Martin Schneider writes:
A new issue of The New Yorker comes out tomorrow. Here is a description of its contents.
Atul Gawande examines the use of prolonged solitary confinement in our nation’s prisons, and concludes that whether one is serving time at a supermax prison or being held in a cell in Beirut, Hanoi, or Guantánamo Bay, “all human beings experience isolation as torture.”
Evan Osnos profiles Cheung Yan, the head of Nine Dragons Paper, China’s largest paper manufacturer, and explores how the fortunes of the company that was once the largest exporter, by volume, of freight from the United States fell to the point “that the company’s market value was less than half the value of its own phalanx of paper machines.”
David Owen writes about how bad economic times can be good for the environment.
James Surowiecki responds to Europe’s conservative reaction to the economic crisis.
David Sedaris recounts stories from his latest book tour.
Woody Allen envisions revenge on Bernie Madoff.
Alec Wilkinson profiles Chris Ferguson, one of the most successful and strategic poker pros.
John Lahr reviews West Side Story and God of Carnage.
Hilton Als explores depictions of race and prejudice in Tracey Scott Wilson’s The Good Negro.
Anthony Lane examines the life and letters of Samuel Beckett.
James Wood considers paranoid schizophrenia in John Wray’s new novel Lowboy.
Alex Ross attends Il Trovatore and La Sonnambula at the Metropolitan Opera.
Paul Goldberger revisits the work of the architect Andrea Palladio.
Nancy Franklin reviews the new television drama Kings.
David Denby reviews Duplicity and Hunger.
There is a short story by Craig Raine.

Martin Schneider writes:
Today we present the New Yorker nominees for the National Magazine Awards in a way that is easier to peruse, followed by some comments about the picks.
GENERAL EXCELLENCE, Circulation 1,000,000 – 2,000,000
The New Yorker was nominated for the issues of February 11 & 18, 2008; May 26, 2008; and November 17, 2008.
REPORTING: Ryan Lizza on how Chicago shaped Barack Obama: “Making It,” July 21, 2008.
FEATURE WRITING: Nick Paumgarten on the lives of elevators: “Up and Then Down,” April 21, 2008
ESSAYS: Roger Rosenblatt on death and family: “Making Toast,” December 15, 2008
COLUMNS and COMMENTARY: Hendrik Hertzberg, Comments on Barack Obama’s visit abroad (“Foreigners,” August 4, 2008), on McCain supporters calling Obama a socialist (“Like, Socialism,” November 3, 2008), and on the passing of Proposition 8 in California (“Eight is Enough,” December 1, 2008)
REVIEWS and CRITICISM: James Wood, Books, on Richard Price and the art of dialogue (“Say What?,” April 7, 2008), on Marilynne Robinson and religion (“The Homecoming,” September 8, 2008), and on the life of V.S. Naipaul (“Wounder and Wounded,” December 1, 2008)
FICTION: Annie Proulx, “Them Old Cowboy Songs,” May 5, 2008; Aleksandar Hemon, “The Noble Truths of Suffering,” September 22, 2008; Roberto Bolaño, “Clara,” August 4, 2008; Joshua Ferris, “The Dinner Party,” August 11, 2008
LEISURE INTERESTS: Patricia Marx, On and Off the Avenue, on shopping in China (“Buy Shanghai!” July 21, 2008), on buying shoes in New York (“Sole Sisters,” September 1, 2008), and on going discount (“The Price is Right,” December 8, 2008)
PHOTO PORTFOLIO: Platon, photographs of the men and women who volunteered to serve in Iraq and Afghanistan, and their families: “Service,” September 29, 2008
It’s a resonant bunch of nominees, ones that found their way into our posts a few times, not to mention our lives. We mentioned Ryan Lizza’s article on Obama’s Chicago years here. I didn’t write about it, but at the New Yorker Festival in 2008, ASME nominee James Wood spoke at length about the nuances of ASME nominee Hendrik Hertzberg’s August 4, 2008, column about Obama’s trip abroad. We discussed Roger Rosenblatt’s essay here (Jonathan and I loved it; Benjamin didn’t); The Platon portfolio made news when Gen. Colin Powell referenced it (without naming the photographer or the magazine) during his Meet the Press endorsement of Barack Obama; we discussed the event here.