Readings

Why Philip Roth's retirement—we'll see about that—doesn't herald the end of the archetype he helped invent: the self-obsessed, self-recriminating, somehow lovable jerk. Nathan Zuckerman lives on in a new generation of artists.

In a secular age, the most meaningful memorials are the ones we design ourselves, reflecting the lives we've lived. And in a secular age, the most significant memorials bring peace to the people still living—the people who knew us best when we were still alive.