This Week’s Issue: The Novelist Whose Inventions Went Too Far

Plus: Jill Lepore on seed catalogues; the little-known world of caterpillars; and how America manufactures poverty. View in browser | Update your preferences Life and Letters The Novelist Whose Inventions Went Too Far After the Afro-Cuban writer H. G. Carrillo died, his husband learned that almost everything the writer had shared about his life was made up—including his Cuban identity. By D. T. Max This Week’s Cover Cover Story Sergio García Sánchez’s “Pulling Ahead” The artist discusses capturing movement, creation as a collaborative endeavor, and the ways that visual communication can transcend eras. By Françoise Mouly Shop this cover and others from The New Yorker in the Condé Nast Store » Reporting and Commentary Annals of Science The Little-Known World of Caterpillars An entomologist races to find them before they disappear. By Elizabeth Kolbert The Wayward Press A Coup at the WestView News A succession battle involving a fight for the patronage of Sarah Jessica Parker threatens to stop the presses at a Greenwich Village newspaper. By Zach Helfand Onward and Upward in the Garden What We Learn from Leafing Through Seed Catalogues They promise forty-pound beets, rhubarb that tastes like wine, tomatoes that look like stained-glass windows, and world salvation. It doesn’t hurt to dream. By Jill Lepore Comment The Expanding Battle Over the Abortion Pill Republican state attorneys general are threatening action against pharmacies that dispense it, as a federal lawsuit challenges the F.D.A.’s authority to approve it. By Jeannie Suk Gersen The Critics Books What Conversation Can Do for Us Our culture is dominated by efforts to score points and win arguments. But do we really talk anymore? By Hua Hsu The Theatre Jessica Chastain’s Close Listening in “A Doll’s House” Jamie Lloyd’s ascetic production of Ibsen’s 1879 drama eliminates nearly every conventional marker of character, location, or gesture. By Helen Shaw Pop Music Central Cee, Britain’s Hip-Hop Ambassador The musician takes Americans on a tour of British rap. By Carrie Battan Books How America Manufactures Poverty The sociologist Matthew Desmond identifies specific practices and policies that consign tens of millions to destitution. By Margaret Talbot Fiction from the Issue Fiction “False Star” “As far back as I could remember, I had heard discussion of claim checks.” By Sterling HolyWhiteMountain Humor from The New Yorker Shouts & Murmurs How to Tell if You’re in a TV Show A rousing, emotional speech often changes minds on television. In real life, not so much. By Emma Rathbone Cartoons from the Issue Cartoons from the Issue Funny drawings from this week’s magazine. Crossword A Challenging Puzzle Research facility at Quantico: six letters. By Natan Last Name Drop Play Today’s Quiz Can you guess the notable person in six clues or fewer? By Will Nediger More from The New Yorker The Front Row At the 2023 Oscars, the Era of Good Feelings Prevailed Jimmy Kimmel and the presenters were as dutiful and cautious as executives at a shareholders’ meeting. By Richard Brody Daily Comment How a Decade of Pope Francis Has Changed the Church The Pontiff has shown that Catholicism is a dynamic institution, whose leader can face unresolved questions openly. By Paul Elie Thanks for reading. Let us know your thoughts about today’s edition. Plus, browse more newsletters and invite a friend to sign up for The Daily. You’re receiving this e-mail because you signed up for This Week's Issue from The New Yorker. Manage your preferences | View our Privacy Policy | Unsubscribe Copyright © Condé Nast 2023. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.