Culture

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

Show me the Monet

On its 150th anniversary, Impressionism is surprisingly relevant

What the once-derided movement reveals about art today

Back Story

Salman Rushdie’s gripping take on being stabbed

“Knife” is a memoir about the attack in 2022 but also a love story

The sports page

Are Indians right to boo Hardik Pandya, a star cricketer?

Sport is all the better for a bit of abuse and hostility—but there are limits

Liberty and justice, just not for all

Two books shine a light on the dark parts of America’s history

Steven Hahn and Jacob Heilbrunn trace the appeal of illiberal policies and leaders throughout the country’s history

Return to Gettysburg

Americans are turning to stories of civil war, real and imagined

The real risks America faces are more insidious