Mary von Aue
My Father, the Cold War Spy
Eva Dillon's memoir, 'Spies in the Family,' reveals the untold personal side to the American and Soviet spies who helped avert nuclear war.
The Contraband Book North Korea Doesn't Want You to Read
The story collection 'The Accusation' is the first book written by a current North Korean to be smuggled out of the DPRK.
How the CIA Infiltrated the World's Literature
The new book, Finks, reveals how great writers such as Baldwin, Márquez, and Hemingway became soldiers in America's cultural Cold War.
Mashrou' Leila Are Banned from Jordan for Supporting LGBTQ Rights but Refuse to Be Censored
We talk to the wildly popular Lebanese band about their recent ban in the wake of the Jordanian conservative authorities pressuring the country's Ministry of Tourism.
Lebanese Rock Band Mashrou' Leila's Long-Awaited First US Tour Ended with Sweet Success
"We’ve wanted to do this for a long time, but, you know, there’s national security, and we’re brown people."
Nobel Laureate Orhan Pamuk on His New Novel, Turkish Censorship, and Twitter
We met up with the Nobel Prize-winning Turkish author to discuss his 12th novel 'A Strangeness in My Mind.'
Why Madonna's Unapologetic 'Bedtime Stories' Is Her Most Important Album
When Madonna found herself in the middle of a scandal 20 years ago, she apologized by saying she wasn't sorry with 'Bedtime Stories.'
Fighting for the Right to Party in Beirut
We talked to Lebanese club promoter Yousef Harati about nightlife in Beirut, including declining tourism's effect on clubbing, canceling pop-up parties due to suicide bombers, and why valuing parties in a tumultuous city isn't as superficial as it may...
Today Is the Anniversary of Nick Ut's “Napalm Girl” and “Paris Hilton Getting Arrested”
June 8 is an important day for Nick Ut. Not only is it the 42nd anniversary of his classic Vietnam photo “Napalm Girl,” it’s also the seventh anniversary of “Paris Hilton Getting Arrested,” the other famous photograph in his portfolio. In 35 years, he...
Lebanese Indie Rock Band Mashrou’ Leila Is Doing a Lot More for Gay Rights Than Your Band
The LGBT community is celebrating Lebanon’s recent progress, but Mashrou’ Leila, the band with the most explicit record of singing for gay rights, say it’s still not enough.