LoginThe Virgin Birth That Maybe Wasn’t
The scholar Elaine Pagels discusses her research about ancient accounts suggesting that Jesus’ father might have been a Roman.
Reading view
We Need a Great American Fantasy
In search of a New World answer to Narnia and Hogwarts.
Book Review: ‘The Troublemaker,’ by Mark L. Clifford
“The Troublemaker” is a brisk account of the life and work of Jimmy Lai, the media mogul and democracy activist currently on trial for national security offenses.
10 Life Lessons for Grown-ups From Children’s Classics
Even in a world populated by devious wolves, beauty shines through occasionally.
10 Life Lessons for Grown-Ups From Children’s Classics
Even in a world populated by devious wolves, beauty shines through occasionally.
62 Books ‘The Ezra Klein Show’ Guests Recommended This Year
An eclectic list of works that influenced, intrigued and entertained our guests.
Short Books Are Perfect for Our Distracted Age
There is something special about works I can read in full on a rainy Sunday afternoon or in the lamplight hours between supper and bedtime.
This Unreadable Russian Novel Drives Xi’s Struggle Against America
The Chinese leader is digging into the language of revolution, and a radical Russian novel, as he prepares for battle with Donald Trump.
This Unreadable Russian Novel Drives Xi’s Struggle Against America
The Chinese leader is digging into the language of revolution, and a radical Russian novel, as he prepares for battle with Donald Trump.
Chiung Yao, Top Romance Novelist in Chinese-Speaking World, Dies at 86
Writing from Taiwan, she shaped her readers’ idea of romantic love with a raft of best sellers, many adapted for the screen. Newborns were named after her characters.
The Disappearance of Literary Men Should Worry Everyone
What happens if half the population is no longer involved in reading and writing?
How a Book From 1981 Anticipated This Political Moment
Two columnists sit down to discuss two books that crystallize this period in America.
Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth See the Same Enemies
Hegseth, too, wants to fight the “enemy within.”
Book Review: ‘Her Lotus Year,’ by Paul French
As Paul French argues in a new biography, the future Duchess of Windsor’s year in China was less lurid — and more interesting — than her critics knew.
Read Your Way Through Shanghai
Shanghai straddles the past and the future, a dizzying prism of many histories and cultures. The poet Sally Wen Mao shares books that illuminate this cosmopolitan city.
Gao Ertai: The desert flower that keeps blooming
“Some see in his critique of the Mao era parallels to today: the arbitrary rule of an aging leader, harsh treatment of dissent, and government programs that encourage people to inform on one another.” My profile of the octogenarian essayist Gao Ertai, who lived for years in the deserts of western China and now resides in Las Vegas.
Read the article in The New Yorker online here.
Read the Chinese translation in the Boston Review of Books (波斯頓書評) here.
The post Gao Ertai: The desert flower that keeps blooming appeared first on Ian Johnson.
