The Magazine
December 16, 2024
Goings On
Goings On
The Vibrant Abandon of Barbara Hannigan
Also: A trio of new book bars, Mariah Carey rings in the season, an Avett Brothers musical on Broadway, and more.
Book Currents
What to Read This Winter, According to Tattered Cover
Kathy Baum, who curates new books for the Denver-area bookstore, shares some of her fall and winter favorites.
The Talk of the Town
Benjamin Wallace-Wells on DOGE; getting rid of Giuliani’s goods; Taylor Swift class; “The Blood Quilt”; modern Monopoly.
Comment
What Will Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy Accomplish with Doge?
Two political newcomers have arrived to slash big government, but so far the project seems less revolutionary than advertised.
Gift List Dept.
Gift Ideas from the Rudy Giuliani Collection!
In need of stocking stuffers? How about a Rolex Datejust, owned by the former mayor and put up for auction after he was found liable for defaming two poll workers?
How-To Dept.
Can You Write It Better Than Taylor Swift?
An appreciator of “Speak Now” and “Folklore” joins a roomful of young writers at the Thurber House, a literary center in Ohio, for a class inspired by the pop star.
The Boards
The Cast of “The Blood Quilt” Learn Their Stitches
A master quilter holds a lesson for the director Lileana Blain-Cruz and five actors before the opening of the play at Lincoln Center.
Sketchpad
Monopoly: AI Edition!
You are awarded a military contract; collect $100 billion and nuclear codes. And other Community Chest and Chance cards for the new monopolists.
Reporting & Essays
Onward and Upward with the Arts
A Feminist Director Takes On the Erotic Thriller
Halina Reijn has always loved the genre—and revelled in creating a steamy melodrama for Nicole Kidman in which the protagonist is “greedy,” “dark,” and “wrong.”
Annals of Medicine
A Bionic Leg Controlled by the Brain
A new kind of prosthetic limb depends on carbon fibre and computer chips—and the reëngineering of muscles, tendons, and bone.
A Reporter at Large
President Emmanuel Macron Has Plunged France into Chaos
Lawmakers have toppled the government for the first time since 1962. How did we get here?
Profiles
The Confident Anxiety of Rashid Johnson
Rashid Johnson, who is preparing for a major mid-career show at the Guggenheim, explores depths of masculine vulnerability that few of his contemporaries have touched.
Shouts & Murmurs
Shouts & Murmurs
Book a Stress-Free Getaway
Need to forget the state of the world? Escape to this city hideaway, complete with non-leaky air mattresses and easy access to the fire escape through a hidden kitchen nook!
Fiction
Fiction
“Between the Shadow and the Soul”
On one side of Eliza, Willie put his hand on hers, and on the other, under the table, Bet’s knee pressed against her knee. She had to close her eyes and breathe.
The Critics
The Current Cinema
Great Books Don’t Make Great Films, but “Nickel Boys” Is a Glorious Exception
RaMell Ross’s first dramatic feature, an adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s novel, gives the bearing of witness an arresting cinematic form.
Books
When the United States Tried to Get on Top of the Sex Trade
Why should American exceptionalism end at the red-light district?
Books
Briefly Noted
“Every Valley,” “The Migrant’s Jail,” “The Rest Is Memory,” and “The World with Its Mouth Open.”
Books
Paul Valéry Would Prefer Not To
In his early novella, “Monsieur Teste,” the great French poet created an alter ego even more aloof and elusive than he was.
Musical Events
The Berlin Philharmonic Doesn’t Need a Star Conductor
The musicians possess a powerful collective personality, creating an organic mass of sound.
Poems
Poems
“Are We Going to Leave the Reception or What”
“I really wish people / would dance at receptions.”
Cartoons
Puzzles & Games
The Mail
Letters should be sent with the writer’s name, address, and daytime phone number via e-mail to themail@newyorker.com. Letters may be edited for length and clarity, and may be published in any medium. We regret that owing to the volume of correspondence we cannot reply to every letter.