Alexandra Schwartz
Alexandra Schwartz joined The New Yorker as a member of the editorial staff in 2013 and has been a staff writer since 2016. She has written extensively about literature as both a critic and a reporter, profiling writers such as Jennifer Egan, Miriam Toews, Vivian Gornick, and Ayad Akhtar. In 2014, she was awarded the National Book Critics Circle’s Nona Balakian Citation for Excellence in Reviewing. Schwartz, who has written frequently on France, covered the November, 2015, terror attacks in Paris. She has also written pieces about New York City’s newest neighborhood, the pitfalls of self-help, and the world’s largest coöperative grocery store. Since 2019, Schwartz has served as a theatre critic for the magazine.
Alice Munro’s Fall from Grace
Revelations about the celebrated writer have reignited debates about how to reckon with artists who do terrible things. Have the years since #MeToo yielded any answers?
The Changing World of Nature Documentaries
The genre, long celebrated for its lush visuals and hard-won footage, is increasingly reckoning with the fact that the landscapes and the species it showcases may soon be gone forever.
The Therapy Episode
Therapy has come to shape our entertainment, our language, and even our relationships. How did we get from treatment to a life style?
Is Travel Broken?
Global tourism is projected to reach an all-time high this year. How do we square our zeal for exploration with increasingly pressing reasons to stay put?
The Many Faces of the Hit Man
The figure of the sleek, practiced killer has been a fixture of the cinematic landscape, from “Pulp Fiction” to “John Wick.” A new film from Richard Linklater pokes fun at our collective obsession with the archetype.
The New Midlife Crisis
The classic midlife crisis, with its flashy sports cars and covert affairs, has become a cliché in itself. Miranda July’s novel “All Fours” is part of a new wave of fiction that’s challenging expectations of what middle age can be.
Kendrick Lamar, Drake, and the Benefits of Beef
A feud between two of the biggest names in rap quickly escalated into a mutual smear campaign. How did a conflict based in craft become one that was about so much more?
Miranda July Turns the Lights On
A few years ago, July began writing a novel, “All Fours,” about how middle age changes sex, marriage, and ambition. Then the novel changed her.
Our Collective Obsession with True Crime
Today’s audiences have a seemingly insatiable appetite for stories about people who do—or experience—terrible things. Is there a right way to turn real-life tragedy into mass entertainment?
Why the Sports Movie Always Wins
Films like Luca Guadagnino’s “Challengers” and last year’s “The Iron Claw” offer Zeitgeisty takes on masculinity. Do they signal a shift in the storied genre?
When Babies Rule the Dinner Table
In the past two decades, American parents have started to ditch the purées and give babies more choice—and more power—at mealtime.
“Civil War” ’s Unsettling Images
Alex Garland’s latest film, in which the U.S. has collapsed into brutal internecine conflict, has polarized audiences with its depiction of violence—and its evasion of politics. In art and in life, how do such visuals change the viewer?
“Curb Your Enthusiasm” and the Art of the Finale
After twelve seasons and nearly twenty-five years, Larry David’s masterpiece of observational comedy has come to an end. What does it mean to say goodbye to a work of fiction that’s become a fixture in our everyday lives?
Why We Want What Tom Ripley Has
Patricia Highsmith’s 1955 novel, “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” tells the story of a grifter who goes to unthinkable lengths to assume a life style he covets. In the age of influencers, “Ripley” is more winning than ever.
Kate Middleton and the Internet’s Communal Fictions
In the months leading up to the announcement of Kate Middleton’s cancer diagnosis, online sleuths created a vivid fictional world explaining her absence. When conspiracy steps in, where does that leave reality?
Is Science Fiction the New Realism?
In an era of life-altering pandemics, advanced A.I., and climate catastrophe, anticipating the future can seem like a futile exercise. Is sci-fi our best chance at making sense of what’s to come?
The New Coming-of-Age Story
Vinson Cunningham discusses his début novel, “Great Expectations,” a bildungsroman that captures a particular moment in American life—and that offers some clues about where the genre is heading.
Why We Love an Office Drama
From Adelle Waldman’s novel “Help Wanted” to the sci-fi-inflected Apple TV+ show “Severance,” fictional depictions of work are getting darker, or at least stranger. What can the state of the workplace in art tell us about the workplace in life?
