Harper’s Magazine
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Since 1850. “America’s most interesting magazine” —New York Times
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In our November issue: a Harper’s Forum on media’s crisis of trust, Rowan Jacobsen on a good night’s sleep, Daniel Kolitz on porn’s new frontier, Joy Williams on Gene Hackman’s last days, Nick Pinkerton on Abel Ferrara and a new story by David Wingrave.
harpers.org/archive/2025...
harpers.org/archive/2025...
Every month in our Findings column, Rafil Kroll-Zaidi presents a constellation of the most—and least—important scientific discoveries.
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November 15, 2025 at 6:02 PM
Every month in our Findings column, Rafil Kroll-Zaidi presents a constellation of the most—and least—important scientific discoveries.
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“Simply put, I’m trying to cure my insomnia. The circadian train wreck hit in my forties—eyes snapping awake at 1:00 AM, maybe 2:00, with a grim clarity that there would be no sleep before 3:00, maybe 4:00.”
Rowan Jacobsen reports from the Sonoran Desert.
Rowan Jacobsen reports from the Sonoran Desert.
Chasing Photons, by Rowan Jacobsen
In pursuit of a good night’s sleep
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November 14, 2025 at 11:02 PM
“Simply put, I’m trying to cure my insomnia. The circadian train wreck hit in my forties—eyes snapping awake at 1:00 AM, maybe 2:00, with a grim clarity that there would be no sleep before 3:00, maybe 4:00.”
Rowan Jacobsen reports from the Sonoran Desert.
Rowan Jacobsen reports from the Sonoran Desert.
“I’m all for getting off without telos, but, as a rule of thumb (or whichever finger[s] you stroke with), anyone who takes a well-known word, capitalizes the first letter, and insists that it’s something new has an axe to grind.” —Dan Piepenbring
New Books, by Dan Piepenbring
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November 14, 2025 at 10:01 PM
“I’m all for getting off without telos, but, as a rule of thumb (or whichever finger[s] you stroke with), anyone who takes a well-known word, capitalizes the first letter, and insists that it’s something new has an axe to grind.” —Dan Piepenbring
“The true exercise of imagination, in my view, is (a) to help us to understand other people and (b) to respond to, and, for some of us, to produce, art.”
By C.S Lewis, collected in Letters on Living the Faith, which will be published in March by @harperonebooks.bsky.social.
By C.S Lewis, collected in Letters on Living the Faith, which will be published in March by @harperonebooks.bsky.social.
Penile Colony, by C. S. Lewis
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November 14, 2025 at 8:07 PM
“The true exercise of imagination, in my view, is (a) to help us to understand other people and (b) to respond to, and, for some of us, to produce, art.”
By C.S Lewis, collected in Letters on Living the Faith, which will be published in March by @harperonebooks.bsky.social.
By C.S Lewis, collected in Letters on Living the Faith, which will be published in March by @harperonebooks.bsky.social.
“I think that traditional media has actually grown hostile to their journalists’ building up audiences online and reaching people, because it shifts the power balance.”
@taylorlorenz.bsky.social in a forum on establishment media’s credibility crisis.
@taylorlorenz.bsky.social in a forum on establishment media’s credibility crisis.
Why Doesn’t Anyone Trust the Media?, by Jelani Cobb, Taylor Lorenz, Jack Shafer, Max Tani
Anatomy of a credibility crisis
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November 14, 2025 at 7:01 PM
“I think that traditional media has actually grown hostile to their journalists’ building up audiences online and reaching people, because it shifts the power balance.”
@taylorlorenz.bsky.social in a forum on establishment media’s credibility crisis.
@taylorlorenz.bsky.social in a forum on establishment media’s credibility crisis.
“He stops and frames the shot with his hands, then turns and makes the reverse. He’s right. They are almost identical. Symmetry is essential in this film.”
Olivia Laing from The Silver Book, which will be published this month by @fsgbooks.bsky.social.
Olivia Laing from The Silver Book, which will be published this month by @fsgbooks.bsky.social.
Film Rites, by Olivia Laing
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November 14, 2025 at 5:04 PM
“He stops and frames the shot with his hands, then turns and makes the reverse. He’s right. They are almost identical. Symmetry is essential in this film.”
