Scaling Mount Whitman
Through years of research and introspection, an author asks, How did Walt Whitman write the poetry that we remember him by?
Good Grief
New exhibitions spotlight the work of Anselm Kiefer and Berlinde de Bruyckere, artists evoking the pain and mourning of today
The Truman Show
He both mingled with and shredded high society. A new documentary asks: Who was Truman Capote, really?
Great Dane
With a new leading role in The Investigation, Pilou Asbaek confirms he’s one of Scandinavia’s most versatile actors
Ralph Fiennes Unearths His Heart
In The Dig, a movie for these days, the actor creates the anti-Voldemort, a man of kindness and compassion
Grand Illusions
Inside the world of social-media influencers, where likes are worth cash, followers can be bought, and anyone can be famous
Ripley’s Match
Richard Bradford’s new biography of Patricia Highsmith evokes a flawed genius who bridged crime writing and high literature
75 Years of Ebony
Magazine covers spanning 1945 to today celebrate the community that gave us Jackie Robinson, M.L.K., Aretha Franklin, and Oprah
My Ever Changing Moods
Songs for mutable minds, from Marvin Gaye, Seu Jorge, Frank Ocean, the Kinks, and more
Are You One of “the Smug Vaccinated”?
Alessandra Stanley discusses the new haves and have-nots: those who’ve gotten the shot, and those scheming on how to jump the line
Opera Pick of the Week
De Mondonville’s Titon et l’Aurore, by William Christie, Basil Twist, and Paris’s Opéra Comique …
Living in Mono
Phil Spector, the thorny mastermind behind the Wall of Sound, died last week. Herewith, a collection of songs—from the Ronettes, the Ramones, and more—that demonstrate the power of his hidden hand
Inès Longevial
The young French painter’s large, vibrant works take inspiration from the Spanish artists of the last century
