARB presents an excerpt from Saikat Majumdar’s “The Amateur: Self-Making and the Humanities in the Postcolony.”
LARB presents an excerpt from Saikat Majumdar’s “The Amateur: Self-Making and the Humanities in the Postcolony.”
Saikat MajumdarJul 9
Michael Rubenstein writes on the 50th anniversary of “Chinatown” and the beginning of the end of petromodernity.
Michael RubensteinJul 8
Thomas Chen reviews Margaret Hillenbrand’s “On the Edge: Feeling Precarious in China.”
Thomas ChenJul 6
Jenny Boyar writes about her midlife rediscovery of singer-songwriter Natalie Merchant.
Jenny BoyarJul 5
Matthew Longo reflects on the surreal experience of the DMZ, where borders create both division and unity.
Matthew LongoJul 2
Hannah Sage Kay reviews David K. Seitz’s “A Different Trek: Radical Geographies of ‘Deep Space Nine.’”
Hannah Sage KayJul 1
Olivia Stowell reviews Emily Nussbaum’s “Cue the Sun! The Invention of Reality TV.”
Olivia StowellJun 26
Henry Luzzatto puzzles over John Mulaney’s Netflix talk show “Everybody’s in L.A.”
Henry LuzzattoJun 24
David A. Gerstner considers the sterilized presentation of Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s “Querelle” in its new rerelease.
David A. GerstnerJun 12
Selby Wynn Schwartz speaks with Julian Carter about his new book “Dances of Time and Tenderness,” self-described as “not a memoir, but a collective...
Selby Wynn SchwartzJun 6
Gabriel X. Hendrix reviews Gil Cuadros’s “My Body is Paper.”
Gabriel X. HendrixJun 3
Anthony Alessandrini reviews Hala Alyan’s “The Moon That Turns You Back.”
Anthony AlessandriniJun 1
Cinque Henderson writes a personal tribute for Helen Vendler.
Cinque HendersonMay 29
For AAPI month, Rajpreet Heir writes about the creative guidance she’s found in memoirs by AAPI authors.
Rajpreet HeirMay 28
Ozempic is a drug against addiction. Is it also a drug for … virtue? wonders political scientist Krzysztof Pelc.
Krzysztof PelcMay 26
Isabel Bartholomew reviews Grace Lavery’s “Closures: Heterosexuality and the American Sitcom.”
Isabel BartholomewMay 25
Stephanie Schoellman reviews Joshua Comaroff and Ong Ker-Shing’s “Horror in Architecture: The Reanimated Edition.”
Stephanie SchoellmanMay 23
Leigh-Michil George reviews Cookie Woolner’s “The Famous Lady Lovers: Black Women and Queer Desire Before Stonewall.”
Leigh-Michil GeorgeMay 21
Diana Arterian reviews Alison C. Rollins’s “Black Bell.”
Diana ArterianMay 19
Anna Levett reviews Mark Polizzotti’s “Why Surrealism Matters.”
Anna LevettMay 14
Adam Fleming Petty reviews Lucas Mann’s “Attachments: Essays on Fatherhood and Other Performance,” rooting his analysis in his personal experience.
Adam Fleming PettyMay 6
Margo Steines reviews Lucas Mann's “Attachments: Essays on Fatherhood and Other Performances.”
Margo SteinesMay 6
Ian Ellison reviews Brian K. Goodman’s “The Nonconformists: American and Czech Writers Across the Iron Curtain.”
Ian EllisonApr 27
Jonathan van Harmelen reveals a lesser-known, unappreciated history of American film through the work of Asian American makers and studios.
Jonathan van HarmelenApr 25