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The New Yorker

Books & Culture

The New Yorker Interview

The Scholar of Comedy

Jerry Seinfeld on how to write jokes, the ending of “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” and the world-historical struggle to invent the Pop-Tart.
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The Weekend Essay

How to Eat a Rattlesnake

In my native Oklahoma, snake meat was a masculine trophy, edible proof that you were willing to tangle with death.
Infinite Scroll

The Dada Era of Internet Memes

How the viral TikToks of a Chinese glycine factory elucidate our increasingly chaotic digital environment.
Infinite Scroll

The Internet’s New Favorite Philosopher

Byung-Chul Han, in treatises such as “The Burnout Society” and his latest, “The Crisis of Narration,” diagnoses the frenetic aimlessness of the digital age.
The New Yorker Interview

How to Publish a Magazine in a Maximum-Security Prison

For decades, Wilbert Rideau investigated America’s prison system—from the inside.

Books

Books

Briefly Noted

“Knife,” “A Travel Guide to the Middle Ages,” “Neighbors and Other Stories,” and “Butter.”
Books

How Far Should We Carry the Logic of the Animal-Rights Movement?

People who think seriously about the use and abuse of nonhuman creatures often end up calling for changes that might seem indefensible—at least, at first.
Annals of Gastronomy

Mastering the Art of Making a Cookbook

Working with Julia Child and a host of author-chefs, the editor Judith Jones transformed American kitchens.
Under Review

The Best Books We’ve Read in 2024 So Far

Our editors and critics review notable new fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.

Movies

The Front Row

“The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed” Is a Deceptively Plain Masterpiece

Joanna Arnow’s new film mines the comic potential of distance and framing, in an examination of degradations large and small.
The Front Row

“Civil War” Is a Tale of Bad News

Alex Garland’s grim political fantasy about secession and violence revolves around a war photographer but has little to say about the making and consumption of news images.
Director’s Commentary

Julio Torres on the Rocky Relationship That Drives “Problemista”

The director dissects a key scene that establishes the dynamic between his character, who is embroiled in the U.S.’s immigration systems, and Tilda Swinton’s “temperamental art-world lady,” down to the meanings of their hair styles.
The Front Row

The Rediscovery of a Depression-Era Masterpiece

A new restoration of Frank Borzage’s “Man’s Castle,” starring Loretta Young and Spencer Tracy, showcases the visionary Hollywood director’s lusty yet spiritual artistry.

Food

Photo Booth

When Babies Rule the Dinner Table

In the past two decades, American parents have started to ditch the purées and give babies more choice—and more power—at mealtime. 
Page-Turner

Fifteen Essential Cookbooks

The kitchen guides that New Yorker writers and editors can’t do without.
The Food Scene

The Return, Again, of the Power Lunch

Four Twenty Five, a luxe new dining room from the mega-restaurateur Jean-Georges Vongerichten, takes square aim at the expense-account crowd.
The Food Scene

Mexican-ish Fine Dining, with Detours

Corima offers attention-grabbing tortillas, Japanese flourishes, and an ambitious tasting menu that hasn’t quite found its stride.
Listen to lively debates about the art of the moment.Follow Critics at Large wherever you get your podcasts »
Photo Booth

In Justine Kurland’s Photographs, a Mother and Son Hit the Road

Some of the portraits in “This Train” have an Edenic quality to them, as if Kurland is asking: What if my kid and I were the only two people in the world?

Television

On Television

“The Sympathizer” Has an Identity Crisis

The HBO adaptation of Viet Thanh Nguyen’s novel is part espionage thriller, part war drama, and part Hollywood satire—wild genre shifts that come at the expense of its protagonist’s interiority.
On Television

“Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show” Is Exhibitionism as Art

Two years after “Rothaniel,” the comedian has committed another moving—and deeply entertaining—act of self-exposure.
On Television

“In the Know,” a Promising Satire of NPR That Never Quite Tunes In

The stop-motion comedy from Zach Woods, Brandon Gardner, and Mike Judge lacks the zingy acuity of its creators’ best work.
On Television

The Dark Delights of a Millennial “Mr. and Mrs. Smith”

Donald Glover and Maya Erskine star as spies-for-hire posing as husband and wife—and embody their generation’s emotional and economic malaise.

The Theatre

The Theatre

“Stereophonic” and “Cabaret” Turn Up the Volume on Broadway

David Adjmi’s cult-hit play features seventies-inspired rock songs by Will Butler, while Eddie Redmayne presides over a demonic version of the Kit Kat Club.
The Theatre

Ralph Fiennes Sidles His Way Into Power as Macbeth

A hit British production of Shakespeare’s ever-timely tragedy arrives in D.C.
Postscript

Christopher Durang’s Stage Directions for Life

The Tony-winning playwright’s dark, antic satires were many people’s gateway to theatre. I was one of those people.
The Theatre

The Avant-Garde Is Back on the Launchpad

The Wooster Group gives the Richard Foreman play “Symphony of Rats” its signature spins.

Music

Pop Music

The Tortured Poetry of Taylor Swift’s New Album

“The Tortured Poets Department” has moments of tenderness. But it suffers from being too long and too familiar.
Pop Music

Olivia Rodrigo’s Relatable Superstardom on the Guts Tour

The pop star appears to revel in pleasure—even when she knows that whatever it is she’s thirsting after will probably get her into trouble.
Persons of Interest

The Heart of Low

Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker’s marriage was one of the most extraordinary collaborations in rock. Now, a year and a half after Parker’s death, Sparhawk is back on the road.
Pop Music

Vampire Weekend Doesn’t Want Your Defeatist Grousing

The band’s new album, “Only God Was Above Us,” is a treatise on inheritance, decay, generational dissonance, and the delicate idea of choosing optimism.

More in Culture

Culture Desk

An Acclaimed D.J. Who Is Ready to Sing Again

The Welsh artist Elkka made her name with buoyant dance music. Now she’s reintroducing her voice.
Cover Story

Faith Ringgold’s “Sonny’s Bridge, 1986”

The late artist’s work recalls her pioneering spirit through vivid, inventive designs.
A Critic at Large

Academic Freedom Under Fire

Politicians despise it. Administrators aren’t defending it. But it made our universities great—and we’ll miss it when it’s gone.
Annals of Gastronomy

Are We Living Through a Bagel Renaissance?

A new wave of shops has made its mark across the country—and shaken New York’s bagel scene out of complacency.
Culture Desk

What Cartoonists Saw in Isolation: A Portrait of the Pandemic

In the spring of 2020, artists captured silliness, sexiness, despondence, and hope. What does quarantine look like when viewed from the other side?
Blitt’s Kvetchbook

Up in Arms at Columbia University

Demonstrations and counter-demonstrations on campus and beyond.
On and Off the Avenue

Spoiler Alert: Leftovers for Dinner

How to host a dinner party for nine using a pre-trash haul from Too Good to Go and other food-waste apps. Carb-averse guests, beware.
Goings On

Teresita Fernández’s Shifting Sculptural Landscapes

Also: Kamasi Washington, “The Outsiders” reviewed, Bang on a Can’s Long Play Festival, and more.
Annals of Gastronomy

In Search of Lost Flavors in Flushing

Rediscovering the tastes of childhood in New York’s biggest Chinatown.