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Article Collection

From Peggy, With Love

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The Literary Issue — Dec 14, 2006

Just when I thought the next show to open at an American museum could only be a survey of Tommy Hilfiger’s toenail clippers, this happens. Lucio Fontana has come back to Manhattan.

Mencia isn't Magic

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The Media Issue — Mar 8, 2007

I am not with the times when it comes to television. Schadenfreude TV upsets me; I can’t watch it. You know what I’m talking about: the semi-scripted reality shows, the “true life” documentaries, the TV that makes you want to die. I know you remember the episode of ...

Towards an Enthusiastic Fiction

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The Lifestyle Issue — Apr 12, 2007

They say that to be a great writer, you have to kill your liver. Or, preferably, yourself. To paraphrase Tolstoy’s old saw: happiness is banal; misery, unique. But do you really have to feel at odds with the world to write?

Born in the U.S.S.R.

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TigerHead — Apr 26, 2007

When the U.S.S.R. collapsed, the world marveled at how quickly a superpower could unravel. But for Serguei Oushakine, all it took to knock down Communist Russia was a good book.

A Delicate Balance

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Jürgen Habermas Is Dead — Oct 4, 2007

One day this July the heat was such that it was no longer fun to roam outside. So I interrupted my summer routine (walking the dog, eating profiteroles, thinking about what a chore it must have been for Lopokova to fuck Keynes) to sit and read something. I went to ...

The Gay Bishop Speaks

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God Smiles On All Love — Oct 11, 2007

Gene Robinson, the first openly-gay Episcopal bishop, came for a visit a few days ago. He led a service in the Chapel Sunday night, and lectured in McCosh the following afternoon. Posters went up advertising these events. I thought I’d go say hi. It’s a strange thing, meeting ...

A Brief History Lesson

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OBAMA WINS!!! — Nov 7, 2008

This election ushers in not only a new administration, but a new political reality: kakistocracy, it seems, is not inevitable after all.

Decca's Revenge

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The Halloween Issue — Oct 18, 2007

So: a month ago, J.K. Rowling decided to out Dumbledore in front of a booked-solid Carnegie Hall. The audience gasped, and then burst into applause. The real surprise, though, is not Dumbledore’s “homosexuality,” but the fact that there could be anything else to know about him. What could ...

The Prince Was Not Happy With Our Existence

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Doctor's Hors d'oeuvres — Apr 3, 2009

This continues a series of interviews with the paper's founders conducted to mark thirty years of the Nass.