Father of the Blues
August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom soars in a new film adaptation with Viola Davis, bringing the playwright’s voice to a whole new generation
Are Harry and Meghan Copying the Obamas?
It certainly seems like it. Listen for yourself, and decide
Breaking Out Is Hard to Do
The director of The Queen’s Gambit reveals which songs he plays when the well seems to have gone dry
Back in the U.S.S.R.
A new book peels back the Iron Curtain with nostalgic photographs of life in the Soviet Union
All Hail the Queen
Tina Turner is still rocking and rolling at 81
Loading the Dice
Before the world praised Picasso and Duchamp, a 1913 alphabet book skewered the Cubists and futurists in a series of hilarious illustrations
Good Pluck
The Israeli mandolinist Avi Avital is gaining world recognition for his delightful mastering of the string instrument
Doctors’ Orders
The story of two pioneering women doctors and the London hospital they founded amid the turmoil of World War I
Short List
What to read this week, from Roger Rosenblatt’s new essays to books on Venice and the origins of humankind
French Leave
Nearly ten years ago Dominique Strauss-Kahn was accused of rape but managed to avoid jail. A new documentary recounts the incident and its aftermath
Trump in Exile
Where on earth can a defeated, disgraced president go when his White House stint is finished?
Away with Words
Everybody’s talking, but what’s the point when we have these songs from Charles Mingus, Art Farmer, Teddy Wilson, Coleman Hawkins, and more
Home for the Holidays
Art, ballet, operas, carols: a cultural guide to a holiday season spent socially distanced and (mostly) at home
