Vikram Chandra’s New Novel is All About Intrigue – Indian Style

April 5, 2007 by

The literary establishment hasn't yet given pride of place to tales of policemen and criminals, perhaps with good reason.
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Love By The Numbers

March 1, 2007 by

Say the words "science fiction," and the imagination conjures visions of breathtaking advances in physics and biotechnology that transform our world into a dystopia, a utopia or a little of both.
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Hot for Hedonism

February 8, 2007 by

The world of wine writing can be a confusing tangle of high-flown descriptors and bizarre metaphors, owing in no small part to a collective case of tunnel vision on the part of the field's biggest nam...
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Child’s Play

January 25, 2007 by

Adam Gopnik's fans have endured an awful dry spell since 2000, when Paris to the Moon, the longtime New Yorker essayist's previous collection, saw publication. His refined, observant prose made the re...
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A Revolutionary Read

January 11, 2007 by

Nothing about Only Revolutions, Mark Z. Danielewski's most recent book, is easy - least of all reviewing it. It's built like practically nothing else on the literary shelves, save perhaps for House of...
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Fragile Fiction

December 7, 2006 by

Though this reviewer counts himself as one of the uninitiated, Neil Gaiman is said to possess a large, devoted fan base. A cursory investigation on the Internet reveals that this base is, in large par...
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Ode to Economist: Farewell Friedman

November 22, 2006 by

Students of economics, you may now feel free to pour your liquor of choice onto the curb. Milton Friedman, perhaps the wisest, most articulate defender of free markets this century has known, has pass...
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Janna Levin’s Latest Work Is Good … In Theory

November 9, 2006 by

As a genre, historical fiction typically gazes backward and poses the big "what ifs," asking how things might have turned out had the wind blown a little differently all those years ago.
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Blinded By the Light

November 2, 2006 by

Judging by his work, Haruki Murakami bears ambivalence toward a great many things - his homeland, the literary establishment, his generation, the stability of identity and the conventions of narrative...
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Oh, Brother

October 19, 2006 by

If the success of exported films and sitcoms is any indication, people find the lives of middle-class Britons - even, or maybe especially, the unremarkable ones - to be highly entertaining.
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We Must Find a Way to Reduce Society’s Wastefulness

May 4, 2006 by

I think that, all things - especially the inhospitable poolside conditions on Venus - considered, Earth is a swell place to live. Some have even established organizations, programs and traditions to a...
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Value Utility From Wealth and Work

April 17, 2006 by

It's an awful truth that, alas, my journalistic scruples cannot ignore: Some majors get more respect than others. As a former disciple of communication, I know what it is to feel deep, nagging shame a...
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Students’ Inelastic Demand Helps Textbook Prices Soar

April 6, 2006 by

Aside from attending class, what pains college students more than spending money? Unfortunately, our lifestyles tend to demand it with some frequency, often resulting in cash hemorrhages that severely...
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Stein’s Law Can Quell Oil Panic

March 10, 2006 by

So, I hear mankind is teetering on the brink of self-destruction. Not a day goes by that the alarm isn't raised about the rapid depletion of our planet's resources, an announcement often accompanied b...
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Shun the Zero-Sum

March 3, 2006 by

"Have you ever wondered," once asked the Whispers, one of the finest R&B outfits of the 1970s, "Why to win, somebody's got to lose?" While they most definitely knew how to lay down a solid groove, suc...
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