When Victor Hugo wrote Les Misérables, he hoped that “books of this kind may serve some purpose.” And they do. The 19th century social novels of Hugo and Émile Zola remain insightful on issues of labor and economic injustice in our own time.

Books are where the knowledge is. A flourishing democracy depends on a culture that cares about and talks about books.

Vulnerable women in recovery deserve better than books written by authors peddling expensive products and services and promoting consumption instead of evidence-based treatments.

When you are a famous author, you can release a thousand-page novel filled with vicious parodies of your Twitter enemies. But should you?

In the shadow of the Cold War, the rise of creative writing programs and ‘show don’t tell’ philosophy drained fiction of its political bite.

How nostalgic fantasies about the “authentic” New York City obscure the real-world place.

Almost twenty years after September 11th, a new novel explores the psychological and political motives behind the attacks, and illuminates some dark truths that many Americans may not be ready to accept.

Enjoy this exclusive excerpt from Belén Fernández’s new book Checkpoint Zipolite: Quarantine in a Small Place, a story about getting stuck during the pandemic and a no-holds-barred critique of the politicians who are largely responsible for the scale of the disaster.