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Albert Camus

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Albert Camus, photographed by Cecil Beaton for Vogue in 1946.

‘Travels in the Americas’ Review: Albert Camus Abroad

The author of ‘The Stranger’ toured the Americas in the years following World War II. He found prosperity and absurdity in plenty.

What Our Contagion Fables Are Really About

In the literature of pestilence, the greatest threat isn’t the loss of human life but the loss of what makes us human.
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Did the Year 2020 Change Us Forever?

The COVID-19 pandemic affected us in millions of ways. But it evades the meanings we want it to bear.
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Cold War Liberalism Returns

A left that is ambivalent about liberalism can still seek to engage it.
Miles Davis, Howard McGhee, and unknown pianist. NYC, September 1947.

Michael Kramer on Menand’s "The Free World" and Dinerstein’s "The Origins of Cool in Postwar America"

Two differing explorations of post-WWII culture, politics, and ideals.
Photograph of San Francisco Supervisor Dan White standing behind the counter of his fast-food restaurant, the Hot Potato, in October 1978.

How San Francisco (?!) Helped Give Birth to Modern American Fascism

Remember Dan White? He was the Kyle Rittenhouse of his day. No wonder Tucker Carlson loves him.

Signs and Wonders

Reading the literature of past plagues and suddenly seeing our present reflected in a mirror.
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The Other Pandemic

In addition to COVID-19, another pandemic is preying upon the human spirit, nourished by a vulgar bigotry that has gone viral.

History in a Crisis - Lessons for Covid-19

The history of epidemics offers considerable advice, but only if people know the history and respond with wisdom.
Detail from the Russian poster for the 1957 Polish film Kanal, directed by Andrzej Wajda and set during the 1944 Warsaw Uprising. Photo by Getty

The Strange Political History of The ‘Underground’

Subterranean metaphors have been a powerful tool of political resistance. Today, is there anywhere left to hide?