Our print edition is the pride and joy of Current Affairs. It’s full of insightful essays, amazing art, and amusing interstitial nonsense, and we love putting it together. Every edition is packed with surprises, and we firmly believe (although we’re biased) that you won’t find a better print publication anywhere in the world on any subject. (No, not even Small Boats Magazine.)
Our new 46th issue is the first edition in Volume Nine. That’s right, thanks to wonderful generous readers like yourself, Current Affairs is entering its ninth year, having survived and thrived in a turbulent media landscape.
The new issue upholds our usual standard of capital-Q Quality. First, we have cover art by the incomparable Janet Hill. Hill’s painting, “The Metropolitan Aquarium,” is full of cats and walruses, and what more could you want on a magazine cover, really? But that’s just the front cover. Within, you’ll find essays on all manner of subjects. I’ve written an essay about how to appreciate modern art without being pretentious about it, in which I consider the classic hater’s comment “my 5-year-old could have done that.”
My colleague Alex Skopic has written a wonderful essay on political poetry, explaining why so much of it is so bad and pondering whether it’s even possible to write a good political poem. (Alex concludes that it is.) We also have some actual poems from the great W.D. Ehrhart. They’re haunting and beautiful, as is so much of Ehrhart’s work.
Elsewhere in the magazine, you can read about solarpunk novels, the conservative fear of “decadence,” and what the Tintin comics tell us about the history of imperialism. Our film and TV critic Ciara Moloney reconsiders the classic sitcom Taxi, looking at its depiction of the American workplace, and political philosopher Ingrid Robeyns explains why it’s essential to place limits on the accumulation of wealth. Finally, we’ve got an exclusive except from economist Yanis Varoufakis’ new book Technofeudalism, which argues that the title term is a better description of the contemporary economy than “capitalism” is. (We’ve left capitalism behind, he argues.) That piece comes with some stunning art from the super-talented Chelsea Saunders.
All that is before we get to the “amusements.” Current Affairs carries no advertising, so all the ads are satirical and fake. You’ll find out why you need to go on the Gorilla Diet, why you need an Anarchist Roomba, and you’ll be tempted by the luxury watch of your dreams (and perhaps the Current Affairs Golden Sneakers). You’ll hear why the latest urban planning solution is the “pedestrian cannon.” And you’ll learn how to translate the facial expressions of alligators. Plus a guide to the Hottest New Toys Of The Season, including the “tiny tweaker take-apart toaster” and a mysterious device called the “goobler.” The best way to appreciate Current Affairs is in print, where the beautiful artwork truly shines. So please get yourself a subscription today! (And for a friend, they make touching and thoughtful gifts.) Current Affairs is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with no corporate backers. We depend on you. Your subscription dollars go to pay writers and artists. So pick up the magazine today! And consider supporting this publication with a tax-deductible donation so we can bring you even more wonderful material in 2024.