The Politics of the Oscar Race
The Academy Awards often say less about a film’s artistic merits than about the lengthy—and expensive—P.R. campaigns being orchestrated behind the scenes. So why do we care who wins?
How Usher, Beyoncé, and Taylor Swift Build Their Own Legacies
Today’s leading artists are also savvy P.R. professionals who strive to shape their images in real time. Where does that leave the art itself?
Alice Munro’s Fall from Grace
Revelations about the celebrated writer have reignited debates about how to reckon with artists who do terrible things. Have the years since #MeToo yielded any answers?
The Changing World of Nature Documentaries
The genre, long celebrated for its lush visuals and hard-won footage, is increasingly reckoning with the fact that the landscapes and the species it showcases may soon be gone forever.
The Therapy Episode
Therapy has come to shape our entertainment, our language, and even our relationships. How did we get from treatment to a life style?
Is Travel Broken?
Global tourism is projected to reach an all-time high this year. How do we square our zeal for exploration with increasingly pressing reasons to stay put?
The Many Faces of the Hit Man
The figure of the sleek, practiced killer has been a fixture of the cinematic landscape, from “Pulp Fiction” to “John Wick.” A new film from Richard Linklater pokes fun at our collective obsession with the archetype.
The New Midlife Crisis
The classic midlife crisis, with its flashy sports cars and covert affairs, has become a cliché in itself. Miranda July’s novel “All Fours” is part of a new wave of fiction that’s challenging expectations of what middle age can be.
Kendrick Lamar, Drake, and the Benefits of Beef
A feud between two of the biggest names in rap quickly escalated into a mutual smear campaign. How did a conflict based in craft become one that was about so much more?
Miranda July Turns the Lights On
A few years ago, July began writing a novel, “All Fours,” about how middle age changes sex, marriage, and ambition. Then the novel changed her.
Our Collective Obsession with True Crime
Today’s audiences have a seemingly insatiable appetite for stories about people who do—or experience—terrible things. Is there a right way to turn real-life tragedy into mass entertainment?
Why the Sports Movie Always Wins
Films like Luca Guadagnino’s “Challengers” and last year’s “The Iron Claw” offer Zeitgeisty takes on masculinity. Do they signal a shift in the storied genre?
When Babies Rule the Dinner Table
In the past two decades, American parents have started to ditch the purées and give babies more choice—and more power—at mealtime.
“Civil War” ’s Unsettling Images
Alex Garland’s latest film, in which the U.S. has collapsed into brutal internecine conflict, has polarized audiences with its depiction of violence—and its evasion of politics. In art and in life, how do such visuals change the viewer?
“Curb Your Enthusiasm” and the Art of the Finale
After twelve seasons and nearly twenty-five years, Larry David’s masterpiece of observational comedy has come to an end. What does it mean to say goodbye to a work of fiction that’s become a fixture in our everyday lives?
Why We Want What Tom Ripley Has
Patricia Highsmith’s 1955 novel, “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” tells the story of a grifter who goes to unthinkable lengths to assume a life style he covets. In the age of influencers, “Ripley” is more winning than ever.
Kate Middleton and the Internet’s Communal Fictions
In the months leading up to the announcement of Kate Middleton’s cancer diagnosis, online sleuths created a vivid fictional world explaining her absence. When conspiracy steps in, where does that leave reality?
Is Science Fiction the New Realism?
In an era of life-altering pandemics, advanced A.I., and climate catastrophe, anticipating the future can seem like a futile exercise. Is sci-fi our best chance at making sense of what’s to come?
The New Coming-of-Age Story
Vinson Cunningham discusses his début novel, “Great Expectations,” a bildungsroman that captures a particular moment in American life—and that offers some clues about where the genre is heading.
Why We Love an Office Drama
From Adelle Waldman’s novel “Help Wanted” to the sci-fi-inflected Apple TV+ show “Severance,” fictional depictions of work are getting darker, or at least stranger. What can the state of the workplace in art tell us about the workplace in life?
The Politics of the Oscar Race
The Academy Awards often say less about a film’s artistic merits than about the lengthy—and expensive—P.R. campaigns being orchestrated behind the scenes. So why do we care who wins?
How Usher, Beyoncé, and Taylor Swift Build Their Own Legacies
Today’s leading artists are also savvy P.R. professionals who strive to shape their images in real time. Where does that leave the art itself?