How Do You Solve a Problem Like Norman Mailer?
A new documentary offers a model for reassessing the lives of monstrous men.
Gal Beckerman
Gal Beckerman is a staff writer at The Atlantic. He is the author, most recently, of The Quiet Before: On the Unexpected Origins of Radical Ideas.
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Illustration by Paul Spella / The Atlantic; Sources: Brownie Harris / Corbis / Getty; Hulton Archive / Getty. The Wannabe Tough-Guy Presidency
A rough-and-tumble icon of masculinity who loves executive power—now, who does that sound like?
Illustration by Ben Kothe / The Atlantic. Sources: Vernon Lewis Gallery / Stocktrek Images / Getty; Justin Sullivan / Getty. Dr. Ruth, Richard Simmons, and the Joys of Eccentricity
The deaths of two inimitable 1980s figures are a reminder that our world needs more cheerful weirdos.
Illustration by The Atlantic. Sources: Roy Rochlin / Getty; Bobby Bank / WireImage / Getty. What Writer’s Block Feels Like
Being stuck is a regular affliction when you do this work for a living, though it can affect anyone who just has to write an email or a birthday card—all of us, that is.
Illustration by Matteo Giuseppe Pani. Source: Getty. The Women Who Caused a Revolution in Cooking
Joan Nathan reflects on Judith Jones and the cookbooks she edited.
Dina Rudick / The Boston Globe / Getty ‘An Entire Life Handed Over to Art’
Alice Munro’s death was an occasion to praise her life as a writer as much as her actual work.
Ian Willms / The New York Times / Redux The ‘Lurid Metaphors’ of Illness
Meghan O’Rourke recommends her favorite books about sickness and health.
Illustration by The Atlantic. Sources: Shutterstock; Getty. A Prominent Free-Speech Group Is Fighting for Its Life
PEN America has now canceled its annual World Voices festival, after calling off its literary-awards ceremony last week. Can it survive?
Illustration by Ben Kothe / The Atlantic Bringing a Social Movement to Life
The author Adam Hochschild recommends books that vividly illustrate moments of great change.
Kim Kulish / Corbis / Getty An Oblique and Beautiful Book
The Children’s Bach is a striking picture of how ravaged a life can be when unmoored from any responsibility, and of how necessary it is to take care of others.
Pauliina Maunula / Getty
