Beginning Middle End by Valeria Luiselli review – a mother and daughter’s odyssey

 

Beginning Middle End by Valeria Luiselli review – a mother and daughter’s odyssey

This journey of discovery from the US to Sicily tackles urgent themes, but is increasingly inward-looking

Chris Power

Wednesday 29 July 2026

In Grace Paley’s short story A Conversation With My Father, a request is made of the Paley-like narrator. “I would like you to write a simple story just once more,” her father says, “the kind Maupassant wrote, or Chekhov … Just recognisable people and then write down what happened to them next.” Her attempt, and its failure to impress him, is the action that powers the story. Valeria Luiselli’s fourth novel is propelled by a similar request, the daughter of the Luiselli-like narrator asking: “Will you finally write a novel with a beginning, a middle, and an end?” It’s a problem Luiselli has addressed before. In her 2017 book-length essay about undocumented migrant children, Tell Me How It Ends, she writes that the difficulty in telling their story “is that it has no beginning, no middle and no end”.

Unsayable by Michael Cunningham review – The Hours author on the insecurities that powered his creative life

 

Michael Cunnigham

Unsayable by Michael Cunningham review – The Hours author on the insecurities that powered his creative life

The American novelist and screenwriter’s memoir covers sex work, Virginia Woolf and Hollywood success

Alex Clark
Friday 24 July 2026

As an eight-year-old in comfortable, solid, suburban California, Michael Cunningham felt compelled to make art before he quite understood what it was, or could do: a painting of souls ascending to heaven, for example, in which paradise resembled the Griffith Park Observatory and the dead were all depicted in profile because their creator felt unequal to the challenge of full faces. There was also a cigar box covered in gold-sprayed macaroni and a clay representation of the animals on Noah’s Ark – anything, in fact, that would challenge the painting of a placid white chicken that hung in a gilt frame on his parents’ wall.

Marilyn Monroe and Douglas, photographed by Douglas Kirkland in Hollywood, 1961

Marilyn, Björk, and Liza, Through the Lens of Douglas Kirkland

By Françoise Kirkland

Photographed by Douglas Kirkland

February 4, 2026

At the pinnacle of photojournalism in the 60s and 70s, Canadian-American photographer Douglas Kirkland somehow made his 2D images multi-dimensional in feeling. Tomorrow, the Morrison Hotel Gallery will present Romance: A Love Letter to The Douglas Kirkland Archive, a curation of limited-edition Kirkland photographs imbued with intimacy, as well as copies of Kirkland’s book, Romance, available with Damiani Books. Hosting the book signing and exhibition is Françoise Kirkland—his wife, collaborator, and enduring muse. Even from the other side of the aperture, she knows how he saw the world was special. “I find it totally irresistible.”

 

All images courtesy of Tyrell Hampton.

Tyrell Hampton and Paloma Elsesser Are Still Two Downtown Rats

By Paloma Elsesser

June 30, 2026

Tyrell Hampton is closing out an era. Over the past decade, the 28-year-old photographer has ricocheted through New York City with a camera in hand, snapping everyone from future superstars to the fabulously anonymous. His new photobook, Last Call, memorializes those years of youthful chaos before he turns the page. To celebrate its release, he caught up with one of his oldest friends, Paloma Elsesser, to reminisce about growing up downtown and why the best nights out usually start with absolutely no plan at all.

TUESDAY 3:30 PM JUNE 23, 2026 NEW YORK CITY

 

Hujar, Peter, 1934-1987, Contact sheet: Gary Schneider at 189 Nude, 2013.108:8.3611. All photos courtesy of The Morgan Library & Museum.

