Free Republic

Son, you’re eight years old now, and you’ll probably hear this soon enough from the other kids on the playground anyway, so I might as well tell you. Santa isn’t real, the Tooth Fairy is imaginary, and there’s no such thing as the “invisible hand of the market.” Why did your mother and I lie to you? Well, we didn’t so much lie to you as tell you stories that were untrue, stories that we hoped would add magic to your childhood and also reassure you that capitalism is a good and fair system for everyone, instead of one in...

I’ve done it. After every failure by the political establishment, journalists, activists, concerned citizens, and media empires, I am pleased to announce that I have brought an end to the terror of President Trump by utilizing the greatest power of all: Comedy. It wasn’t easy. But heroism rarely is, and destiny never calls at a time of our choosing. So, at 12:34 AM, after reading one of his tweets, I take up the pen of justice. I channel the spirit of Voltaire, Twain, and Swift. I hold the mirror to society. I Photoshop Trump’s face onto Jabba The Hutt. I...

Is Dave Eggers now the most influential man in literary circles? What to read in 2008? EverybodyÂ’s looking for a trusted authority to help them decide, but advice can be self-serving and contradictory. For almost four decades, one tried-and-true method for choosing new writing has been to look to Granta magazine, an unrivalled bellwether for leading hungry readers to emerging authors. In 1996, for instance, it famously devoted an entire issue to naming the 20 best American novelists under 40. Although a few on the list have not exactly set the world alight, the magazine proved to be remarkably prophetic...