Theo Milonopoulos
@theomilo.bsky.social
Assistant professoring. PhD @Columbia. Prev. @ClementsCenter, @perryworldhouse. IR, civ-mil, tech. Star Wars, Lego, newspapers, coffee, dogs. He/him. Personal Account. Views mine.
Reposted by Theo Milonopoulos
This was a lot of fun.
I asked @lancerichardson.bsky.social some questions about his major new biography of Peter Matthiessen. www.washingtonpost.com/books/2025/1...
An ‘accidental biographer’ on Peter Matthiessen
Lance Richardson talks about “True Nature,” his biography of an acclaimed, versatile and fascinating writer
www.washingtonpost.com
November 22, 2025 at 7:04 PM
This was a lot of fun.
Reposted by Theo Milonopoulos
"Matthiessen’s many masks are on display in True Nature, a deeply researched and artfully executed biography. ... Mr. Richardson has drawn from an enormous range of sources ... to better understand a gifted, difficult man who, for all his adventures and good fortune, seemed resolutely dissatisfied."
‘True Nature’ Review: The Restless Peter Matthiessen
The writer of “The Snow Leopard” and “At Play in the Fields of the Lord” wrote of nature’s austere simplicity. The man himself was anything but simple.
www.wsj.com
November 21, 2025 at 5:25 PM
"Matthiessen’s many masks are on display in True Nature, a deeply researched and artfully executed biography. ... Mr. Richardson has drawn from an enormous range of sources ... to better understand a gifted, difficult man who, for all his adventures and good fortune, seemed resolutely dissatisfied."
Reposted by Theo Milonopoulos
"True Nature" on the Washington Post list of notable nonfiction books in 2025.
50 notable works of nonfiction from 2025
The year’s best memoirs, biographies, history and more, as selected by the staff of The Washington Post’s Book World.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 20, 2025 at 2:16 PM
"True Nature" on the Washington Post list of notable nonfiction books in 2025.
Reposted by Theo Milonopoulos
Gosh. "A magnificent literary biography, painstakingly researched, intricately organized, and beautifully written, fully worthy of its sensitive, restless, and driven subject. ... It should be of interest to anyone drawn to the search for our true nature and the deepest truths of the human heart."
In Search of the Snow Leopard
A new biography traces the lifelong pilgrimage of the novelist and Zen teacher Peter Matthiessen.
tricycle.org
November 15, 2025 at 7:39 AM
Gosh. "A magnificent literary biography, painstakingly researched, intricately organized, and beautifully written, fully worthy of its sensitive, restless, and driven subject. ... It should be of interest to anyone drawn to the search for our true nature and the deepest truths of the human heart."
Reposted by Theo Milonopoulos
Ouch! Feeling kind of old as one of that “earlier generation” that engaged in “shopworn” debates :)
Great review of important recent work on qualitative methods! I would add Fairfield and Charman on formal Bayesian process tracing as one of the key recent contributions.
Great review of important recent work on qualitative methods! I would add Fairfield and Charman on formal Bayesian process tracing as one of the key recent contributions.
Check out my review of some exciting new books in qualitative methods!
November 8, 2025 at 1:21 PM
Ouch! Feeling kind of old as one of that “earlier generation” that engaged in “shopworn” debates :)
Great review of important recent work on qualitative methods! I would add Fairfield and Charman on formal Bayesian process tracing as one of the key recent contributions.
Great review of important recent work on qualitative methods! I would add Fairfield and Charman on formal Bayesian process tracing as one of the key recent contributions.
Reposted by Theo Milonopoulos
Two book events this weekend! Both with exceptional writer friends.
Saturday in DC: Politics & Prose with @carlhoffman.bsky.social at 3pm. Details here: politics-prose.com/lance-richar...
Sunday in Providence: Riffraff with @francescawade.bsky.social at 6pm. Details here: riffraffpvd.com/events/
Saturday in DC: Politics & Prose with @carlhoffman.bsky.social at 3pm. Details here: politics-prose.com/lance-richar...
