Bad Romance
The author of a new book on the Borgias’ infamous personal lives uncovers the facts behind the Italian family’s long-standing myths
Eightysomething
Back to the glory days of the Human League, Fine Young Cannibals, Tom Tom Club, Suzanne Vega, Madonna, General Public, and Grace Jones
Rebel with More than a Clue
Lee Child, the immoderate, rebellious, gazillion-copies-selling author and creator of Jack Reacher, is now … a Booker Prize judge
Max Hastings
On the best work of Sir Michael Howard, the British historian who dealt high intellect and common sense in equal measure
King of the Left Bank Lit Set
Bernard-Henri Lévy on Trump, the Kurds, and the dress code he sticks to no matter the terrain—or how low his shirt buttons go.
All Fact-Checked on the Western Front
How much in Sam Mendes’s film 1917 is actually true?
The Godfather of Comedy
After The Death of Stalin and Veep, Armando Iannucci brings a new comedy to HBO, and a new David Copperfield to the screen
Vive Maigret!
The complete adventures of Georges Simenon’s beloved inspector are now available in one stylish set
The North Korean Job
The author of the first English-language book on Kim Jong Un explains the dotard-trolling dictator’s mysterious rise
Doctor’s Orders
Old-school remedies for winter doldrums, from (among others) Bobby Womack, Bobbie Gentry, Jean Knight, Elvis Presley, and, yes, Carol Douglas
America’s Storyteller
A national tour of Black painter Jacob Lawrence’s depictions of the country’s historical turning points lands at the Met
Achtweet!
Useful German words for these difficult modern times
Leslie Jamison
On the books worth obsessing over