5783 Photographs Peter Hujar Thought No One Would Ever See

By Emily Sandstrom

May 22, 2026

Peter Hujar kept every contact sheet he ever made, perhaps because he never stopped believing someone would eventually come looking for them. Over the course of his lifetime, he shot Patti Smith, Candy Darling, David Wojnarowicz, and Susan Sontag, becoming a central figure in the cultural life of downtown New York without ever quite becoming famous. He was, as curator Joel Smith puts it, missing “the gene for self-promotion.” Though assured of his own genius, he was largely ignored beyond his homestead in the East Village. This spring, the Morgan Library & Museum makes the case for what Hujar always knew. Hujar: Contact draws from the archive of over 5,783 contact sheets Hujar preserved until his death in 1987. The show also arrives at the moment of a Hujar revival: Ira Sachs‘s biographical film Peter Hujar’s Day introduced him to audiences well beyond the art world, while Andrew Durbin‘s new biography wrestles with his chaotic personal life. The contact sheet was never meant to be artwork but rather a working object, a way for film photographers to see what they’d shot before committing to a full print. But Hujar’s sheets are something else: each one a full roll of film reduced to thumbnail-sized frames, marked up in oil pencil, annotated with the thinking he otherwise left unrecorded. Smith calls them “an intimate history of Hujar’s habits, inspirations, and happy accidents.” More than 110 works are now on view through October 25th, with a selection (including some exclusives) shown below. 

Raf Simons Steps Inside Steven Shearer’s Reclusive World

Tokerman, 2026.

Raf Simons Steps Inside Steven Shearer’s Reclusive World

By Raf Simons

June 4, 2026

For a reclusive artist who rarely leaves his studio in Vancouver, Steven Shearer sure gets around. For the past three decades, Shearer’s peculiar brand of painting—haunted psychedelic portraits, most often of men, that merge rebellious youth with canons of Old Master works, often the freakier the better—has gained a global cult following. His paintings and drawings of long-haired metalheads have become his signature, but he’s also versed in photography and collage, employing his massive database of found internet images to create odes to themes like sleeping and blowing. Shearer likes to let his work do all the talking (he never allows his photo to be taken and rarely grants interviews). This summer, Shearer is showing a new suite of paintings, many of which were created with the help of AI, at David Zwirner in London. He hopped on Zoom with his friend, designer Raf Simons, to discuss growing up in isolation, following the art world from a distance, the greatness of JPEGs, and the creative freedom of the ’90s.

 

All photos are courtesy of “Andy Warhol Family Album,” from April 30 – October 19, 2026 at the Whitney Museum. © 2026 The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.

Andy Warhol’s Life in 732 Polaroids

By Emily Sandstrom

Photographed by Andy Warhol

May 5, 2026

Andy Warhol documented everything, just not always with the intention of showing the world. With Andy Warhol: Family Album, an exhibition of 732 Polaroids shot across 1972 and 1973, the Whitney Museum of American Art makes the case that even the artist’s most offhand moments were all a part of his master project. Drawn from one of six Holson albums Warhol assembled as a private archive, the show pulls back the velvet rope on a side of the artist that rarely gets airtime: His dog Archie, his Montauk home, his visits to Europe, and the friends who travelled with him along the way. It’s easy to forget that photography wasn’t a hobby for Warhol, but rather the foundation of his practice. He carried a camera with him everywhere, and by the early ’70s the Polaroid had become his tool of choice, feeding directly into the silkscreen portraits that cemented him in art history. The photos are somehow as glamorous as they are almost mundanely domestic–the truest reflection of Warhol’s world. The show is currently on view through October 19 on the seventh floor at the Whitney. If you haven’t had a chance to head over yet, we’ve snagged a handful of special photos from the exhibition you can explore below.

 

All photos courtesy of Derek Blasberg.

Derek Blasberg and Mel Ottenberg on the Golden Age of Going Out

By Mel Ottenberg

July 9, 2026

Today, Derek Blasberg is a prolific writer, high-society fixture, and father of two. But once upon a time, he was a fresh NYU grad with a vodka ginger and cigarette eternally in hand, and a total inability to turn down an interesting invitation. Although decidedly an uptown girl, Blasberg found himself documenting the indie sleaze era as he spent every night out partying with some of the biggest celebrities, socialites, and supermodels in the world. In his new book Fast + Louche, Blasberg waxes nostalgic for that time in his life, republishing all of his Interview columns and photographs of those unforgettable parties in one place. Last month, the author grabbed lunch with our Editor-in-Chief Mel Ottenberg to gossip about their friends, careers, crazy night’s out, and waking up the next morning to do it all over again.

