Arts

Kafka Would Love 'The Beautiful Bureaucrat'

Helen Phillips' surreal, dark, funny new novel follows a young woman named Josephine, who gets a job at a mysterious agency. Critic Michael Schaub says the book works as both love story and thriller.

Unfolding The History Of Napkin Art

The simple napkin has a surprisingly complex history. The masterful table centerpieces of the Renaissance were rich in status and meaning.

Queen Of The Desert Gertrude Bell, In Her Own Words

Explorer and activist Bell is best remembered today for helping create the modern state of Iraq. A smartly edited new collection of her writings presents a fascinating (if not always smooth) portrait.