Insurrections of the Bland
/The New Republic once embodied a vibrant, eclectic liberalism. A new anthology inadvertently tells a depressing story about the decline of that vision.
Read More“Il n’y a pas d’Israël pour moi”
/In Michel Houellebecq’s uncannily timely new novel, the triumph of an Islamist government relieves the dreary banality that defines the secular France of the 21st century.
Read MoreIndependence Day
/Two recent votes on independence remind us that globalization has not put an end to nationalism. A new book on the 1995 Quebec referendum highlights just how complicated a people’s “yes” or “no” votes really are.
Read MoreNot Just Cutting Ribbons
/For the past 25 years, the Irish Presidency has been a wonder to behold: a place where passionate eccentrics can embody a complicated country.
Read MoreBook Review: A Great and Monstrous Thing
/"Houses, Churches, mix'd together - Streets, unpleasant in all Weather" - so wrote the poet about resolute, dissolute London, whose 18th century excesses are the subject of a grand new book
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