Olivia Laing from The Silver Book, which will be published this month by @fsgbooks.bsky.social.
Olivia Laing from The Silver Book, which will be published this month by @fsgbooks.bsky.social.
“Squint very hard—to the point of risking permanent eye damage—and you can almost see in Goonworld the realization of the Nineties dream of the internet as an incorporeal, judgment-free, gender-fluid sexual playground.” —@danielkolitz.bsky.social
The Goon Squad, by Daniel Kolitz
Loneliness, porn’s next frontier, and the dream of endless masturbation
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November 13, 2025 at 11:02 PM
“Squint very hard—to the point of risking permanent eye damage—and you can almost see in Goonworld the realization of the Nineties dream of the internet as an incorporeal, judgment-free, gender-fluid sexual playground.” —@danielkolitz.bsky.social
“Scene is the work of a tenacious survivor, a seasoned operator who has managed to keep moving ahead, loosening purse strings around the globe.”
Nick Pinkerton on Scene, by Abel Ferrara.
Nick Pinkerton on Scene, by Abel Ferrara.
A Rake’s Progress, by Nick Pinkerton
Abel Ferrara’s addiction to filmmaking
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November 13, 2025 at 10:01 PM
“Scene is the work of a tenacious survivor, a seasoned operator who has managed to keep moving ahead, loosening purse strings around the globe.”
Nick Pinkerton on Scene, by Abel Ferrara.
Nick Pinkerton on Scene, by Abel Ferrara.
“What is the period called when death has occurred but no one living has witnessed it, has been informed? What is the word, the phrase, the name for those minutes, hours, days?”
Joy Williams on Gene Hackman’s last days.
Joy Williams on Gene Hackman’s last days.
One Four Two Five Old Sunset Trail, by Joy Williams
On the last days of Gene Hackman
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November 13, 2025 at 8:02 PM
“What is the period called when death has occurred but no one living has witnessed it, has been informed? What is the word, the phrase, the name for those minutes, hours, days?”
Joy Williams on Gene Hackman’s last days.
Joy Williams on Gene Hackman’s last days.
“As if each action, each thought
was a nick
that made you
smaller—”
From a manuscript in progress by Rae Armantrout.
was a nick
that made you
smaller—”
From a manuscript in progress by Rae Armantrout.
Farther, by Rae Armantrout
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November 13, 2025 at 7:03 PM
“As if each action, each thought
was a nick
that made you
smaller—”
From a manuscript in progress by Rae Armantrout.
was a nick
that made you
smaller—”
From a manuscript in progress by Rae Armantrout.
“To inquire into the soul is to enter the realm of the political. Along with goods for trade and plundered wealth, concepts of the soul have traveled the networks of empire.” —Anna Della Subin (@annadella.bsky.social)
Phantom Threads, by Anna Della Subin
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November 13, 2025 at 5:02 PM
“To inquire into the soul is to enter the realm of the political. Along with goods for trade and plundered wealth, concepts of the soul have traveled the networks of empire.” —Anna Della Subin (@annadella.bsky.social)
“On the news they’re talking about names and legacies and who the next pope will be. God chooses the pope, not cardinals, my barista says.
Jamie Quatro, from the Sewanee School of Letters Summer Reading Series.
Jamie Quatro, from the Sewanee School of Letters Summer Reading Series.
Getting Used to It, by Jamie Quatro
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November 12, 2025 at 11:00 PM
“On the news they’re talking about names and legacies and who the next pope will be. God chooses the pope, not cardinals, my barista says.
Jamie Quatro, from the Sewanee School of Letters Summer Reading Series.
Jamie Quatro, from the Sewanee School of Letters Summer Reading Series.
“Influencers are acting in a journalistic capacity whether they want to admit it or not. They are certainly exposing themselves to the liabilities that come with journalism.”
Jelani Cobb (@jelaniya.bsky.social) in a Harper’s Forum on the state of media.
Jelani Cobb (@jelaniya.bsky.social) in a Harper’s Forum on the state of media.
