September 27, 2025

FAST AND FURIOUS

He saved Fiat. He saved Ferrari. He saved his grandfather Gianni Agnelli’s legacy, with billions to spare. But can John Elkann save his mother from the spectacle of a courtroom cash fight?

BEAT THE SYSTEM

Seventy years after it became a rallying cry for the Beat Generation, Allen Ginsberg’s anti-conformist “Howl” is worth revisiting under the censorious MAGA administration …

BAG LADY

Joan Juliet Buck looks back at the dazzling life of Jane Birkin, from the making of her eponymous Hermès bag to the T-shirt-and-jeans uniform she made cool long before Gen Z …

BUSINESS AS USUAL

Pardon Ghislaine Maxwell! Wish Putin a happy birthday! Confidential lunch with the Winklevoss twins! A peek into Stephen Miller’s packed schedule for Trump …

NAME-DROPPING

In part two of our investigation into the “Rockefeller” con man, Jonathan Alter follows Spiro Pavlovich’s trail of lies to its origin—and uncovers the schemes that kept the charade alive until the day he died …

TELL-ALL ON TAP

Like Downton Abbey but true: Guinness heiress and House of Guinness producer Ivana Lowell discusses the series that traces her real-life family saga, starting with the inventor of the Irish beer five generations ago …

OF MONSTERS AND MEN

Call Me by Your Name director Luca Guadagnino’s latest movie, starring Julia Roberts, Andrew Garfield, and Ayo Edebiri, is a psychological thriller that explores the nuances of cancel culture …

BUT, WAIT, THERE’S MORE!

Scientists are shedding their lab coats to resist Trump … Gore Vidal’s life in photos … Snow Leopard author Peter Matthiessen’s moveable feast … Greece’s treasured island … chef Flynn McGarry’s delectable second act … a furry pet that takes care of itself … And another insane week in American health!

Issue No. 324

The View from Here The monologue that momentarily cost Jimmy Kimmel his job tames in comparison to “Howl,” Allen Ginsberg’s poetic lament against the conformist society of 70 years ago

By Gerard DeGroot

Read On

Famiglia Feud Gianni Agnelli’s grandson John Elkann turned a failing family business into a $40 billion global empire. Now he’s doing community service to avoid a legal dispute with his own mother

By Helen Rumbelow

Read On

The Weekly Waffle

A positively addictive word game to go with your morning coffee

Science Defiance Top researchers are putting their work—and retirements—on hold to combat Trump’s assault on scientific truth

By Michael Oreskes

Read On

The 40-Year Con: Part II After his second expulsion from Harvard, Spiro Pavlovich turned up at Yale Law School with a new identity: for the rest of his life, he would be known as Nicholas Rockefeller

By Jonathan Alter

Photo illustration by Chop Choppish Shop

Read On

Anatomy of an It Girl How a British woman named Jane became the French bag named Birkin

By Joan Juliet Buck

Read On

Exit Strategy

AIR SUPPLY’s guide to the perfectly packed three-day weekender bag includes Nili Lotan’s Voyager, Augustinus Bader’s Mini Routine, Bombas compression socks, and more

Shop

Photo: Warner Bros./Photofest (Streisand and O’Neal in What’s Up, Doc?)

Ditte Reffstrup’s Favorite Things The creative director and co-founder of the Danish brand Ganni shares her style wish list as she prepares for her runway show at Paris Fashion Week

Shop

Memo to POTUS Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller’s October Surprise

By Michael Moritz

Photo illustration by Chop Choppish Shop

Read On

Succession, Plus Beer and Brutality Guinness heiress Ivana Lowell on the moment she realized her real-life family drama was made for the screen

By Rosamund Urwin

Read On

A Furry Home Companion The A.I.-powered smart pet that’s way less creepy than you think! Have you considered a second skeleton? A pocket-size tablet that’s better than your Moleskine! And more …

By Jonathan Margolis

Read On

What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

This week in American health: Tylenol-gate, more vaccine-mania, and A.I. Christopher Hitchens lambastes R.F.K. Jr.