Sunday in Providence: Riffraff with @francescawade.bsky.social at 6pm. Details here: riffraffpvd.com/events/
October 31, 2025 at 12:18 PM
Two book events this weekend! Both with exceptional writer friends.
Saturday in DC: Politics & Prose with @carlhoffman.bsky.social at 3pm. Details here: politics-prose.com/lance-richar...
Sunday in Providence: Riffraff with @francescawade.bsky.social at 6pm. Details here: riffraffpvd.com/events/
Saturday in DC: Politics & Prose with @carlhoffman.bsky.social at 3pm. Details here: politics-prose.com/lance-richar...
Sunday in Providence: Riffraff with @francescawade.bsky.social at 6pm. Details here: riffraffpvd.com/events/
Yes, this is largely symbolic, as the House has already indicated it will not take it up. But the Senate is sending a loud, bipartisan signal across the street to SCOTUS, who will be considering the very question of who decides whether a national emergency exists to justify global tariffs next week.
The Senate on Thursday voted 51-47 to eliminate the national emergency underpinning President Trump’s global tariffs — its third rebuke of his trade policy this week, after bipartisan votes to roll back duties on goods from Canada and Brazil.
Senate votes to quash Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ global tariffs
The bipartisan move is symbolic, as the House has passed a rule against legislation to block tariffs this year.
www.washingtonpost.com
October 30, 2025 at 8:54 PM
Yes, this is largely symbolic, as the House has already indicated it will not take it up. But the Senate is sending a loud, bipartisan signal across the street to SCOTUS, who will be considering the very question of who decides whether a national emergency exists to justify global tariffs next week.
Reposted by Theo Milonopoulos
Going to be a fun one. DC peeps, come out for it!
DC folks - please come here @lancerichardson.bsky.social and I talk about True Nature, his wonderful new biography of Peter Matthiessen at @politicsprose.bsky.social Ct Ave. this Saturday, 3 pm.
politics-prose.com/lance-richar...
politics-prose.com/lance-richar...
Lance Richardson — True Nature: The Pilgrimage of Peter Matthiessen - With Carl Hoffman — At Conn Ave
politics-prose.com
October 27, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Going to be a fun one. DC peeps, come out for it!
Reposted by Theo Milonopoulos
Two book events this week!
Tuesday eve: Broadside Books, in Northampton, with Hans Teensma and @daeganmiller.bsky.social.
Thursday night: The Leon Levy Center for Biography, in Manhattan, with @pgourevitch.bsky.social.
Both will be wonderful. Links below.
(Pic of the first Paris Review office.)
Tuesday eve: Broadside Books, in Northampton, with Hans Teensma and @daeganmiller.bsky.social.
Thursday night: The Leon Levy Center for Biography, in Manhattan, with @pgourevitch.bsky.social.
Both will be wonderful. Links below.
(Pic of the first Paris Review office.)
October 20, 2025 at 2:18 PM
Two book events this week!
Tuesday eve: Broadside Books, in Northampton, with Hans Teensma and @daeganmiller.bsky.social.
Thursday night: The Leon Levy Center for Biography, in Manhattan, with @pgourevitch.bsky.social.
Both will be wonderful. Links below.
(Pic of the first Paris Review office.)
Tuesday eve: Broadside Books, in Northampton, with Hans Teensma and @daeganmiller.bsky.social.
Thursday night: The Leon Levy Center for Biography, in Manhattan, with @pgourevitch.bsky.social.
Both will be wonderful. Links below.
(Pic of the first Paris Review office.)
October 19, 2025 at 12:18 PM
This move could also weaken Congress’s oversight over these ops. Adm. Holsey’s successor will require Senate confirmation, which would invite questions that have thus far gone unanswered. Having his deputy serve in an acting capacity for an extended period skirts scrutiny & erodes advice & consent.
