Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

Sunday reading on nybooks.com: The Review’s new issue includes articles on Vincent Van Gogh, Edgar Allan Poe, the New York police revolt, and a wonderful first novel. The NYRblog looks at the limits of satire, the events leading up to the Paris attacks, and the Dardennes’ newest film. And from the archives, we present a selection of articles on the life of the sea.   THIS ISSUE SPONSORED BY DUKE UNIVERSITY PRESS

On Edgar Allan Poe Marilynne Robinson It seems to have been true of Poe that no one could look at him without seeing more than they would wish or he could tolerate.   ADVERTISEMENT   The NY Police vs. the Mayor Michael Greenberg The killing of two New York City police officers in December has riven the city in a primal way that we have not seen since the Crown Heights race riots in 1991.   Van Gogh: The Courage and the Cunning Michael Kimmelman Julian Bell’s splendid new biography gives a humane and eloquent telling of van Gogh’s last, miraculous, disastrous years.   ADVERTISEMENT   ‘A Beautiful, Mournful Novel’ Cathleen Schine Preparation for the Next Life is an astounding first novel about a world so large there is, sometimes, nowhere to go.   The Limits of Satire Tim Parks Now that the whole world is my neighbor, my immediate Internet neighbor, do I make any concessions at all, or do I uphold the ancient tradition of satire at all costs?   France: The Ground Shifts Mark Lilla No one had predicted or even expected the attacks. But already one reads and hears that “all the signs were there” and that “they”—the government, the police, multicultural journalists—refused to recognize them.   The Passion of Marion Cotillard J. Hoberman Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne’s Two Days, One Night features what may be the most self-effacing yet bravura performance of the year.   The Life of the Sea A study published in the journal Science this week found that humans have “profoundly affected marine wildlife” and urged action to slow the advance of marine defaunation.