literature

March 2, 2026

Black-and-white photograph of a dad and two sons in the bath, the dad spitting water out of his mouth

Newsletters

How to Put Sex in a Novel

Emma Sarappo

February 27, 2026

Two towels in the shape of swans on a bed

Ideas

Boredom Is the Price We Pay for Meaning

Daniel Smith

February 27, 2026

An illustration of a shaded figure of a father standing in a colorful room with a child playing on the floor

Books

The Ruthless Benevolence of a Great Editor

Franklin Foer

February 26, 2026

Black-and-white photo of a woman with dark hair, smiling with her head tilted, in a black jacket.

Culture

Enough With the Bros

Dan Brooks

February 26, 2026

An illustration of a shirtless man wearing a purple hat and sunglasses holding "Infinite Jest" next to an IPA

Books

When Did Literature Get Less Dirty?

Lily Meyer

February 26, 2026

Illustration of a rumpled bed on the blank page of a book

Book Recommendations

Nine Books to Reset Your View of the World

Deb Olin Unferth

February 25, 2026

A photo of a book with animals coming out of the bucolic field pictured on its cover.

The Wonder Reader

Books for the Busy Person

Isabel Fattal

February 21, 2026

Books

The Washington Post’s Leaders Missed the Point

John Williams

February 20, 2026

A vertical row of books surrounded by books in horizontal arrangements

Time-Travel Thursdays

Does Writing Have to Be Hard?

Jake Lundberg

February 19, 2026

Books Briefing

The Fine Balance Required of an ‘Authorial Rant’

Boris Kachka

February 13, 2026

Culture

February 7, 2026

Books Briefing

Reading Is a Practice, Not a Chore

Boris Kachka

February 6, 2026

Books

The Moral Cost of Living in an Unequal Society

Karan Mahajan

February 6, 2026

illustration of servants working in a kitchen with a wealthy family sitting at a dinner table in the background

Ideas

The Literary Ecosystem Is Dying

Adam Kirsch

February 6, 2026

Illustration of a book being removed from stacks of newspapers

Family

The Mystery of Henry Fordham

Eugene Robinson

March 2026 Issue

Color painting of house with brick steps, columned front porch, and bay window with two chimneys, surrounded by trees.

Book Recommendations

Seven Books to Read When You Have No Time to Read

Bekah Waalkes

February 3, 2026

A colored-pencil illustration of people reading on the train

Ideas

Stop Meeting Students Where They Are

Walt Hunter

February 2, 2026

A miniature statue of a muscular man standing on an old tattered book, lifting a page as if struggling, with an orange backdrop

The Wonder Reader

The Upside of Not Fitting In

Rafaela Jinich

January 31, 2026

birds standing in a string, one bird alone and separated

Books Briefing

The Writer’s Magic Trick

Emma Sarappo

January 30, 2026

Press Room

The Atlantic hires David Brooks as a staff writer

January 29, 2026

Culture

Half His Age Isn’t At All What It Seems

Sophie Gilbert

January 27, 2026

Red heart-shaped sunglasses affixed with price-tag stickers

Culture

The Marathon Moby-Dick Reading Is a Radical Act

James Parker

January 27, 2026

A reader takes the helm at the Moby-Dick Marathon reading, held at the New Bedford Whaling Museum.

Books

George Saunders Brings Morality Back to Fiction

Julius Taranto

January 27, 2026

An illustration of a compass rose with book pages around it on a field of purple

Books

The Worst Thing About the Black Dahlia Case

Sarah Weinman

January 26, 2026

A close-up black and white photo of a smiling woman with light eyes and dark hair.

Poem

Forbearance

Maggie Millner

January 25, 2026

A color photograph of a woman in a yellow dress looking out of a window while sitting on the floor, with a cup, mug, and plate of food next to her.

The Wonder Reader

The Art of Finding Joy in Everyday Life

Isabel Fattal

January 24, 2026

A bright blue car parked in front of pastel pink and green buildings

Books Briefing

A Biography Without ‘The Boring Bits’

Boris Kachka

January 23, 2026

Books

George Saunders Has a New Mantra

Adrienne LaFrance

January 22, 2026

Black and white portrait of George Saunders

Science

Science Is Drowning in AI Slop

Ross Andersen

January 22, 2026

The Atlantic Daily

Was Infinite Jest Right About Everything?

Will Gottsegen

January 18, 2026

Ideas

My Students Write Their Papers Backwards

Julia Fisher

January 17, 2026

A colorful illustration of someone gazing at the pages of a book through a magnifying glass.

Books Briefing

Taking the Internet Novel Offline

Maya Chung

January 16, 2026

Sections

The Print Edition

Literature Has a Stay-at-Home-Dad Problem

How to Put Sex in a Novel

Boredom Is the Price We Pay for Meaning

The Ruthless Benevolence of a Great Editor

Enough With the Bros

When Did Literature Get Less Dirty?

Nine Books to Reset Your View of the World

Books for the Busy Person

The Washington Post’s Leaders Missed the Point

Does Writing Have to Be Hard?

The Fine Balance Required of an ‘Authorial Rant’

The Poet Laureate of Madness

The Novel as Extended Op-Ed

Literary Theory

The Payoff of Deep Contemplation

Reading Is a Practice, Not a Chore

The Moral Cost of Living in an Unequal Society

The Literary Ecosystem Is Dying

The Mystery of Henry Fordham

Seven Books to Read When You Have No Time to Read

Stop Meeting Students Where They Are

The Upside of Not Fitting In

The Writer’s Magic Trick

The Atlantic hires David Brooks as a staff writer

Half His Age Isn’t At All What It Seems

The Marathon Moby-Dick Reading Is a Radical Act

George Saunders Brings Morality Back to Fiction

The Worst Thing About the Black Dahlia Case

Forbearance

The Art of Finding Joy in Everyday Life

A Biography Without ‘The Boring Bits’

George Saunders Has a New Mantra

Science Is Drowning in AI Slop

Was Infinite Jest Right About Everything?

My Students Write Their Papers Backwards

Taking the Internet Novel Offline