In The October 2009 IssueEditor's Choice Life In (and After) Our Great RecessionWhat histories of the Depression era tell us about middle-class families in crisis, then and now. By Benjamin Schwarz. 
Essay Cheap LaughsThe smug satire of liberal humorists debases our comedy—and our national conversation. By Christopher Hitchens.
New Books Cover to CoverA. S. Byatt's latest; fear and loathing of the future; God is still dead; and more. |
Featured Archive Content
Classic ReviewsOriginal Atlantic reviews of classic books. How did The Atlantic review Charles Dickens's Great Expectations in 1861? What did the magazine have to say about Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita in 1958?...
Word ImperfectSimon Winchester considers the legacy and the fate of Roget's Thesaurus, once considered one of our great linguistic achievements—but now at risk of obsolescence. (May 2001)
A Reader's ManifestoB. R. Myers attacks the growing pretentiousness of American literary prose. (July 2001)
The Author HimselfBefore he became president of the United States, Woodrow Wilson wrote this essay about the richness of world literature and books that "have the flavor of immortality." (September 1891)
Flashbacks: Mark Twain in The Atlantic MonthlyThe story of Twain's association with The Atlantic, and a sampling of his writings.
The Buying of Books (February 1922)"Sometimes, when I have bought a book that I did not need and am a little ashamed to go home, I make an inscription in it: 'To my dear wife, upon her birthday...'" |
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Books Sex and the Married ManHow Helen Gurley Brown inspired a generation of home-wreckers, and brought down John Edwards. By Caitlin Flanagan.
Books The Pain of Elizabeth EdwardsA new memoir by the politician’s wife shows that the pain of infidelity pales in comparison to the loss of a child. By Christopher Hitchens.
Essays Border CrossingsDoes a national literature still have meaning in an age of open borders and polyglot cultures? By Margaret Atwood, Joseph O’Neill, Monica Ali, and Anne Michaels.
Essays Eyes on the PrizeLiterary awards are inherently subjective, but they are also the most powerful antidote we have to the decline of serious fiction. By Alice Sebold. |
Essays Eyes on the PrizeLiterary awards are inherently subjective, but they are also the most powerful antidote we have to the decline of serious fiction. By Alice Sebold.
Essays Telling TailsIn fiction, details matter. But only imagination can illuminate the human soul. By Tim O’Brien.
Books Let’s Call the Whole Thing OffThe author is ending her marriage. Isn’t it time you did the same? By Sandra Tsing Loh.
Books Lincoln’s EmancipationThe cruelty and degeneracy the future president was subjected to in his youth forged his iron will. By Christopher Hitchens.
Books Cover to CoverA slacker’s miscellany; the long-haul lobby; wuthering Wordsworths; Vishnu anew; and more.
Editor's Choice California DreamersThe latest volume of Kevin Starr’s history chronicles the triumph—and points toward the tragedy—of the Golden State’s Good Life. By Benjamin Schwarz. |