Culture
From ivory tower to person of the hour
Who’s afraid of Judith Butler, the “godmother of queer theory”?
A new book highlights Judith Butler’s fierceness and blind spots
The tides of Venice
From spies to sea-level rise, Venice’s history is enthralling
Dennis Romano has produced a sparkling account of the city’s past and future
The killer smile
How ruthless is Amazon, really?
It is too simplistic to portray business as a battle of might versus right
Jungle book
“The Vortex”, written 100 years ago, anticipated eco-literature
One of Latin America’s most important books is also timely
Suffrage on stage
There’s a new hit musical about American history in town
Produced by Hillary Clinton and Malala Yousafzai, “Suffs” dramatises women’s fight for the right to vote
Shake it off
Has Taylor Swift peaked?
The musician is at the height of her commercial, but not her creative, power
Gangnam style v gulag style
Why South Korean pop culture rocks and North Korea’s does not
Dictatorship stifles creativity and joy
The working woman
Käthe Kollwitz, a pioneering German artist, finally gets her due
Major exhibitions in Frankfurt and New York showcase her portrayals of the scars of war
All quiet about the Eastern Front
Much of the Great War was decided in the east
A new history argues the Eastern Front gets less attention but was hugely consequential
Mountaineering
Climbing Everest is the extreme sport du jour
More people are reaching the summit, but more people are dying on the way, too
Get a clue
What is a 14-letter word for a constructor of crossword puzzles?
A new book looks at the history of the crossword through the women who designed it
Press play
How Hollywood fell in love with video games
“Fallout” is the latest in a successful run of adaptations