June 07, 2012
In the Rhino Colony
In The Fifth Impossibility, his new collection of essays, Norman Manea demonstrates that he is an indispensable analyst of what it means to be a Roman
January 16, 2012
What is the Meaning of it, Watson?
Sherlock Holmes may be the most famous fictional character who ever existed and Doyle was the most popular writer since Dickens. But how could the man
November 10, 2011
The Unexamined Socrates
Paul Johnson’s Socrates aims to remove the mystery. Johnson writes in a robust, bluff tone. As he summarizes Socrates’s life and thought, he doesn’t m
July 25, 2011
Seduction Unending
The Thousand and One Nights, also known as The Arabian Nights, is the world’s best-travelled collection of stories, and the most popular. It might be
March 29, 2011
All Whooshed Up
All Things Shining turns out to be, rather surprisingly, a prime example of the current religious revival in America. This is a spiritual self-help bo
