On Edgar Allan Poe
Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Marilynne Robinson on the unknowability of Poe and his work, and the difficulty in interpreting Poe’s unusual and only novel, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym, which, among other things, is considered to be one of the inspirations for Moby Dick.
Justice Deferred Is Justice Denied
Judge Jed S. Rakoff breaks down the failure of prosecuting corporate crime in the United States. Using “deferred prosecutions” to target companies, rather than individuals within a company, has led to few true punishments for anyone.
The NY Police vs. the Mayor
On the complicated relationship between Mayor de Blasio and the New York Police Department in the wake of the deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown, as well as Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu.
The Disgrace of Our Criminal Justice
Cole examines three books that highlight what is wrong with America’s justice system, and why incarceration rates are so high.
The Myth of Chinese Super Schools
Diane Ravitch on the politics of education reform and testing in America, and a review of Yong Zhao’s book on China’s history of testing: Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Dragon: Why China Has the Best (and Worst) Education System in the World.
How Lincoln Played the Press
Historian Gary Wills on President Lincoln’s skills as a self-publicist and agility dealing with the media.
To Heaven and Back!
A brief history of near-death experiences in literature.
Find Your Beach
Zadie Smith on loving, hating and living in Manhattan—an island where the pursuit of happiness has become a duty
Ghosts in Sunlight
“The artist’s memory is a dangerous, necessary thing.” Als’s commencement speech at Columbia University School of the Arts.
Citizen Bezos
Steve Coll examines Brad Stone’s The Everything Store, and Amazon’s impact on publishing:
Toward the end of his account, Stone asks the essential question: “Will antitrust authorities eventually come to scrutinize Amazon and its market power?” His answer: “Yes, I believe that is likely.” It is “clear that Amazon has helped damage or destroy competitors small and large,” in Stone’s judgment.
In view of Amazon’s recent treatment of The Everything Store, Stone may now end up as a courtroom witness. Yet there are reasons to be wary about who will prevail in such a contest, if it ever takes place. As Stone notes, “Amazon is a masterly navigator of the law.” And crucially, as in so many other fields of economic policy, antitrust law has been reshaped in recent decades by the spread of free-market fundamentalism. Judges and legislators have reinterpreted antitrust law to emphasize above all the promotion of low prices for consumers, which Amazon delivers, rather than the interests of producers—whether these are authors, book publishers, or mom-and-pop grocery stores—that are threatened by giants.