Read On

read Permanent Attraction Man Ray had many passions, but none was greater than chess. Not only did he feature the game…

decorate Pooky Rohan Blacker, the founder of the lighting store Pooky, believes anything can become a lamp. “I have a very inquisitive mind…

shop Eagle & Hodges x Nordic Knots It’s an odd sensation to wake up at three a.m. and lust after a rug, but such is the passion that the new…

read Summer Skate Sean Avery, once the N.H.L.’s patron saint of chaos and couture, trades in five-minute majors for steamy East Hampton intrigue…

dine Howoo Howoo is a dim, luxe Korean-barbecue restaurant sitting just east of Manhattan’s Koreatown. Each classic dish…

carry Nili Lotan After two decades of perfecting the slouchy-trouser-and-sexy-blouse look for all downtowners with an “I just flew in from Paris” attitude…

read Permanent Attraction Man Ray had many passions, but none was greater than chess. Not only did he feature the game…

decorate Pooky Rohan Blacker, the founder of the lighting store Pooky, believes anything can become a lamp. “I have a very inquisitive mind…

shop Eagle & Hodges x Nordic Knots It’s an odd sensation to wake up at three a.m. and lust after a rug, but such is the passion that the new…

read Summer Skate Sean Avery, once the N.H.L.’s patron saint of chaos and couture, trades in five-minute majors for steamy East Hampton intrigue…

dine Howoo Howoo is a dim, luxe Korean-barbecue restaurant sitting just east of Manhattan’s Koreatown. Each classic dish…

carry Nili Lotan After two decades of perfecting the slouchy-trouser-and-sexy-blouse look for all downtowners with an “I just flew in from Paris” attitude…

The Attention-Whore Index Sarah Ferguson has friends in low places, Donald Trump is U.N.-unfriendly, and Melania Trump begins her Christmas grifting

By George Kalogerakis

Read On

The Mirror and the Megaphone Luca Guadagnino’s After the Hunt is the first great film about cancel culture

By Scott Z. Burns

Read On

Every Child Left Behind David Lan’s new play, about the plight of refugee children post–World War II, questions the meaning of home in a shattered world

By John Lahr

Read On

Gore Vidal at 100 “A narcissist is someone better looking than you are”

14

Gore Vidal, photographed by Steve Schapiro at home in the Hollywood Hills, 1978.

At the first-century *Bocca Della Verità,* or Mouth of Truth, in Rome, 1970.

With Paul Newman on Delos, during a cruise of the Greek Islands.

At Edgewater, his home on the Hudson River, circa 1960.

*Top,* working out at his Italian villa, 1974; *above,* with Bianca and Mick Jagger in Ravello, circa 1970s.

With James Coburn and Sue Mengers in Los Angeles, 1969.

An army photo taken in Lexington, Virginia, 1942.

Photographed by Jonathan Becker with Carrie Fisher, Howard Austen, Earl McGrath, Ahmet Ertegun, and David Hockney at the 2003 *Vanity Fair* Oscar party, at Morton’s in West Hollywood.

Photographed by Stathis Orphanos at home in Ravello.

*Top,* “flying” a “Hammond” flivver plane at age 10; *above,* with Tennessee Williams and John F. Kennedy in Palm Beach, circa 1961.

Working with Baby, his orange cat, in Ravello, 2001.

During his Senate campaign in New York State, 1960.

With Joanne and Johnny Carson in Ravello, circa 1970s.

At Edgewater during his Senate campaign, 1960.

Read On

How Jane Birkin Became the Queen of It Girls On this week’s podcast, Joan Juliet Buck remembers the British girl who conquered Paris and how her style still influences women

Read On

Pico Iyer On

True Nature: The Pilgrimage of Peter Matthiessen

by Lance Richardson

Read On

Flynn McGarry After bringing Copenhagen-café culture to New York, the 26-year-old chef is now opening a fine-dining restaurant inspired by his California roots

By Jeanne Malle

Read On

In the Doubs Valley (Rocky Forest Landscape), by Carl Schuch, 1886–93.

