Books & Literary Life


A New Chapter for Harvard Arts

The Office for the Arts turns 50, and its longtime director steps down.

by Lydialyle Gibson

An Education Agenda

Derek Bok on curriculum reform

“A Kind of Justice in the World”

Ian K. Smith’s turn toward detective fiction

by Lydialyle Gibson

Chapter & Verse

A correspondence corner for not-so-famous lost words

The Fire in “A Burning”

Megha Majumdar’s novel of India resonates in the United States.

by Lydialyle Gibson

No One Deserves a Spot at Harvard

Michael Sandel makes the case against meritocracy.

by Spencer Lee Lenfield

Off the Shelf

Recent books with Harvard connections

Staff Pick: Boston Book Festival

A literary festival for children and adults

by Nell Porter Brown

“This Is a Gift”

Harvard University Press releases a new book, Racism in America: A Reader, free online.

by Lydialyle Gibson

Why Do We Still Have the Electoral College?

Historian Alexander Keyssar on why the unpopular institution has prevailed 

by Marina N. Bolotnikova

How Harvard Handled the 1918 Flu Pandemic

Fall semester interrupted, a century ago

by Matteo Wong