The Death of a C.E.O.

Plus: the political chaos in France; the best animals of 2024; and what does a translator do? View in browser | Update your preferences Saturday, December 7, 2024 In today’s newsletter, Jia Tolentino on the death of a C.E.O. But first, Lauren Collins reports on the political upheaval in France. Plus: • The best animals of 2024 • What does a translator do? • A mission to diversify music A Reporter at Large President Emmanuel Macron Has Plunged France into Chaos Lawmakers have toppled the government for the first time since 1962. How did we get here? By Lauren Collins The Lede Reporting and commentary on what you need to know today. A Man Was Murdered in Cold Blood and You’re Laughing? Photograph by Anthony Behar / Sipa USA / Reuters Jia Tolentino reports on what the death of a health-insurance C.E.O. means to America. Read the story » Our journalism relies on your support. If you believe in a media that is fearless in the face of power, please subscribe today. Subscribe now The Weekend Essay What Does a Translator Do? Seeking freedom in a long-standing literary tradition. By Max Norman Illustration by Vivek Thakker “Translation is something of the runt of the literary litter,” Max Norman writes, “more often perceived as grunt work than art work.” But what if the craft is less about transforming or reflecting a text, and more about conjuring one’s experience of it? Keep reading Naomi Fry The Animals That Made It All Worth It Illustration by Brendan Wenzel It was a big year for living animals (the pygmy hippo Moo Deng and Crumbs the cat)—and for dead ones, too (R.F.K., Jr.,’s unfortunate bear). But, as Naomi Fry notes, much of the appeal came from the fact that these creatures weren’t human. “War, greed, abject idiocy,” she writes, of her fellow-people, “I was sick of them.” Read the column » Critic’s Notebook, written by Naomi Fry and Doreen St. Félix, publishes every Saturday. Screening Room The New Yorker Documentary One Conductor’s Mission to Diversify Music in “The Orchestra Chuck Built” Christopher Stoudt’s film tells the story of a conductor leading the Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles and of the transformative power of music. Film by Christopher Stoudt If you know someone who would enjoy this newsletter, please share it. Was it forwarded to you? Sign up. Fun & Games Dept. Shouts & Murmurs Everyone Who Wants to Sublet Your Apartment This Winter The pros and cons of prospective tenants. By Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell Name Drop: Can you guess the identity of a notable person—contemporary or historical—in six clues? Play our trivia game » P.S. Eighty-three years ago, Japanese fighters, bombers, and torpedo planes launched a surprise attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor. On the sixtieth anniversary of the event, in 2001, John Gregory Dunne wrote about “the uneasy truth that Hawaii was, and to a certain extent still is, the headquarters of the American Raj, and Pearl Harbor the gateway to mare nostrum.” What did you think of today’s newsletter? Let us know. If you like the daily newsletter, browse more New Yorker newsletters. You’re receiving this e-mail because you signed up for the daily newsletter from The New Yorker. Manage your preferences | View our Privacy Policy | Unsubscribe Copyright © Condé Nast 2024. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.