The Magazine

September 14, 2020

Brownstone, mail box, flowers — “Overgrown,” by Edward Steed.

Reporting

Onward and Upward with the Arts
Susanna Clarke’s Fantasy World of Interiors
Fifteen years after an illness rendered her largely housebound, the best-selling writer is releasing a novel that feels like a surreal meditation on life in quarantine.
By Laura Miller
Annals of Politics
Is Russian Meddling as Dangerous as We Think?
The spectre of foreign manipulation looms over the coming election. But in focussing on the tactics of the aggressors we overlook our weaknesses as victims.
By Joshua Yaffa
Personal History
How My Mother and I Became Chinese Propaganda
Immigrant struggles in America forged a bond that became even tighter after my mother’s A.L.S. diagnosis. Then, as COVID-19 threatened, Chinese nationalists began calling us traitors to our country.
By Jiayang Fan
Profiles
The Colorful Worlds of Pipilotti Rist
The Swiss video artist wants her groundbreaking work to be like women’s handbags, with “room in them for everything.”
By Calvin Tomkins

More Reporting

The Critics

The Current Cinema
“Tenet” is Dazzling, Deft, and Devoid of Feeling
Christopher Nolan’s latest film bears the hopes of an industry desperate to get people back in theatres, but grandeur is no guarantee of impact.
By Anthony Lane
Books
How Can We Pay for Creativity in the Digital Age?
There’s still money to be made, but it’s mostly not the creators who are getting rich.
By Hua Hsu
Books
Briefly Noted Book Reviews
“Life of a Klansman,” “Lying in State,” “little scratch,” and “The Queen of Tuesday.”
Books
Yaa Gyasi Explores the Science of the Soul
In her second novel, Gyasi examines the forces of repression through a mother and daughter’s shared loss.
By James Wood
Books
The Injustices of Aging
The women in Sigrid Nunez’s latest novel confront the indignities of their declining years.
By Merve Emre
The Art World
The Joys of Nineteenth-Century French Drawings
While masterpieces traffic in the inexplicable, drawings speak directly from the artist in pre- or mid-creation, hatching little big bangs of ideas.
By Peter Schjeldahl

More Criticism

The Talk of the Town

Jelani Cobb on political violence and the election; the lockdown porta-potty boom; Jason Scott Lee; Calamityware; Roger Angell at a hundred.

Comment
Our Long, Forgotten History of Election-Related Violence
President Trump has sparked dangerous lawlessness, but killing and destruction linked to political antagonisms are nothing new for this country.
By Jelani Cobb
Silver Lining Dept.
COVID Silver Lining: The Porta-Potty Boom
Even with local COVID cases down, the clamor for sanitary hands and clean toilets is on the rise.
By David Gauvey Herbert
Home Front Dept.
“Mulan” Star Jason Scott Lee Is Recovering from COVID-19
The star of Disney’s live-action film contracted the coronavirus after travelling to the cancelled London première. Now he’s home in Hawaii, tending to his family and his overgrown garden.
By Sarah Larson
Dept. of Coping
Coffee with Sasquatch and a Couple of Robots
Calamityware’s disaster-themed dishes remind us that things could always be worse, even in a pandemic.
By Anna Russell
Dept. of Hoopla
Roger Angell at a Hundred
Raising a glass to the New Yorker legend—born ﬁve years before the founding of this magazine, and a contributor for the past seventy-six—as he celebrates a milestone birthday.
By Mark Singer

More Talk of the Town

Shouts & Murmurs

Shouts & Murmurs
Opt Out
I would like to opt out of any and all news alerts related to the President of the United States; any headline with the word “tweet” in any form; Shia LaBeouf; “influencers.”
By Cora Frazier

More Shouts & Murmurs

Cartoons

Fiction

Fiction
“The Englishman”
“His eyes travelled up my bare leg as it emerged from the sleep-twisted sheets. I pretended to be asleep.”
By Douglas Stuart

More Fiction

Poems

Poems
“I have slept in many places, for years on mattresses that entered”
“Among crickets and chicken bones in ditches, in the bare / grass on the lavish grounds of a crumbling castle, in a flapping German / circus tent.”
By Diane Seuss
Poems
“Grendel”
“All lions must lean into something other than a roar.”
By Roger Reeves

More Poetry

Goings On About Town

Classical Music
Tragedy and Compassion at the Opera
Joyce DiDonato’s performance in the Metropolitan Opera’s streaming series “Met Stars Live in Concert,” on Sept. 12, is well suited to our year of high drama.
Tables for Two
Pulkies’s “Jewish-Style BBQ”
The brisket is conﬁted in its own fat and served in a sauce that includes Manischewitz. The sides include honey-butter corn bread and barbecue beans.
By Hannah Goldfield

More Goings On About Town

The Mail

Letters should be sent with the writer’s name, address, and daytime phone number via e-mail to themail@newyorker.com. Letters may be edited for length and clarity, and may be published in any medium. We regret that owing to the volume of correspondence we cannot reply to every letter.