Why Doesn’t Anyone Trust the Media?, by Jelani Cobb, Taylor Lorenz, Jack Shafer, Max Tani
Anatomy of a credibility crisis
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November 12, 2025 at 10:02 PM
“Influencers are acting in a journalistic capacity whether they want to admit it or not. They are certainly exposing themselves to the liabilities that come with journalism.”
Jelani Cobb (@jelaniya.bsky.social) in a Harper’s Forum on the state of media.
Jelani Cobb (@jelaniya.bsky.social) in a Harper’s Forum on the state of media.
“It could be said that putting Instagram Stories and Amazon reviews between covers augurs a new phase in End Times Publishing, but I enjoyed both books—I hope for more like them.”
Dan Piepenbring reviews Last Week in End Times Cinema.
Dan Piepenbring reviews Last Week in End Times Cinema.
New Books, by Dan Piepenbring
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November 12, 2025 at 8:01 PM
“It could be said that putting Instagram Stories and Amazon reviews between covers augurs a new phase in End Times Publishing, but I enjoyed both books—I hope for more like them.”
Dan Piepenbring reviews Last Week in End Times Cinema.
Dan Piepenbring reviews Last Week in End Times Cinema.
“At the height of the Atlantic slave trade, Africa accounted for much of the British export of gunpowder. Africans wanted guns. Europe wanted slaves for American plantations. This was a marriage made in hell.” —Clifton Crais
Boom Times, by Clifton Crais
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November 12, 2025 at 7:03 PM
“At the height of the Atlantic slave trade, Africa accounted for much of the British export of gunpowder. Africans wanted guns. Europe wanted slaves for American plantations. This was a marriage made in hell.” —Clifton Crais
“I depart from the sleep lab with a new rallying cry: amplitude. Dawn in the thorn scrub. Noon on a mountaintop. Night in the void. Brain wrung like a sponge every rinse cycle.”
Rowan Jacobsen chases a good night’s sleep in the Sonoran Desert.
Rowan Jacobsen chases a good night’s sleep in the Sonoran Desert.
Chasing Photons, by Rowan Jacobsen
In pursuit of a good night’s sleep
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November 12, 2025 at 5:05 PM
“I depart from the sleep lab with a new rallying cry: amplitude. Dawn in the thorn scrub. Noon on a mountaintop. Night in the void. Brain wrung like a sponge every rinse cycle.”
Rowan Jacobsen chases a good night’s sleep in the Sonoran Desert.
Rowan Jacobsen chases a good night’s sleep in the Sonoran Desert.
“Newspapers are better than they were, more responsible, less given to shrill sensationalism, but newspapermen seem less exciting.”
David Boroff on the state of media in “What Ails the Journalism Schools,” from 1965.
David Boroff on the state of media in “What Ails the Journalism Schools,” from 1965.
Press Release, by David Boroff
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November 12, 2025 at 12:01 AM
“Newspapers are better than they were, more responsible, less given to shrill sensationalism, but newspapermen seem less exciting.”
David Boroff on the state of media in “What Ails the Journalism Schools,” from 1965.
David Boroff on the state of media in “What Ails the Journalism Schools,” from 1965.
“The book’s aim is to show us that the qualities associated with genius are simply what emerge when children aren’t taught that certain experiences are beyond them.”
Christopher Carroll on The Last Samurai.
Christopher Carroll on The Last Samurai.
Moon Magic, by Christopher Carroll
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November 11, 2025 at 11:01 PM
“The book’s aim is to show us that the qualities associated with genius are simply what emerge when children aren’t taught that certain experiences are beyond them.”
Christopher Carroll on The Last Samurai.
Christopher Carroll on The Last Samurai.
“One million people were displaced by a ‘supertyphoon’ in the Phillipines; and the 30th annual United Nations Climate Summit convened in Brazil, where eight miles of protected Amazon forestland were felled to build a new four-lane highway for the event.”