 

Malia wears MIU MIU

First Impressions: Malia Pyles

Perpetually Marching To The Beat Of Her Own Drum, Malia Pyles Is Not Concerned If Anyone Follows, But The Path She Has Paved Through Embracing Her Individuality Is Sure To Inspire Others. 

words by Michelle Malek

With the current state of celebrity being tethered to social media presence, Malia Pyles says that her style is more vintage when it comes to technology. Fresh off of just replacing her 2012 MacBook, a contrast to her tech-savvy role as Mouse in the MAX original Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin and its follow-up season Pretty Little Liars: Summer School, she says all celebrities need a “How-To” crash course in social media.

Cape Fear Star Malia Pyles Says Yes to Almost Everything

By Interview

Photographed by Myles Pettengill

July 7, 2026

Malia Pyles has spent the last few years building a career on the promise of what’s next, moving between the FX cult favorite Baskets and Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin. In Cape Fear, Apple TV+’s starry reinvention of the Scorsese classic, that promise finally pays off. Pyles plays Nevaeh Valentine, the enigmatic and often terrifying young woman who slips into the Bowden family’s orbit and wreaks havoc, holding her own against Javier Bardem and Amy Adams in the process. It’s the kind of decadent role that introduces an actor to a whole new audience. Ahead of the show’s final batch of episodes, Pyles took our questionnaire to talk trans rights, Twilight, and what happens when we die.

Madonna Interview

 

Madonna wears Jacket, Top, and Skirt Gucci. Earrings 4element. Ring Boucheron. Model on left: Suit, Shirt, Tie, Hat, and Shoes National Theater. Model in middle: Suit and Tie Rokit. Shirt Ralph Lauren. Pens Montblanc. Model on right: Suit National Theater. Sweater Celine. Glasses General Eyewear. Shoes John Lobb.

Madonna Interview

By Mel Ottenberg

Photographed by Nadia Lee Cohen

Styled by Mel Ottenberg

June 22, 2026

MADONNA! INTERVIEW! 2026! This is Madonna’s eleventh time on the cover of this magazine—more than any other star. HERSTORY! We shot these images late at night on the outskirts of London. Madonna named her shoot’s character Dee Dee, a fun, hard-living broad who drank prosecco, did her hair big, and blasted the Stones ’til we got kicked out. There were moments that night when I felt star power on a level I had never experienced before, if that is possible… The next afternoon, I went to M’s home for round two: a 90-minute gab sesh after hearing the upcoming album, Confessions on a Dance Floor: Part II. As a Frida Kahlo portrait glared protectively at me over Madonna’s shoulder, we talked past, present, future, prayer, dicks, nutritional yeast, and more…

THURSDAY 7 PM APRIL 9, 2026 LONDON

Donald Trump, Foot Fetishes, and Paganism: Revisiting Madonna’s 1990 Interview Cover

 

Madonna photographed by Herb Ritts for Interview.

LIFE LESSONS

Donald Trump, Foot Fetishes, and Paganism: Revisiting Madonna’s 1990 Interview Cover

By Glenn O’Brien

Photographed by Herb Ritts

17 July 2026

written by Glenn O’Brien. The pair banter about the making of her Blonde Ambition tour, filming Dick Tracy, and Donald Trump running for president…Check out more of the eerily prescient discussion below.

Alison Brie and Dave Franco Can Still Surprise Each Other

By Dave Franco

Photographed by Dave Franco

July 31, 2020

Listening to Alison Brie and Dave Franco in conversation—about writing, directing, and acting in movies—it doesn’t take long to realize that they love being married to each other. Brie’s latest role is in The Rental, a moody and modern thriller about an Airbnb gone wild. It also happens to be Franco’s directorial debut. Both actors are largely known for their comedic chops; Brie captured the world’s attention with her beloved roles in Community and GLOW. Franco, like his older brother, helped deliver cult comedy classics like Neighbors and The Disaster Artist. Though working together is no uncharted territory for the pair—they’ve previously shared screen time in The Disaster Artist and The Little Hours—The Rental sees the couple exploring their relationship as actor and director, as well as husband and wife. The melange is equal parts intensive and fun, like every movie-making experience. Below, Brie and Franco discuss all that, and, after a brief bathroom break, Franco puts his wife on the hot seat for a round of quick-fire questions. —ERNESTO MACIAS

