Sponsored by Arcade, a Koffler Arts publication

Joseph O’Neill
Kamalapalooza

The liberal grassroots coalition has transformed Kamala Harris’s fortunes. How can she harness its power?

Thomas Powers
Trump’s Oath of Denial

He tried to overthrow an election once—why not expect him to do so again?

Zephyr Teachout
Kamala Harris’s Big-Business Choice

As president, Harris could take further steps toward a fair and free economy—or roll back her predecessor’s antitrust gains.

Colm Tóibín
The Pitch of Passion

James Baldwin was fascinated with eloquence itself, the soaring phrase, the rhythm pushed hard, the sharp and glorious ring of a sentence.

Imagine the Atlantic as an Actor

a poem by
Vona Groarke

running lines. He tries out emphasis
as if dropping stones in a rockpool
(I sink. I sink. I sink.) and plays along
with a smoky grin or countermanding fist…

Free from the Archives

James Baldwin was born one hundred years ago this past Friday. In the NYR Online this weekend, Colm Tóibín writes about Baldwin’s first novel, Go Tell It on the Mountain, and the “special eloquence” of his prose:

Baldwin’s style could be high and grave and reflect his glittering mind; his thought was embodied in his style. His thought was subtle, ironic, but also engaged and passionate. When he needed to, he could write a plain, sharp sentence, or he could produce a high-toned effect, or he could end a long sentence with a ringing sound.

Baldwin brought that refinement and care to his two contributions to our pages: a review, in 1967, of Elia Kazan’s novel The Arrangement, and his celebrated essay, in our January 7, 1971, issue, “An Open Letter to My Sister, Miss Angela Davis.”

James Baldwin
An Open Letter to My Sister, Miss Angela Davis

“One way of gauging a nation’s health, or of discerning what it really considers to be its interests—or to what extent it can be considered as a nation as distinguished from a coalition of special interests—is to examine those people it elects to represent or protect it. One glance at the American leaders (or figure-heads) conveys that America is on the edge of absolute chaos, and also suggests the future to which American interests, if not the bulk of the American people, appear willing to consign the blacks.”

Save $168 on an inspired pairing!
Get both The New York Review and The Paris Review at one low price

Get the deal

Politics   Literature   Arts   Ideas

You are receiving this message because you signed up
for email newsletters from The New York Review.

Update your address or preferences

View this newsletter online

The New York Review of Books
207 East 32nd Street, New York, NY 10016-6305