Imagine arriving at 10 A.M. at a suburban house in Freiburg, Germany, and having the door opened by a large man with a full white beard and long hair, wearing a striped dressing gown, whose first words are “Hello. Do you like Morandi, Mr. Weber?” READ ON

Read On

Don’t Call Richard Osman Cozy The author discusses the Helen Mirren–led adaptation of his best-selling book The Thursday Murder Club, his podcast, The Rest Is Entertainment, and why he considers “cozy crime” a reductive label

By Laura Pullman

Read On

Super Greeky Never heard of Keá Island? That’s about to change

By Bridget Arsenault

Read On

Regina Hall

The Scary Movie and One Battle After Another actress answers 63 of life’s most pressing questions

Read On

Is Edited By

Graydon Carter and Alessandra Stanley

Creative Director

Angela Panichi

Managing Editor

Chris Garrett

Deputy Managing Editor

Julia Vitale

Deputy Editors

Ashley Baker Ash Carter Nathan King George Pendle

Chief Technology Officer

John Tornow

Communications and Film + TV Development

Harrison Vail

Books Editor

Jim Kelly

Arts Intel Report Editor

Laura Jacobs

Senior Editor

Elena Clavarino

Investigations Editor

Clara Molot

Photo Director

Ann Schneider

Copy Editor

Adam Nadler

Research & Legal Editor

Matt Kapp

Production Editor

H. Scott Jolley

Junior Editors

Carolina de Armas Jeanne Malle Paulina Prosnitz

Associate Editors

Victoria Herman Lucy Horowitz

Art Director

Paloma Huerre

Senior Photo Editor

Emine Gözde Sevim

Deputy Art Director

Zoé Gillette

International Editor

Isabelle Harvie-Watt

Columnists

Dana Brown Cazzie David Lisa Henricksson
Walter Isaacson Pico Iyer Rachel Johnson
John Lahr Jonathan Margolis Linda Wells
James Wolcott

Writers at Large

Lili Anolik Bridget Arsenault Johanna Berkman Joseph Bullmore Spike Carter Vassi Chamberlain William D. Cohan Rich Cohen Matthew Gurewitsch Michael Hainey Stuart Heritage George Kalogerakis Sam Kashner James Kirchick Alexander Lobrano Alexandra Marshall Daphne Merkin Sam Wasson

Contributing Artists

Monica Ahanonu Barry Blitt André Carrilho Pip Carter Paul Davis David Downton Andrea Ferolla Josh Gosfield Cathy Graham Eric Hanson Angelica Hicks Hilary Knight Danielle Kosann Michael Lindsay-Hogg Ross MacDonald Joe McKendry James McMullan Donald Robertson Charles Dare Scheips Grant Shaffer Ed Sorel Ralph Steadman

Contributing Photographers

Jonathan Becker Justin Bishop Alex Board James Emmerman Marcos Fecchino Daniel Paik Art Streiber Sharon Suh Justin Weiner

Architectural Consultant

Basil Walter

Head of Audience Development

Rachel LeSage

Audience Growth Manager

Merritt Johnson

Cartoon Editor

Bob Mankoff

Music Supervisor

Randall Poster

Technology

Brooks Oakley Justin Rubaloff

OUR CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER AND CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER ARE

Bill Keenan and Emily Davis

General Manager, Commerce & Brand Partnerships

Anjali Lewis

Business Development Director

Catherine Scott

European Sales Director

Selim Mataraci

Financial & Business Operations

Marc Leyer

Account Manager

Dillon Freeman

Chief Strategy Adviser

Adam Mendelsohn

AIR SUPPLY

Editor, Commerce, and Chief Merchandiser

Jennifer Noyes

Shop Editor

Jessica Iredale

E-Commerce Manager

Isaac Metlitsky

In Memoriam

Peter Bogdanovich Duncan Hannah Jane Larkworthy Douglas McGrath Richard David Story André Leon Talley David Yaffe

