Meet the lifestyle and wellness hawkers of 13th century Italy: the Monks of Santa Maria Novella.
Search results
An Immoderate Novel for an Immoderate Season: An Interview with Olivia Laing
Olivia Laing’s new novel, “Crudo,” is a fictionalized account of the summer of 2017, written in real time by Laing — from the perspective of Kathy Acker.
Smooth Spaces, Fuzzy Lives
The border of Northern Ireland was one Rachel Andrews thought she could never cross. Then it began to dissolve.
The 17-Year Itch
Laura Jean Baker finds that being a feminist married to a progressive man isn’t a fail-safe against sexism occasionally intruding in their marriage.
When Medieval Monks Couldn’t Cure the Plague, They Launched a Luxe Skincare Line
Whether you were European royalty desperately seeking a cure for impotence or a working-class neighbor looking for the latest deodorant, Santa Maria Novella was the place to go.
The Country Where Fútbol Comes First
Uruguay, a small nation with a deep-seated passion for soccer, is the inspiration for any underdog vying to win a World Cup.
Stalin’s Scheherazade
An opportunistic literary caper became a lifelong con — with no possibility of escape.
After World War I, Horror Movies Were Invaded By an Army of Reanimated Corpses
Were early horror films, with their long, angry processions of the undead, repeating the mass trauma of the First World War, or foreshadowing the coming of the Second?
Letter to a Dog Walking Service
Diane Mehta adopted a rescue dog but then questioned her own salvation from the chaos of daily migraines.
Hiking With Nietzsche
An infirmed Friedrich Nietzsche hiked the Swiss Alps to work on his writing. Philosopher John Kaag followed Nietzsche’s trail, taking the great thinker’s ideas out of his books and into the world.
