Leszek Kolakowski & the anatomy of totalitarianism
by Roger Kimball
On the life and work of the philosopher Leszek Kolakowski, who is “well-known without being known well.”
Features
The journalism of warfare
by Keith Windschuttle
On the history and function of war journalism, from Thucydides to Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Mau Mau revisited
by Anthony Daniels
On Kenya’s significant but barely remembered Mau Mau rebellion.
Poems
Most popular
Dance
Martha contra mundum
by Laura Jacobs
On the incredible achievements of the dancer Martha Graham.
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Theater
Vacationing in someone else’s despair
by Mark Steyn
On My Name Is Rachel Corrie, at the Royal Court Theatre, London.
Art
The fabric of dreams
by Karen Wilkin
On “Matisse, His Art and His Textiles: The Fabric of Dreams” at The Royal Academy of Arts, London.
Exhibition Notes
by W. S. Di Piero
On “John Szarkowski” at The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
Exhibition Notes
by John Russell
On “Max Ernst: A Retrospective” at The Metroplitan Museum of Art, New York.
Exhibition Notes
by James Panero
On “Jacques-Louis David: Empire to Exile” at The J. Paul Getty Museum & Sterling & Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, Mass.
Gallery Chronicle
by James Panero
On “Marvin Bileck & Emily Nelligan: Cranberry Island: Drawings and Prints” at Alexandre Gallery; “Tim Gardner” at 303 Gallery; “Jacqueline Gourevitch: Cloud Paintings 2000–2005” & “David Hockney: Pools 1978–1980” at the Mary Ryan Gallery & “Richard Baker” at Tibor de Nagy.
A MESSAGE FROM THE EDITORS
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Music
New York chronicle
by Jay Nordlinger
On the Dresden Staatskapelle’s two nights at Carnegie Hall, New York; Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers at City Opera, New York; Jefferson Friedman’s new piece The Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations Millennium General Assembly, performed by the New York Philharmonic and conducted by Leonard Slatkin; two concerts by the Bamberg Symphony at Avery Fisher Hall, New York; & Renee Fleming at Zankel Hall, New York.
Concert notes
by Patrick J. Smith
On Gounod’s Faust at the Metropolitan Opera, New York & Angela Hewitt at Zankell Hall, New York.
The media
What “objectivity”?
by James Bowman
On the media’s continuing attempts to “hold up the obvious falsehood that [they have] no political views at all in order to advance those views under the cover of ‘objectivity.’”
Verse chronicle
The Great American Desert
by William Logan
Reviews of Where Shall I Wander, by John Ashbery; Elegy on Toy Piano, by Dean Young; Overlord, by Jorie Graham; Black Maria, by Kevin Young; Delights & Shadows, Flying at Night: Poems 1965–1985, & The Poetry Home Repair Manual, by Ted Kooser; Collected Poems, 1943–2004, by Richard Wilbur.
Books
The house on Middagh Street
by Brooke Allen
A review of February House: The Story of W. H. Auden, Carson McCullers, Jane & Paul Bowles, Benjamin Britten & Gypsy Rose Lee, Under One Roof in Wartime America, by Sherill Tippins.
Beyond disbelief
by David B. Hart
On the march
by Marc M. Arkin
A review of Liberty & Freedom: A Visual History of America’s Founding Ideas, by David Hackett Fischer.
Bad Counsel
by Theodore Dalrymple
Hanging judge
by Mildred F. Schmertz
Georgics on my mind
by Gerald J. Russello
A review of Virgil’s Georgics, translated by Janet Lembke.
Dumb & dumber
by Mark Bauerlein
Kinderkampf
by Stefan Beck
A review of Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, by Jonathan Safran Foer.
The soul of wit
by Alexandra Mullen
A review of Ogden Nash: The Life & Work of America’s Laureate of Light Verse, by Douglas M. Parker.
out of interstitials
Letters to the Editor
A curious omission
by Charlie Finch
From Charlie Finch
Hylas who?
by John Koethe
From John Koethe
The saddhu responds
by Toni Bentley
From Toni Bentley
Prosody, of course: A response
by David Yezzi
David Yezzi responds.
Hylas who? – A response
by Daniel Mark Epstein
Daniel Mark Epstein replies.
A naval battle
by Hal Colebatch
From Hal Colebatch.
A naval battle: A response
by Robert Messenger
Robert Messenger responds.
Prosody, of course
by Samuel Amadon
From Samuel Amadon
Notes & Comments
Some words of thanks
by The Editors
On the indispensible help of The New Criterion’s readers, contributors, and supporters.
Faculty follies: a selection
by The Editors
On a great year for academic absurdity.
New Grub Street
by The Editors
On Newsweek’s latest forays into journalistic irresponsibility.