The View from Here The monologue that momentarily cost Jimmy Kimmel his job tames in comparison to “Howl,” Allen Ginsberg’s poetic lament against the conformist society of 70 years ago

Famiglia Feud Gianni Agnelli’s grandson John Elkann turned a failing family business into a $40 billion global empire. Now he’s doing community service to avoid a legal dispute with his own mother

The Weekly Waffle

A positively addictive word game to go with your morning coffee

Science Defiance Top researchers are putting their work—and retirements—on hold to combat Trump’s assault on scientific truth

The 40-Year Con: Part II After his second expulsion from Harvard, Spiro Pavlovich turned up at Yale Law School with a new identity: for the rest of his life, he would be known as Nicholas Rockefeller

Anatomy of an It Girl How a British woman named Jane became the French bag named Birkin

AIR SUPPLY’s guide to the perfectly packed three-day weekender bag includes Nili Lotan’s Voyager, Augustinus Bader’s Mini Routine, Bombas compression socks, and more

Ditte Reffstrup’s Favorite Things The creative director and co-founder of the Danish brand Ganni shares her style wish list as she prepares for her runway show at Paris Fashion Week

Memo to POTUS Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller’s October Surprise

Succession, Plus Beer and Brutality Guinness heiress Ivana Lowell on the moment she realized her real-life family drama was made for the screen

A Furry Home Companion The A.I.-powered smart pet that’s way less creepy than you think! Have you considered a second skeleton? A pocket-size tablet that’s better than your Moleskine! And more …

This week in American health: Tylenol-gate, more vaccine-mania, and A.I. Christopher Hitchens lambastes R.F.K. Jr.

The Attention-Whore Index Sarah Ferguson has friends in low places, Donald Trump is U.N.-unfriendly, and Melania Trump begins her Christmas grifting

The Mirror and the Megaphone Luca Guadagnino’s After the Hunt is the first great film about cancel culture

Every Child Left Behind David Lan’s new play, about the plight of refugee children post–World War II, questions the meaning of home in a shattered world

Gore Vidal at 100 “A narcissist is someone better looking than you are”

How Jane Birkin Became the Queen of It Girls On this week’s podcast, Joan Juliet Buck remembers the British girl who conquered Paris and how her style still influences women

Flynn McGarry After bringing Copenhagen-café culture to New York, the 26-year-old chef is now opening a fine-dining restaurant inspired by his California roots

Don’t Call Richard Osman Cozy The author discusses the Helen Mirren–led adaptation of his best-selling book The Thursday Murder Club, his podcast, The Rest Is Entertainment, and why he considers “cozy crime” a reductive label

Super Greeky Never heard of Keá Island? That’s about to change

The Scary Movie and One Battle After Another actress answers 63 of life’s most pressing questions

Is Edited By

Creative Director

Managing Editor

Deputy Managing Editor

Deputy Editors

Chief Technology Officer

Communications and Film + TV Development

Books Editor

Arts Intel Report Editor

Senior Editor

Investigations Editor

Photo Director

Copy Editor

Research & Legal Editor

Production Editor

Junior Editors

Associate Editors

Art Director

Senior Photo Editor

Deputy Art Director

International Editor

Columnists

Writers at Large

Contributing Artists

Contributing Photographers

Architectural Consultant

Social Media Manager

Head of Audience Development

Audience Growth Manager

Cartoon Editor

Music Supervisor

Technology

OUR CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER AND CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER ARE

General Manager, Commerce & Brand Partnerships

Business Development Director

European Sales Director

Financial & Business Operations

Account Manager

Chief Strategy Adviser

Editor, Commerce, and Chief Merchandiser

Shop Editor

E-Commerce Manager

In Memoriam