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The Art of the Essay No. 3

The Art of the Essay No. 3

By Hilton Als

  In his open, ­omnivorous writing on literature, ­visual art, and performance, Hilton Als has made critical analysis and introspection a conjoined practice. The essay, which he has called “a form without a form,” is his primary mode, and he invariably interweaves family and friendship, American fixations on and lived ­experiences of race and sexuality, metaphor and reality. In “The First Step of Becoming an Art Historian,” one of Als’s earliest published pieces, from 1985, he describes comin…

Interviews

From the Archive, Issue 225

Interviews

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The Conversion of the Jews

The Conversion of the Jews

By Philip Roth

“You’re a real one for opening your mouth in the first place,” Itzie said. “What do you open your mouth all the time for?” “I didn’t bring it up, Itz, I didn’t,” Ozzie said. “What do you care about Jesus Christ for anyway?” “I didn’t bring up Jesus Christ. He did. I didn’t even know what he was talking about. Jesus is historical, he kept saying. Jesus is historical.” Ozzie mimicked the monumental voice of Rabbi Binder. “Jesus was a person that lived like you and me,” Ozzie continued. “That’s…

Fiction

From the Archive, Issue 18

Fiction
Fairy Tale

Fairy Tale

By Alexandra Kleeman

I was sitting at a long table with a lot of nice things on it. There was a large pitcher of ­water with an ornate handle that looked like it was made of real silver, and there were forks and spoons. There were apples and small, round appetizers, and a big dead cooked goose. There were so many things that the table underneath was eclipsed entirely; the visible objects obscured even more food, more tableware beneath. My mother and father were sitting next to each other on the long side of the tab…

Fiction

From the Archive, Issue 195

Fiction
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