It’s always the same: a morning arrives in November, and my friend, as though officially inaugurating the Christmas time of year that exhilarates her imagination and fuels the blaze of her heart, announces: “It’s fruitcake weather! Fetch our buggy. Help me find my hat.” “A Christmas Memory,” Truman Capote ’Tis the season! A time for awkwardly posed […]
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When Sartre and Beauvoir Started a Magazine
In 1945, Les Temps modernes shocked the world with its pessimism and grim determination, and catapulted its founders into intellectual superstardom.
Finding the Soundtrack to My Desert Life
In the ’90s, discovering the music of Friends of Dean Martinez helped Aaron Gilbreath stop running and appreciate life in his native Arizona.
Etta or Bessie or Dora or Rose
From Elisa Albert’s acclaimed 2006 collection, the infamous short story that turned Philip Roth’s playbook inside out.
Etta or Bessie or Dora or Rose
From Elisa Albert’s acclaimed 2006 collection, the infamous short story that turned Philip Roth’s playbook inside out.
The Wild Times of Billy Idol
Before there was pop-punk, there was Billy Idol. More than any other artist of his era, the man born William Broad brought the style and attitude of punk rock into the American mainstream, via massive hits including “White Wedding” and “Rebel Yell.” For this, he was both celebrated and vilified. Fans adored Idol’s bad-boy image […]
Raised by Hip-Hop
In hip-hop and skateboarding, one young man finds an outlet for his aggression.
Publishing the Best of the Desert: An Interview With Ken Layne
“If you’re doing something small, something that’s mostly your labor and vision, then stick to what makes you satisfied.”
Longreads Best of 2017: Under-Recognized Stories
Here are the best stories we thought deserved more attention this year.
The Many Acts of Keith Gordon
How does a young, successful actor become a relatively unknown director of most of the television you watch? And what’s next?
