This Week’s Issue: The Man Who Became His Diary

Plus: the workers who follow climate disasters; Jake Paul’s boxing career; and how to have more energy. View in browser | Update your preferences Life and Letters The Most Ambitious Diary in History Claude Fredericks, a Bennington classics professor, knew Anaïs Nin and James Merrill, and taught Donna Tartt. He kept a journal for eight decades, and persuaded many in his orbit that he was writing a titanic masterpiece. Did he? By Benjamin Anastas A Reporter at Large The Migrant Workers Who Follow Climate Disasters A growing group of laborers is trailing hurricanes and wildfires the way farmworkers follow crops, contracting for big disaster-recovery firms, and facing exploitation, injury, and death. By Sarah Stillman Popular Chronicles Can Jake Paul Fight His Way Out of Trouble? A polarizing social-media star seeks an unlikely second act in boxing. By Kelefa Sanneh Dept. of Science Energy, and How to Get It All of us know people who have more energy than we do, but the science of the phenomenon is just coming into view. By Nick Paumgarten Books Early Civilizations Had It All Figured Out A contrarian account of our prehistory argues that cities once flourished without rulers and rules—and still could. By Gideon Lewis-Kraus On Television Is “Succession” the Best Sitcom on Television? The HBO series, now in its third season, feels almost Seinfeldian in its efforts to capture a group of eccentric, petty characters as they try, again and again, to one-up one another. By Naomi Fry A Critic at Large When “Foundation” Gets the Blockbuster Treatment, Isaac Asimov’s Vision Gets Lost The TV version of the classic sci-fi saga sidelines its source’s most pressing questions about power and precarity. By Julian Lucas Books Anne Carson’s Obsession with Herakles In “H of H Playbook,” the poet considers war, guilt, and the mythological strongman. By Casey Cep Dancing Ballet Is Back, but All Is Not as It Was Seeing New York City Ballet after the long pandemic hiatus highlights difficult truths about the company and its repertoire. By Jennifer Homans Newsletters Sign Up for The New Yorker’s Books & Fiction Newsletter Book recommendations, fiction, poetry, and dispatches from the world of literature, twice a week. Humor from The New Yorker Daily Shouts Creatures of New York Plastic-bag ghosts, heavily tattooed mermaids, and other creepy beings found nowhere else. By Claire Wyman Cartoons from the Issue Cartoons from the Issue Drawings and drollery from this week’s magazine. You’re receiving this e-mail because you signed up for This Week's Issue from The New Yorker. Was this e-mail forwarded to you? Sign up. Unsubscribe | Manage your e-mail preferences | Send newsletter feedback | View our Privacy Policy Copyright © Condé Nast 2021. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.