The Ideas Letter
Not long ago I read in the London Review of Books Leo Robson’s virtuosic retelling of his initiation to the world of cinema. In search of more criticism in these pages, I asked Robson to take the measure of film critic AS Hamrah, and Hamrah’s recent volumes published by n+1. Robson pulls no punches; Hamrah’s future reviewing might even be a beneficiary.
On the subject of film, the Nigerian writer and poet Kéchi Nne Nomu makes sense of the discarded footage of Senegalese filmmaker Ousmane Sembène during the ‘72 Munich Olympics. Sembène had sought to capture the interaction between African and African American athletes in the charged setting but was excluded from the group documentary Visions of Eight that resulted. His erasure is a starting point for Nomu to explore who gets to shape global narratives, and what is lost when particular perspectives are sidelined.
The historian Quinn Slobodian takes a break from his whistle-stop tour promoting his new co-authored book Muskism to examine the ubiquitous habit of framing digital capitalism in imperial terms. Slobodian argues that calling Big Tech and AI forms of empire and colonialism is rhetorically seductive but analytically sterile. Instead we need richer and more clarifying concepts to understand digital capitalism. Enter the digital nation-state.
Last but hardly least, the esteemed Cuban novelist and journalist Leonardo Padura (author of the magisterial novel The Man Who Loved Dogs), writes from the darkness of Havana’s blackouts about the parlous state of play in the island nation. Padura offers trenchant and novel personal impressions of what is distinct in the Cuban condition.
Our friends over at Equator are publishing a lot of must-read essays and interviews,
Featured Essays
What is The Ideas Letter
Welcome to The Ideas Letter, a publication that prizes the unconventional. We are not in the business of persuading. We won’t try to convince you of anything—other than that the world is complex and reality ever-shifting. We are not here to advocate. What you will find, and we hope embrace, are contributions from across ideological aisles, from a broad range of disciplines and a true cross-section of thinking. If catholicity is your métier, and you are uneasy with banging the drum but would rather hear its many sounds, this is the place for you.
We really like critique. Not the mean-spirited or spiteful kind, but rather commentary that raises tough questions, unpacks assumptions, sometimes calls people on the carpet, and always provides opportunity for discussion. That is what we are really after—facilitating, augmenting, furthering, and bolstering debate around issues of consequence.
You’ll find here articles, essays, and criticism that will challenge you to think. Let us know your thoughts, and make sure to tell a friend. Or even someone with whom you disagree!