Lapham's Quarterly

Jan 21, 2025 | laphamsquarterly.org | George Steiner |Howard Singerman |Andrew Delbanco |Jamie James

In the West, the notion of “literacy” is inseparable from the growth of monasticism and church schools after the decay of the Roman Empire. To be “literate” signified the ability to read Scripture, to form letters on the page. This capacity, often rudimentary, defined the cleric and the clerk, these two designations being closely related.

Oct 26, 2024 | laphamsquarterly.org | Dagmar Herzog |Francine Prose |Jeff Sharlet |Jonathan Lyons

Sixty years ago, Alfred Kinsey, a professor of zoology at Indiana University, published Sexual Behavior in the Human Male, an 804-page tract documenting impressively high rates of non-normative behavior among ordinary Americans, including widespread premarital intercourse, marital infidelity, homosexuality, and masturbation. The report made a ponderous pretense at being value-free. The scientific facade fooled no one.

Oct 11, 2024 | laphamsquarterly.org | Stephen Marche |Bruce Bawer |George Steiner

1) The owners of Esther’s Haircutting Studio, the salon in Tarzana, California, where Britney Spears shaved herself bald in 2007, knew immediately that the relics of her breakdown were sacred. The sweepings from their floor, along with a blue lighter and the half can of Red Bull the star had left behind, went on auction a few days later with a reserve of one million dollars. The bidding may have started too low.

Sep 24, 2024 | laphamsquarterly.org | Lapham’s Quarterly

In a time when print faces numerous challenges, Lapham’s Quarterly is no exception. Lewis was working tirelessly to find a new home for his beloved publication and was closing in on a partnership that would ensure his legacy at the time of his passing. This effort is still underway, but we need your help to make his dream a reality. Your donation will help us make the transition to a new nonprofit institution that will house Lapham’s Quarterly.

Sep 24, 2024 | laphamsquarterly.org | John Crowley |Daniel Mason |D. Graham Burnett |Garret Keizer

Devil or angel, I can’t make up my mind Which one you are I’d like to wake up and find —Blanche Carter, “Devil or Angel,” 19551. The Wool-Sweater ProblemIn the spring of 1968, Cyrena Pondrom, an English professor at the University of Wisconsin, held a series of conversations with the novelist and story writer Isaac Bashevis Singer. The questions were wide-ranging, and so were the answers.