Letters from our Readers

Reporting

Susanna Clarke’s Fantasy World of Interiors

Fifteen years after an illness rendered her largely housebound, the best-selling writer is releasing a novel that feels like a surreal meditation on life in quarantine.

Is Russian Meddling as Dangerous as We Think?

The spectre of foreign manipulation looms over the coming election. But in focussing on the ­tactics of the aggressors we overlook our weaknesses as victims.

How My Mother and I Became Chinese Propaganda

Immigrant struggles in America forged a bond that became even tighter after my mother’s A.L.S. diagnosis. Then, as COVID-19 threatened, Chinese nationalists began calling us traitors to our country.

The Colorful Worlds of Pipilotti Rist

The Swiss video artist wants her groundbreaking work to be like women’s handbags, with “room in them for everything.”

The Critics

“Tenet” is Dazzling, Deft, and Devoid of Feeling

Christopher Nolan’s latest film bears the hopes of an industry desperate to get people back in theatres, but grandeur is no guarantee of impact.

How Can We Pay for Creativity in the Digital Age?

There’s still money to be made, but it’s mostly not the creators who are getting rich.

Briefly Noted Book Reviews

“Life of a Klansman,” “Lying in State,” “little scratch,” and “The Queen of Tuesday.”

Yaa Gyasi Explores the Science of the Soul

In her second novel, Gyasi examines the forces of repression through a mother and daughter’s shared loss.

The Injustices of Aging

The women in Sigrid Nunez’s latest novel confront the indignities of their declining years.

The Joys of Nineteenth-Century French Drawings

While masterpieces traffic in the inexplicable, drawings speak directly from the artist in pre- or mid-creation, hatching little big bangs of ideas.

The Talk of the Town

Jelani Cobb on political violence and the election; the lockdown porta-potty boom; Jason Scott Lee; Calamityware; Roger Angell at a hundred.

Our Long, Forgotten History of Election-Related Violence

President Trump has sparked dangerous lawlessness, but killing and destruction linked to political antagonisms are nothing new for this country.

COVID Silver Lining: The Porta-Potty Boom

Even with local COVID cases down, the clamor for sanitary hands and clean toilets is on the rise.

“Mulan” Star Jason Scott Lee Is Recovering from COVID-19

The star of Disney’s live-action film contracted the coronavirus after travelling to the cancelled London première. Now he’s home in Hawaii, tending to his family and his overgrown garden.

Coffee with Sasquatch and a Couple of Robots

Calamityware’s disaster-themed dishes remind us that things could always be worse, even in a pandemic.

Roger Angell at a Hundred

Raising a glass to the New Yorker legend—born ﬁve years before the founding of this magazine, and a contributor for the past seventy-six—as he celebrates a milestone birthday.

Shouts & Murmurs

Opt Out

I would like to opt out of any and all news alerts related to the President of the United States; any headline with the word “tweet” in any form; Shia LaBeouf; “influencers.”

Cartoons

Fiction

“The Englishman”

“His eyes travelled up my bare leg as it emerged from the sleep-twisted sheets. I pretended to be asleep.”

Poems

“I have slept in many places, for years on mattresses that entered”

“Among crickets and chicken bones in ditches, in the bare / grass on the lavish grounds of a crumbling castle, in a flapping German / circus tent.”

“Grendel”

“All lions must lean into something other than a roar.”

Goings On About Town

Tragedy and Compassion at the Opera

Joyce DiDonato’s performance in the Metropolitan Opera’s streaming series “Met Stars Live in Concert,” on Sept. 12, is well suited to our year of high drama.

Pulkies’s “Jewish-Style BBQ”

The brisket is conﬁted in its own fat and served in a sauce that includes Manischewitz. The sides include honey-butter corn bread and barbecue beans.

The Mail

Letters should be sent with the writer’s name, address, and daytime phone number via e-mail to themail@newyorker.com. Letters may be edited for length and clarity, and may be published in any medium. We regret that owing to the volume of correspondence we cannot reply to every letter.

The spectre of foreign manipulation looms over the coming election. But in focussing on the tactics of the aggressors we overlook our weaknesses as victims.