Nonfiction

The Intellectuals Fueling the MAGA Movement

“Furious Minds,” by Laura K. Field, traces the ascendancy of hard-right thinkers whose contempt for liberal democracy is shaping American politics.

By Jennifer Szalai

Joan Didion and Kurt Vonnegut Had Something to Say. We Have It on Tape.

Rare recordings of E.E. Cummings, Mary Oliver and more offer a tour through literary history led by authors in their own words — and voices. Take a listen.

By Elizabeth A. Harris and Aliza Aufrichtig

Essay

The Pamphlet That Has Roused Americans to Action for 250 Years

Thomas Paine published “Common Sense” in 1776 as an argument for independence. Americans across the political spectrum have been citing it ever since.

By Joseph Rezek

Once a Year the French Literary Scene Goes to the Dogs (Cats, Too)

It’s the day the “Animal Goncourt” is awarded. “Who better,” a judge says, “to talk about the fabulous relationship between animals and men than writers and philosophers?”

By Sadie Stein

Nonfiction

Can Poetry Heal the Divided Nation?

Tracy K. Smith, a former U.S. poet laureate, makes the case in a new book of criticism.

By David Kirby