Weekly Review, by Harper’s Magazine
One million people were displaced by a “supertyphoon” in the Phillipines; and the 30th annual United Nations Climate Summit convened in Brazil, where eight miles of protected Amazon forestland were…
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November 11, 2025 at 9:00 PM
“One million people were displaced by a ‘supertyphoon’ in the Phillipines; and the 30th annual United Nations Climate Summit convened in Brazil, where eight miles of protected Amazon forestland were felled to build a new four-lane highway for the event.”
“‘It’s awful,’ the historian said.
‘All true,’ I said.”
A collage essay from @hernyfreebland.bsky.social, published by @laphamsquarterly.bsky.social.
‘All true,’ I said.”
A collage essay from @hernyfreebland.bsky.social, published by @laphamsquarterly.bsky.social.
The American Scheme of Things, by Henry Freedland
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November 11, 2025 at 8:01 PM
“‘It’s awful,’ the historian said.
‘All true,’ I said.”
A collage essay from @hernyfreebland.bsky.social, published by @laphamsquarterly.bsky.social.
‘All true,’ I said.”
A collage essay from @hernyfreebland.bsky.social, published by @laphamsquarterly.bsky.social.
“Among those shadowy brides he is always adored, always the perfect lover: no demand is made on his unselfishness, no mortification ever imposed on his vanity. In the end, they become merely the medium through which he increasingly adores himself.” —C.S. Lewis
Penile Colony, by C. S. Lewis
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November 11, 2025 at 6:03 PM
“Among those shadowy brides he is always adored, always the perfect lover: no demand is made on his unselfishness, no mortification ever imposed on his vanity. In the end, they become merely the medium through which he increasingly adores himself.” —C.S. Lewis
“When it comes to breaking news, AI companies desperately need news outlets that provide accurate, vetted information.”
@maxwelltani in a forum on the media’s credibility crisis.
@maxwelltani in a forum on the media’s credibility crisis.
Why Doesn’t Anyone Trust the Media?, by Jelani Cobb, Taylor Lorenz, Jack Shafer, Max Tani
Anatomy of a credibility crisis
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November 10, 2025 at 11:01 PM
“When it comes to breaking news, AI companies desperately need news outlets that provide accurate, vetted information.”
@maxwelltani in a forum on the media’s credibility crisis.
@maxwelltani in a forum on the media’s credibility crisis.
“Ferrara, now a sober, penitent seventy-three-year-old, reiterates his regrets throughout Scene, but a note of nostalgia for the bad old days nevertheless sneaks through.”
Nick Pinkerton on Abel Ferrara’s memoir, Scene.
Nick Pinkerton on Abel Ferrara’s memoir, Scene.
A Rake’s Progress, by Nick Pinkerton
Abel Ferrara’s addiction to filmmaking
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November 10, 2025 at 9:01 PM
“Ferrara, now a sober, penitent seventy-three-year-old, reiterates his regrets throughout Scene, but a note of nostalgia for the bad old days nevertheless sneaks through.”
Nick Pinkerton on Abel Ferrara’s memoir, Scene.
Nick Pinkerton on Abel Ferrara’s memoir, Scene.
“The production of such cliché-riddled tomes became a multimillion-dollar industry, some of whose early players—Jostens, Balfour—are still in the ‘commemorative product’ game today.” —Dan Piepenbring
New Books, by Dan Piepenbring
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November 10, 2025 at 5:31 PM
“The production of such cliché-riddled tomes became a multimillion-dollar industry, some of whose early players—Jostens, Balfour—are still in the ‘commemorative product’ game today.” —Dan Piepenbring
Jeff Kisseloff responds to a Washington Examiner review of his book, Rewriting Hisstory: A Fifty-Year Journey to Uncover the Truth About Alger Hiss, which was published in April by the University Press of Kansas, and appeared in Readings.
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On Alger Hiss, Whittaker Chambers, and Unanswered Letters, by Jeff Kisseloff
In the September 2025 issue of Harper’s Magazine, a selection from Jeff Kisseloff’s book Rewriting Hisstory: A Fifty-Year Journey to Uncover the Truth
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November 10, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Jeff Kisseloff responds to a Washington Examiner review of his book, Rewriting Hisstory: A Fifty-Year Journey to Uncover the Truth About Alger Hiss, which was published in April by the University Press of Kansas, and appeared in Readings.
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