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Another Dispatch from TIFF: Nomadland Has Big Oscar Energy

By Patrik Sandberg

September 17, 2020

Chloé Zhao’s Nomadland is one of those films that dashes the festival circuit with a prewritten destiny attached. An official selection of Telluride, Venice, Toronto, and New York, this is the film the industry is pushing for Big Oscar Energy, and with good reason: it’s a classic American road movie with a moral sheen, a showcase for Zhao’s willingness to immerse herself into an off-the-grid culture as much as for her lucid, unblinking direction. But more than that, it’s a vehicle for the bulletproof Frances McDormand, one of the most compelling and amusing actors of her generation, who could probably read a Reddit thread out loud for two hours and millions of people would spectate without complaint. 

Joe Eszterhas’s Tales of Sex, Money, and Hollywood Warfare

 

Basic Instict. Sharon Stone, 1992. ©TriStar. Courtesy of Everett Collection.

Joe Eszterhas’s Tales of Sex, Money, and Hollywood Warfare

By Patrik Sandberg

June 29, 2026

Joe Eszterhas’s films have grossed over a billion dollars globally, and he’s raked in millions writing them. Joe’s known as one of the only writers in Hollywood history to get paid more for writing scripts than the directors were paid to film them. He’s also the first writer ever to bank first-dollar film grosses. At his peak, the Hungarian-born voice behind such gonzo classics as Flashdance, Basic Instinct, Jagged Edge, Sliver, and Showgirls was labeled a living legend by ABC News, compared to William Shakespeare by Time magazine, and hailed by Variety as “the Che Guevara of screenwriting.” Starting in the early ’70s as a journalist alongside Hunter S. Thompson at Rolling Stone, Eszterhas imbued his films with the grittiness of our country’s criminal underbelly and an erotic, tabloid voyeurism. Every movie was an event. And to those who think that era is over, think again: Joe’s hot off a sale to Amazon MGM worth up to $4 million for a long-awaited Basic Instinct reboot. As he puts the finishing touches on it, we sit down to talk taking the cash, cashing the check, and showing ’em what they wanna see.

 

The Sly Poetics of Terry Zwigoff

By Julia Yepes

May 19, 2017

“I can’t relate to 99 percent of humanity,” says a character in Terry Zwigoff’s perceptive cult film Ghost World (2001).  That movie—an ode to alienation, loneliness, and the melancholy process of growing up—was inspired by the graphic novel of the same name by Daniel Clowes. It’s a bittersweet comedy with a strange but alluring rhythm that intricately captures the peculiar moods and emotions of its characters, which include two teenage girls, Enid (Thora Birch) and Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson); Seymour (Steve Buscemi), a middle-aged record collector; and various other characters in an unnamed suburban town. Zwigoff and Clowes collaborated on Ghost World‘s Oscar-nominated screenplay. With its intentionally oversaturated colors, quirky characters, and offbeat dialogue, the movie bears the signature features of Zwigoff’s work.

 

The Agony and Ecstasy of Thien Venus Milo

By Julia Yepes

October 7, 2016

Twenty-four-year-old Thien To, who makes clothes under the name Thien Venus Milo, is a designer to watch. This June, for her senior collection at Philadelphia’s Drexel University, To presented seven edgy and opulent couture looks in silk, satin, leather, and tulle, inspired by the story of Alice in Wonderland. Molding laser-cut plexiglass forms into leather and incorporating patterns used in welded iron railings into her red, white, and black designs, To created an imaginative eveningwear collection with ornate details.

Scott Fitzgerald / The Great Gatsby IX

 

The Great Gatsby / Annotated Edition

THE GREAT GATSBY
by
F. Scott Fitzgerald

IX

After two years I remember the rest of that day, and that night and the next day, only as an endless drill of police and photographers and newspaper men in and out of Gatsby’s front door. A rope stretched across the main gate and a policeman by it kept out the curious, but little boys soon discovered that they could enter through my yard, and there were always a few of them clustered open-mouthed about the pool. Someone with a positive manner, perhaps a detective, used the expression “madman” as he bent over Wilson’s body that afternoon, and the adventitious authority of his voice set the key for the newspaper reports next morning.