A Political Journal by Elizabeth Drew. On Tuesday morning, Oct. 25th the news came that the U.S. had invaded Grenada. In an appearance that morning in the White House pressroom, with Eugenia Charles, the Prime Minister of Dominica, by his side, the Pres. said the primary purpose of the invasion was to rescue Americans on the...

Fiction Accident by Susan Minot. Of the seven Vincent children, five are home now--Sherman, Caitlin, Delilah, Chickie, and Minnie. Caitlin and Delilah prepare dinner for the family. Sixteen-year-old Sherman is smoking a joint upstairs and hears, down at the marsh, the familiar rattle of the train going by--the train that hit...

Comment by William McKibben. The United Nations Security Council convened last week, in an after-hours session to discuss our invasion of the island nation of Grenada. Diplomacy in the midst of such crises always seems a little out of place. Many of the delegates opened their speeches with formal tributes to Jordan's Abdullah...

Comment by Charles McGrath. their fortresses in hostile lands. Even the siege of Dien Bien Phu looked very like the techniques used in the 13th century. The main difference between the eras is that in feudal times the peasants knew their place in society, while the Vietnamese people were under so many different rules...

Musical Events Terrors and Tragedies by Andrew Porter.

Fiction Affection by Donald Barthelme. Claire is cooking fish for her husband Harris, thinking that they have not slept together for 300 nights. She calls her mother who explains that men go through strange phases and that when they stop watering the plants it's a sure sign of impending marital breakup. Harris has stopped watering...

Comment by Elizabeth Macklin. In the main reading room of the New York Public Library, it's easy to discover some of the long-term effects that American military actions have had in the southern part of our hemisphere. In novels and poetry you can see our comings and goings made surreal, mythical. Tall and...

Comment Comment (Part 1) by Jonathan Schell. World events have recently developed a miasmic quality. Issues, ideas, and even geographical regions that should be kept separate in our minds have been blurring together. Analogy is rampant. Lebanon is called "another Vietnam." Grenada is "another Lebanon." It was said that the U.S. was invading Grenada so it wouldn't...

The Sporting Scene CLIFFHANGER by Tony Gibbs. THE SPORTING SCENE about the 25th America's Cup series in which Australia II beat the American defender, Liberty, thus breaking the 132-year tradition of American possession of the cup. Dennis Conner was the skipper of Liberty, designed by Johan Valentijn. John Bertrand was the skipper of Australia II, which...

The Theatre VALOROUS FAILURES by Brendan Gill.

Books Yahweh Over Dionysus, in Disputed Decision by John Updike.

Comment by Roger Angell. Much of the early news about the invasion of Grenada by American Marines and Army airborne forces came to our networks and newspapers via Radio Havana, while CBS News and other U.S. news organizations were attempting to pick up information about the fighting from ham radio operators there. The F.C.C...

A Reporter at Large II-LA PLACE DE LA CONCORDE SUISSE by John McPhee. REPORTER AT LARGE about the Swiss Army. It is a militia composed mainly of soldiers who spend a few weeks a year in uniform and otherwise pursue civilian occupations while their assault rifles repose under beds and in closets at home. Writer spent time walking about with soldiers from the...

Poetry Tracking the Boars by Nicholas Samaras. You say they are dangerous...