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The Magazine

January 13, 2025

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Goings On

Goings On

A Polar-Bear Plunge for the Mind, at Under the Radar

Also: the joys of marmalade, an Indian epic set to dance, the prog rock of Geordie Greep, and more.
Book Currents

Luca Guadagnino’s Fascination with the Bourgeoisie

The “Challengers” and “Queer” director discusses some books about his longtime preoccupation: the codes and customs of the rich.

The Talk of the Town

Michael Luo on the roots of xenophobia; playing Joan Baez; defending the Hudson; wig city; standing still in New York.

Comment

History’s Lessons on Anti-Immigrant Extremism

Even Donald Trump’s recent assertion that he would use executive action to abolish birthright citizenship has a historical link to the Chinese American experience.
The Pictures

How to Get the Joan Baez Sound? Sleep with Your Guitar

Playing Joan Baez to Timothée Chalamet’s Dylan in “A Complete Unknown,” Monica Barbaro took up sketching and picking.
Dept. of Ebbs and Flows

Around the World on the Hudson River

After eighty thousand miles, John Lipscomb takes his final patrol as a Riverkeeper boat captain who stumped for the fish and fought the “shit sprinklers.”
The Boards

John Mulaney Tries Pirate Talk in an “S.N.L.” Reunion

“All In: Comedy About Love,” a collaboration between the comedian, his former writing partner Simon Rich, and the director Alex Timbers, brings lovelorn dogs, the Elephant Man, and babies to Broadway.
Sketchpad

The Risks of Standing Still in New York

Beware! You might start an impromptu queue or get declared a landmark.

Reporting & Essays

Annals of Medicine

Why Is the American Diet So Deadly?

A scientist tried to discredit the theory that ultra-processed foods are killing us. Instead, he overturned his own understanding of obesity.
Life and Letters

Did a Best-Selling Romantasy Novelist Steal Another Writer’s Story?

Tracy Wolff, the author of the “Crave” series, is being sued for copyright infringement. But romantasy’s reliance on standarized tropes makes proving plot theft tricky.
A Reporter at Large

On TikTok, Every Migrant Is Living the American Dream

Many people from the Andes have settled in New York. They face tremendous difficulties, but their online posts glamorize their lives, drawing others northward.
The Political Scene

Lauren Boebert’s Survival Instincts

The Colorado congresswoman’s inflammatory rhetoric has made her a national symbol of the Trumpist far right. She presents a different image closer to home.

Shouts & Murmurs

Shouts & Murmurs

Expanding Our Two-Factor Authentication System

Our top priority is making sure no hacker gets into your account. So, as soon as we locate your biological grandparents and compare their DNA to yours, we will allow you to safely log in to your account.

Fiction

Sketchbook

When Picasso Was Arrested for Stealing the “Mona Lisa”

In 1911 the world’s most famous painting was stolen from the Louvre.
Fiction

“Prophecy”

First, they would consult the family astrologer, he said, and only if the man approved of the match would Dev be allowed to go through with the proposal.

The Critics

Books

Yukio Mishima’s Death Cult

The writer spent his life cultivating beauty—on the page and in the mirror—only to end it with a samurai-style suicide. Both acts spoke to a long-standing obsession.
Books

He Was a Genius for the Ages. Can We Give Him a Break?

Gottfried Leibniz made conceptual advances that lie behind our digital world. Yet for centuries he was mocked for a misstep.
Books

Briefly Noted

“Aflame,” “Only in America,” “Taiwan Travelogue,” and “Tasmania.”
The Art World

Every Mandala Tells a Secret

If the Buddhist art is meant to guide us to enlightenment, it just as often reveals the blood, beauty, and mystery of earthly life.
The Current Cinema

Marianne Jean-Baptiste Gives a Performance for the Ages in “Hard Truths”

In his excoriatingly funny new film, the British realist Mike Leigh reunites with a key actor from his 1996 triumph, “Secrets & Lies.”

Poems

Poems

“Waiting”

“My first great love was a drunk. Her long dark hair / falling over my face. But even that is made up.”
Poems

“Summer Movies in Central Park”

“It is this honor, Juliusz, that is granted us: / To resurrect new forms, forged of gold.”

Cartoons

Puzzles & Games

Crossword

The Crossword: Monday, January 6, 2025

A challenging puzzle.
The Mail
Letters should be sent with the writer’s name, address, and daytime phone number via e-mail to themail@newyorker.com. Letters may be edited for length and clarity, and may be published in any medium. We regret that owing to the volume of correspondence we cannot reply to every letter.