Open Letters Blogs
Arts & Life

fine art, theater, film, music, science, nature

Features

second glance, absent friends, it’s a mystery, peer review, etc.

Fiction

criticism, belles-lettres

Poetry

criticism, new poems

Politics & History

history, politics, current events

Beyond the Pillars of Hercules Beyond the Pillars of Hercules

In addition to their gods and goddesses, the ancient Greeks worshiped youth and athletic prowess, and their foremost bard was Pindar, whose victory odes have received a new translation.

The Sorcerer The Sorcerer

Donald Sturrock’s hefty new biography of Roald Dahl shows both the troubled, temperamental family man and the conjurer of wicked, entrancing stories

Gary Shteyngart, Old Man Gary Shteyngart, Old Man

Who is Gary Shteyngart to call thirty-somethings old? Perhaps a thirty-something himself, bringing forth his most mature novel to date.

The Annotated Mix-Tape, #7 The Annotated Mix-Tape, #7

Black cars, night escapes, spinning vinyl, “Why should I care / Driving’s a gas / it ain’t gonna last…”

The Western Star The Western Star

More than any other figure in American history (including his hated rival Andrew Jackson), Henry Clay towered over the political landscape in the decades before the Civil War; two new books look at his legacy.

Year with Short Novels: Love, the Limits of Narrative, & The Pilgrim Hawk Year with Short Novels: Love, the Limits of Narrative, & The Pilgrim Hawk

The twisty boundaries of narrative reliability are at the heart of Ingrid Norton’s discussion the neglected classic “The Pilgrim Hawk” as “A Year with Short Novels” continues.

On the Scent: Difficult Pleasures On the Scent: Difficult Pleasures

Our regular scentstress extols the difficult: sharp notes, throwbacks, and sweaty musks over easy patchoulis and fruity bores.

EVEN AS WE SPEAK EVEN AS WE SPEAK

THERE IS A BEGINNING TO ALL THIS. AN OCCASION. SCOTTISH BAGPIPES ARE ITS EQUIVALENT, BUT IT BEAMS DOWN IN SPECKLED LIGHTS. SPOKEN LIGHTS.

Eggs Scrambled Differently: A Look at Wayne Shorter Eggs Scrambled Differently: A Look at Wayne Shorter

Saxophonist Wayne Shorter’s performances – improvisational, pointed, unpredictably brilliant – were the stuff of legend, and some pivotal examples were caught on film.

The Crossing The Crossing

Warmth and pleasure are scarce commodities in Per Petterson’s new novel “I Curse the River of Time,” but Janet Potter reveals where they’re hidden

It’s a Mystery: “After all is said and done, we’re just dust” It’s a Mystery: “After all is said and done, we’re just dust”

James Lee Burke’s 18th novel featuring his slightly crazy, completely charismatic Cajun cop, Dave Robicheaux, may just be his best.

I Don’t Find My Jokes Funny Anymore I Don’t Find My Jokes Funny Anymore

The classic epistolary novel is given a new, notably misanthropic turn in Sam Savage’s The Cry of the Sloth — Jeff Bursey reviews

Tales of the Tales of Monkey Island Tales of the Tales of Monkey Island

Like paintings or fine wine, video games have a lifespan – a messy birth, a heyday of renown, and a decline. Retrace the epic life, death – and afterlife? – of Tales from Monkey Island.

“Your Princess is in Another Castle” “Your Princess is in Another Castle”

In the gaming memoir “Unplugged,” one man grapples with the story of his own addiction to video games.

Songs for an Invisible Nation Songs for an Invisible Nation

Rapt in discussion and a bowl of spicy noodles with poet Martín Espada

Encountering Kundera Encountering Kundera

“Art is dying,” Milan Kundera writes in his essay collection “Encounter,” “because the need for art is dying”; John G. Rodwan, Jr. assesses his attempt to re-stoke that need

Fetch My Embroidery! Fetch My Embroidery!

Was Eleanor of Aquitaine a power in medieval politics or a glittering figurehead? This wife of two kings and mother of four stars in a new novel by Alison Weir – but will the real Eleanor please stand up?