As the boundaries of art continue to blur, the question of what marks art ‘good’ or ‘bad’ has become increasingly complex. These distinctions matter for anyone seeking to understand how creative ...

I was struck by Peggy Noonan’s observation that, through his work, “Tolstoy himself is still alive” and “continues in human consciousness.” (“My Summer With Leo Tolstoy,” Declarations, Sept. 2). David ...

Some things you can’t take back, or unsay. Many years ago I told the wife of a friend that I really wanted to read Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina. No problem there, but I pronounced the title Anna (so ...

THE other night I picked up, quite by accident, Tolstoy’s story “The Master and the Worker” in German translation, and having started reading it, I could not stop until I reached the end. I had read ...

Donald Trump presents a problem for writers. His political success led to calls for artists to confront authoritarianism and bigotry directly in their work. “Many writers would argue that all fiction ...

For mountain climbers, one imagines that Mt. Everest looms as the ultimate climb to validate one’s ability. For runners, it would be the Boston Marathon, for triathletes the Iron Man? Which meant I ...

Some things you can’t take back, or unsay. Many years ago I told the wife of a friend that I really wanted to read Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina. No problem there, but I pronounced the title Anna (so ...

For mountain climbers, one imagines that Mt. Everest looms as the ultimate climb to validate one’s ability. For runners, it would be the Boston Marathon, for triathletes the Iron Man? Which meant I ...