The Real Crisis of The Pitt
What the hit show’s approach to Dr. Robby reveals
Culture
What I Saw Inside the Kennedy Center
I spent 10 months working at the institution because I thought I could help protect it. What I observed there is far worse than the public knows.
The Quiet Way Authoritarianism Begins to Crumble
Among the many reasons for Viktor Orbán’s defeat was the rural clubs where citizens relearned democratic habits.
Don’t Just Replace Chavez—Rethink Monuments
It’s time for tributes to leave the great-man theory of history behind.
By the Horns
Miriam Cabas is one of Spain’s few female bullfighters. What does her success mean for bullfighting, and for Spain?
The Father of Rhythm Guitarists
The late Steve Cropper laid a template for generations of rock-and-roll guitarists.
What if Our Ancestors Didn’t Feel Anything Like We Do?
The historians who want to know how our ancestors experienced love, anger, fear, and sorrow
The Slow Death of the Prestige Thriller
The genre’s overreliance on pulpy paperbacks is turning into a problem.
The Atlantic 10
The books that made us think the most this year
The Underrated Part of Jane Birkin’s Legacy
Stylish face? Secret visionary? A new book argues for a different approach to the late actor.
Tom Stoppard Made a Spectacle of History
In a career of magnificent plays, The Coast of Utopia stands out for its humor, its characters, and its warnings about ideological fervor.
What History’s Fallen Societies Have in Common
A new book argues that civilizations built on centralized wealth and power contain the seeds of their own destruction.
The Eloquence
A poem
The Germans Who Stood Up to Hitler
And the Germans who didn’t