In my book, I argue that this kind of elite disagreement is an important constraint in democracies. And up til now these concerns would make the president think twice, so the “stepping down” would not ever happen. Now it’s happening, but there’s nobody else to pay attention to the fire alarm.
"One current and one former U.S. official, both of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters, said that Admiral Holsey had raised concerns about the mission and the attacks on the alleged drug boats" near Venezuela
October 16, 2025 at 11:11 PM
This move could also weaken Congress’s oversight over these ops. Adm. Holsey’s successor will require Senate confirmation, which would invite questions that have thus far gone unanswered. Having his deputy serve in an acting capacity for an extended period skirts scrutiny & erodes advice & consent.
Reposted by Theo Milonopoulos
In my book, I argue that this kind of elite disagreement is an important constraint in democracies. And up til now these concerns would make the president think twice, so the “stepping down” would not ever happen. Now it’s happening, but there’s nobody else to pay attention to the fire alarm.
"One current and one former U.S. official, both of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters, said that Admiral Holsey had raised concerns about the mission and the attacks on the alleged drug boats" near Venezuela
Head of the U.S. Military’s Southern Command Is Stepping Down, Officials Say
www.nytimes.com
October 16, 2025 at 10:51 PM
In my book, I argue that this kind of elite disagreement is an important constraint in democracies. And up til now these concerns would make the president think twice, so the “stepping down” would not ever happen. Now it’s happening, but there’s nobody else to pay attention to the fire alarm.
Reposted by Theo Milonopoulos
A dream launch at the New York Public Library last night.
October 15, 2025 at 12:36 PM
A dream launch at the New York Public Library last night.
Reposted by Theo Milonopoulos
The writer Peter Matthiessen traveled the world looking for elusive snow leopards and rare cranes. But a new biography shows that the genuine self he was really seeking would be much harder to find, writes John Kaag:
A Warning for the Modern Striver
A new biography of Peter Matthiessen chronicles his many paradoxical attempts to escape who the world expected him to be.
bit.ly
October 14, 2025 at 8:00 PM
The writer Peter Matthiessen traveled the world looking for elusive snow leopards and rare cranes. But a new biography shows that the genuine self he was really seeking would be much harder to find, writes John Kaag:
Reposted by Theo Milonopoulos
Reviewed in The New Yorker.
Peter Matthiessen Travelled the World, Trying to Escape Himself
He was a spy, a crusader, an obsessive advocate for neglected people and places—yet his work was shaped, too, by an inner crisis.
www.newyorker.com
October 13, 2025 at 10:18 AM
Reviewed in The New Yorker.
Reposted by Theo Milonopoulos
Early review (two days early, anyway) in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
"Beautifully written, insightful, and engaging, 'True Nature' is a tour de force depiction of a charismatic, restless, self-absorbed, immensely talented literary lion."
"Beautifully written, insightful, and engaging, 'True Nature' is a tour de force depiction of a charismatic, restless, self-absorbed, immensely talented literary lion."
Review: The life of Peter Matthiessen
The only person to win a National Book Award for both non-fiction (“The Snow Leopard”) and fiction (“Shadow Country”), Peter Matthiessen...
www.post-gazette.com
October 12, 2025 at 5:46 PM
Early review (two days early, anyway) in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
"Beautifully written, insightful, and engaging, 'True Nature' is a tour de force depiction of a charismatic, restless, self-absorbed, immensely talented literary lion."
"Beautifully written, insightful, and engaging, 'True Nature' is a tour de force depiction of a charismatic, restless, self-absorbed, immensely talented literary lion."
We were 2 fast 2 furlough at the Newport Half Marathon.
October 12, 2025 at 7:31 PM
We were 2 fast 2 furlough at the Newport Half Marathon.
Reposted by Theo Milonopoulos
Launch events next week!
NYPL: www.showclix.com/event/richar...
