Louis Bayard is a staff writer at Salon. His forthcoming novel, "The Black Tower," will be published in August.

Louis Bayard's Salon stories

Monday, Jun 29, 2009 03:27 PDT

Crying foul on Martina Navratilova

The tennis star's legal woes remind us that even gay icons have some growing up to do about same-sex marriage
Monday, Nov 17, 2008 03:58 PST

Malcolm Gladwell's secrets of success

Bill Gates and the Beatles owe their genius to nurture not nature, argues the acclaimed "Tipping Point" author. It's a nice theory.
Thursday, Nov 13, 2008 03:59 PST

Why "Scarface" is f-ing great

De Palma's '80s cult classic is trash, many scoff. But the lowdown, seedy movie with Al Pacino as a Cuban thug influenced pop culture from gangsta rap to "Miami Vice."
Monday, Nov 3, 2008 02:30 PST

Black presidents we have known

What does it look like to have an African-American in the White House? Pop culture has offered versions awful and great, from Sammy Davis Jr. to Chris Rock.
Tuesday, Oct 28, 2008 04:15 PDT

Payback's a bitch

Margaret Atwood talks about the perils of debt -- and imagines a utopian future without greed.
Wednesday, Oct 22, 2008 03:30 PDT

If McCain wins, should we all move to Scandinavia?

Imagine a land where presidents don't sprinkle holy water on wars, citizens have good healthcare and governments care about the environment.
Wednesday, Oct 8, 2008 03:56 PDT

"The Wettest County in the World"

Bootlegging brothers, get-rich-quick schemes and a sensational murder trial make "The Wettest County in the World" a riveting read.
Thursday, Oct 2, 2008 03:30 PDT

A nation of conspiracy theorists can't be wrong

From miracle diets to creationism to rumors about the origins of 9/11, a new book traces our irrational love of misinformation.
Tuesday, Sep 16, 2008 03:37 PDT

Philip Roth's Jewish question

In his affecting new book, Roth's young hero abandons his Jewish upbringing for life in small town Ohio.
Friday, Sep 5, 2008 03:40 PDT

So much misery, so little time

Peter Trachtenberg took a tour around the world in his quest to understand why some people are crushed by suffering and others are transformed by it.
Thursday, Aug 14, 2008 03:25 PDT

A fraud's life

Can great art spring from a lie? Two new books about forgers raise provocative questions about the links between authenticity and genius.
Tuesday, Aug 12, 2008 03:15 PDT

The 1960s' gayest show

As a kid, "The Wild Wild West" taught me about sexiness and desire -- and how two men could live together and love each other.
Wednesday, Aug 6, 2008 04:00 PDT

Forging the missing case for war

In further chronicles of Bush government deceit, author Ron Suskind drops a bombshell: The White House ordered the CIA to fake a letter linking Saddam Hussein to al-Qaida.
Friday, Aug 1, 2008 04:00 PDT

How Kafka-esque is Kafka?

The Czech writer has become the prophet of our absurd era, but a new book intends to strip the author of his saintly reputation.
Friday, Jul 25, 2008 04:00 PDT

"Brideshead Revisited"

No expense has been spared in this lavish, streamlined adaptation, but is there such a thing as too much good taste?
Tuesday, Jul 22, 2008 03:40 PDT

How to read the James Wood way

The fiercely talented critic takes us on an illuminating tour of fiction -- but there's a hole in his plot.
Tuesday, Jul 15, 2008 04:03 PDT

Answering terror with terror

In "The Dark Side," Jane Mayer chronicles the terrible, destructive decisions the Bush administration made in the name of fighting terrorism.
Tuesday, Jul 8, 2008 04:06 PDT

Jesus loves you -- and your orgasm

The religious right is celebrating sex to stroke its conservative message. Liberals better rise to a secular defense soon.
Monday, Jun 23, 2008 03:40 PDT

Gore Vidal's inconvenient truths

"The Selected Essays of Gore Vidal" reminds us that this combative political provocateur is also one of our finest literary critics.
Thursday, Jun 12, 2008 04:00 PDT

Kiss my ass

For years America has desperately tried to outlaw sodomy and other sex acts like fellatio and cunnilingus. What are we so scared of?
Thursday, Jun 5, 2008 03:32 PDT

Are you too dumb to vote?

Sure, ignorance is rampant among the American electorate, as Rick Shenkman argues. But without The People, there would be no Democracy as we know it.
Friday, May 30, 2008 03:37 PDT

Scott McClellan comes clean

Of course the White House couldn't see the revealing "What Happened" coming. It was McClellan's job as press secretary to conceal himself.
Monday, May 26, 2008 04:31 PDT

Summer reads

Killer thrillers: From an art-world conspiracy to a campus murder to the gripping tale of a missing child, these recommendations will add suspense to your beach book list.
Thursday, May 22, 2008 06:00 PDT

Finale wrap-up: "American Idol"

America finally gets it right, and the best man wins!
Thursday, May 22, 2008 04:00 PDT

Who killed the literary critic?

In the age of blogging, great critics appear to be on life support. Salon's book reviewers discuss snobbery, how to make criticism fun and the need for cultural gatekeepers.
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