Introduction: democratic despotism comes of age
by Roger Kimball
An Introduction to “The New Statism and the Assault on Individual Liberty,” a symposium organized jointly by The New Criterion and London’s Social Affairs Unit.
Features
Live free or die
by Mark Steyn
On the loss of liberty in the West (from “The New Statism“).
Islam & the Left
by Andrew C. McCarthy
On the similarities of two collectivist ideologies (from “The New Statism“).
Big government: good & bad
by Jeremy Black
On the uses and misuses of state power (from “The New Statism”).
The criminalization of making money
by Lionel Shriver
On the demonization of wealth (from “The New Statism”).
Poems
Most popular
Letters from the World
Swedish “retrograde”
by Bill Coyle
Reporting on a Scandinavian attempt to retrieve techniques and genres that fell into disuse during the modernist period.
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Theater
Starry mess
by Kevin D. Williamson
On Starry Messenger, The Age of Iron, The Great Recession & Merrick, the Elephant Man
Art
Leonardo in Atlanta
by Karen Wilkin
On “Leonardo da Vinci: Hand of the Genius” at the High Museum of Art, Atlanta.
Exhibition note
by Matthew J. Milliner
On “The Origins of El Greco: Icon Painting in Venetian Crete” at The Onassis Center, New York.
Exhibition note
by Mario Naves
On “Urs Fischer: Marguerite de Ponty” at The New Museum, New York.
Exhibition Note
by Molly McQuade
“Baltimore Inspired by Poe” & “Edgar Allan Poe: A Baltimore Icon 1809–1849” at the Baltimore Museum of Art & “Edgar Allan Poe: More Than a Poet” at Enoch Pratt Free Library, Baltimore.
Exhibition note
by Jeffrey Greggs
On “Turner & the Masters” at Tate Britain.
Gallery chronicle
by James Panero
On “Gerhard Richter: Abstract Paintings 2009” at Marian Goodman Gallery; “Pearlstein/Held: Five Decades” at Betty Cuningham Gallery & “Ray Parker: The Simple Paintings” at Washburn Gallery.
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Music
New York chronicle
by Jay Nordlinger
On the Berlin Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall, Ricardo Muti, Esa Pekka-Salonen & Cristof von Dohnányi conducting the New York Philharmonic, From the House of the Dead & The Tales of Hoffman at the Metropolitan Opera, Angelika Kirsch at Alice Tully Hall & Chanticleer’s Christmas concert at the Metropolitan Museum.
The media
It’s only common sense
by James Bowman
On the media orthodoxy and climate change.
Notes & Comments
What Hoving wrought
by The Editors
On the late Thomas Hoving (1931–2009).
The rot at Duke
by The Editors