Writer

Patrick R. Chesnut

Latest Content


Top Literary Characters and Their Harvard Caricatures

Character: Jay Gatsby—“The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald Caricature: Finals Club Guy An ostentatious social climber with a penchant


Home

NAPERVILLE, Ill. — The field behind my childhood home is hardly pastoral. It exists out of necessity: its long and


University Arts Take Center Stage

When Madelyn M. Ho ’08 arrived at Harvard, she had a clear plan: concentrate in the sciences, prepare for medical


For Grad, It's All Lit and Theory

Keith A. Gessen ’97 is one of the founding editors of the literary-political journal n+1 and author of the novel


Darkness Lurks Behind Humor of 'Nazi Literature'

Look up Adolf Hitler in Wikipedia and you’ll learn that he was “an Austrian who led the National Socialist German


Framing the Debate

Not long ago, my blockmate’s father asked me a seemingly simple question over dinner: why am I a Democrat? I


Patrick R. Chesnut

People who aren’t from Chicago are usually surprised by the weather. Once they’ve walked down their first block without being


Summer Reading of the Past, Present, and Future

July 20, 2007 was a strange night in my hometown of Naperville, Ill. Normally adored by businessmen for its travel-guide