The Quest for Pelts In the ninth instalment of an ongoing Quillette series on the history of Canada, Greg Koabel describes how the late 16th-century fur trade developed amid a disrupted Indigenous geopolitical landscape Greg Koabel 13 Aug 2023 · 24 min read
Rock of Ages The musical legacy of Robbie Robertson is a monument to the possibilities of American song. Benjamin Kerstein 11 Aug 2023 · 12 min read
On Sontag A new collection of essays from the mid-70s offers a frustrating glimpse of the author’s strengths and weaknesses. Riley Moore 4 Aug 2023 · 11 min read
In the Spirit of the Lord Menacing, exuberant, eccentric, and ambitious—Dylan’s first evangelical record turns two-score and four. David Cohen 3 Aug 2023 · 16 min read
What History Teaches Us About the Importance of Academic Freedom This 1949 primer shows us there’s nothing new about today’s controversies about free speech on campus. James Huffman 30 Jul 2023 · 12 min read
Dare to Be Brilliant Nolan’s kaleidoscopic biopic may be his most ambitious picture to date. Brad Strotten 27 Jul 2023 · 4 min read
Frobisher’s Failed Arctic Gambit In the eighth instalment of an ongoing Quillette series on the history of Canada, Greg Koabel describes the legacy of Martin Frobisher, a brave explorer who antagonized the Inuit while harvesting worthless minerals Greg Koabel 21 Jul 2023 · 38 min read
Bob Ross, Populist Artist A Netflix documentary and a new film about the beloved American TV painter explore a life marked by popular success and personal betrayal. Julia Friedman 19 Jul 2023 · 10 min read
The Eyes of the Storm A historic diary in pictures, which just happens to belong to Sir Paul McCartney. Hannah Gal 18 Jul 2023 · 14 min read
Milan Kundera: The Nobel Prize for Literature Winner We Never Had Few writers in our time were more committed to the novel or had more idealism about the heights the form could scale. Robin Ashenden 11 Jul 2023 · 12 min read
A Life in the Fray A new memoir by Martin Peretz, the former owner and editor-in-chief of The New Republic, provides a timely reminder of what American journalism has lost. Jeffrey Herf 10 Jul 2023 · 22 min read
Come for the Whales. Stay for the Fur In the seventh instalment of an ongoing Quillette series on the history of Canada, Greg Koabel describes how 16th-Century Basque whalers created a thriving industry in the waters off Newfoundland Greg Koabel 8 Jul 2023 · 23 min read
Land of Frost and Scurvy In the sixth instalment of an ongoing Quillette series on the history of Canada, Greg Koabel describes France’s disastrous first attempt to set up a permanent colony in Quebec. Greg Koabel 29 Jun 2023 · 30 min read
The Sorrow and the Self-Pity Michel Houellebecq’s new memoir reveals a man quick to find fault with others but slow to accept responsibility for his woes. RJ Smith 26 Jun 2023 · 8 min read
Clash of the Titans Politics encourages giant-building not aesthetics. Aidan Harte 24 Jun 2023 · 8 min read