BPL: www.bklynlibrary.org/calendar/lan...
NWS: nationalwritersseries.org/author-event...
NYPL: www.showclix.com/event/richar...
BPL: www.bklynlibrary.org/calendar/lan...
NWS: nationalwritersseries.org/author-event...
October 8, 2025 at 3:20 PM
Launch events next week!
NYPL: www.showclix.com/event/richar...
BPL: www.bklynlibrary.org/calendar/lan...
NWS: nationalwritersseries.org/author-event...
NYPL: www.showclix.com/event/richar...
BPL: www.bklynlibrary.org/calendar/lan...
NWS: nationalwritersseries.org/author-event...
There is an alternate universe in which I studied art history and dd my dissertation on this topic: www.nytimes.com/2025/09/23/a...
The Curious Incident of the Dog in ‘The Night Watch’
www.nytimes.com
October 6, 2025 at 4:43 PM
There is an alternate universe in which I studied art history and dd my dissertation on this topic: www.nytimes.com/2025/09/23/a...
Reposted by Theo Milonopoulos
Folks we are watching the adjudication of some of the most important constitutional issues of federalism, executive discretion, and judicial review since the 19th c
www.oregonlive.com/politics/202...
www.oregonlive.com/politics/202...
Judge issues new broader order barring any National Guard from relocating to Oregon
Judge asked federal government lawyer: 'Do you believe this is an appropriate way to deal with a judge’s order that you disagree with?'
www.oregonlive.com
October 6, 2025 at 10:31 AM
Folks we are watching the adjudication of some of the most important constitutional issues of federalism, executive discretion, and judicial review since the 19th c
www.oregonlive.com/politics/202...
www.oregonlive.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Theo Milonopoulos
I'm seeing a) assertions that no one has been thinking about the issues raised by these NG deployments and b) confident assertions about complicated legal issues. So a friendly reminder that we do have experts on domestic use of the U.S. military, and even they don't have clear answers! ⬇️
Folks we are watching the adjudication of some of the most important constitutional issues of federalism, executive discretion, and judicial review since the 19th c
www.oregonlive.com/politics/202...
www.oregonlive.com/politics/202...
Judge issues new broader order barring any National Guard from relocating to Oregon
Judge asked federal government lawyer: 'Do you believe this is an appropriate way to deal with a judge’s order that you disagree with?'
www.oregonlive.com
October 6, 2025 at 12:40 PM
I'm seeing a) assertions that no one has been thinking about the issues raised by these NG deployments and b) confident assertions about complicated legal issues. So a friendly reminder that we do have experts on domestic use of the U.S. military, and even they don't have clear answers! ⬇️
Reposted by Theo Milonopoulos
Book Launch! October 14 at the New York Public Library. Should be a really fun evening. Tickets (free) here: www.showclix.com/event/richar...
September 29, 2025 at 9:09 PM
Book Launch! October 14 at the New York Public Library. Should be a really fun evening. Tickets (free) here: www.showclix.com/event/richar...
Reposted by Theo Milonopoulos
Floored by this review of my book by Pico Iyer. Gosh.
The Life and Travels of Peter Matthiessen, Revisited
A new book sheds fresh light on the "Snow Leopard" author, from his founding of "The Paris Review" with George Plimpton to working for the C.I.A. to his many affairs.
airmail.news
September 27, 2025 at 2:23 PM
Floored by this review of my book by Pico Iyer. Gosh.
Reposted by Theo Milonopoulos
Book tour time! Excited to be hitting the road this fall to talk about Matthiessen and TRUE NATURE with these incredible people. Ticket links and full details at lancenrichardson.com/events. ❄️🐆
September 15, 2025 at 9:21 PM
Book tour time! Excited to be hitting the road this fall to talk about Matthiessen and TRUE NATURE with these incredible people. Ticket links and full details at lancenrichardson.com/events. ❄️🐆