What to Make of Meloni? I spent two months in Italy this summer, one of my longest visits since leaving the country of my birth for America sixteen years ago. I had stops in Ferrara, Rome, the Alps, and Palermo. And I can confirm that Tancredi’s observation in Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa’s novel The Leopard holds more and more true for Italy every day: “If you want everything to remain as it is, everything must change.” Tancredi was speaking to his aging uncle, Don Fabrizio, Prince of Salina, who was struggling with the social and political changes brought about by the Risorgimento in the 1 ..read more

Way Out West Early in his 2015 novel Beatlebone, a metaphysical, midlife-crisis romp about Ireland, England, and John Lennon, author Kevin Barry writes that the filthy-rich ex-Beatle purchased a small island “when he was 27.” A decade later, Lennon has “come over a bit strange and dippy again—the hatches to the underworld are opening—and he needs to sit on (that) island.” From Barry’s debut 2007 story collection, There Are Little Kingdoms, to his latest lean and powerful novel, The Heart in Winter, the Irish author might lull and disorient readers with lush prose or slapstick comedy. All the ..read more

Ukrainian Olympians Are Already Victorious The 2024 Paris Olympics, beginning July 26, are the first Olympic games since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. Athletes at the Koncha-Zaspa Olympic Center in Kiev, along with their compatriots training outside of Ukraine, know that this international competition provides an important occasion to draw attention to Russia’s invasion and Ukraine’s resilience. Because of this, the Ukrainian government has taken pains to maintain its aid, scholarships, and travel permits for athletes throughout the war. A fencer for the Ukrainian national Unde ..read more

Biden's Choice President Joe Biden made the right decision in withdrawing from this year’s presidential race. It was clearly not what he wanted to do. But he came to see that he had to do it—for his party, for the country, and for himself. In making what was likely the most painful political decision of his career—and one of the most momentous political decisions by any president since Lyndon Johnson decided not to run for reelection—Biden has put a fitting capstone on a lifetime of public service, including a successful presidency. He could and perhaps should have bowed out earlier, sparing ..read more

Commonweal Awards Kaylie Borden O’Brien Inaugural Fiction Prize Commonweal, the acclaimed independent journal of religion, politics, and culture, has announced the winner of its inaugural prize in fiction. The prize, conceived in celebration of Commonweal’s upcoming centennial, recognizes original and outstanding short fiction by emerging writers, and the winning story is published in the magazine’s July/August issue. The winner of this year’s prize is Kaylie Borden O’Brien.  O’Brien, an educator who works with at-risk students in rural Maine, is a subscriber and regular reader of&n ..read more

The Windsor Affair The recent stealth interview with Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito was shameful—not for what Alito said, which was fairly innocuous, but for how the interview was obtained, how Alito’s statements were edited and interpreted, and, especially how the New York Times, Rolling Stone, and other mainstream media outlets chose to play it. At the center of this tawdry episode is Lauren Windsor, whose Wikipedia bio does indeed evoke a rolling stone: political consultant, film documentarian, liberal activist, and “advocacy journalist.” Her m.o. as an “advocacy journalist” is to sec ..read more

‘All Nonsense and Lies’ I was out of the country on a family trip during President Joe Biden’s disastrous debate performance. I would not have watched the debate anyway, since watching and listening to Biden stumble through almost every encounter has become too painful. His obvious impairment will almost certainly result in the return of Donald Trump to the Oval Office—with God only knows what consequences. Our family trip initially included a four-day stop in Berlin, where we were planning to visit the buildings where my wife’s parents lived before the Nazis exiled them in 1938 and 1941. It ..read more

Freud the Irrepressible Disney’s 102 Dalmatians, the 2000 sequel to the 1996 remake of the 1961 original, begins with the reformed Cruella de Vil’s release after three years in a London prison. Her psychologist Dr. Pavlov, who, like his namesake, relies on conditioning, has cured her of her desire to turn dogs into fur coats. But there’s a big problem: the conditioning can be reversed by loud noises. Sure enough, when Big Ben tolls, Cruella, driven mad and hair standing on end, rushes out onto the street. In her hysterical state, everyone looks like a Dalmatian—spotted white clothes and grea ..read more

Summer Readings and Screenings A few weeks ago, when you alluded to our current political nightmare, I was optimistic that the polls would start tilting in President Biden’s favor right after the first debate. I also expected the Supreme Court to rule against Trump’s preposterous claims of immunity. But with the Republican convention approaching, he’s once again in the pages of the New York Times, dictatorial arms spread wide, inciting a red-hatted horde of MAGA thugs to “fight like hell.” Hell, indeed, is where we seem to be, with little relief in sight from that mendacious orange monster ..read more

Gravediggers of Democracy Ever since it became eminently clear that Donald Trump had MAGA-tized the Republican party and would become its presidential nominee in 2024, the image of a broad slab of highly polished black marble has been flashing through my mind. Trump’s name is carved into its surface on the upper left. Below in gilded letters appear the names of Mitch McConnell, Kevin McCarthy, Mark Meadows, Rudolph Giuliani, John Eastman—and all the other accomplices who either rallied to prevent the peaceful transfer of power in 2020 or officially excused it. Week by week, month by month, I ..read more