The Electric Typewriter

Great articles and essays by the world's best journalists and writers.

20 Great Articles by Susan Orlean

20 great articles packed with human detail, all free to read online

Articles

The American Male at Age Ten

"If Colin Duffy and I were to get married, ee would sleep in our clothes and eat pizza and candy for all of our meals. We wouldn’t have sex, but we would have crushes on each other..."

The Place to Disapear

"All languages are welcome on Bangkok's Khao San Road, including Drunkard..."

Life's Swell

"To be a surfer girl in Maui is to be the luckiest of creatures. It means you’re beautiful and tan and ready to rip. It means you’ve caught the perfect dappled wave and are on a ride that can’t possibly end..."

The It Bird

"The return of the back-yard chicken."

The Origami Lab

For centuries, origami patterns had at most thirty steps; now they can have hundreds and scientists have started applying its techniques to medical, electrical, optical, and nano-technical problems..."

Thinking in the Rain

"An artist takes on the umbrella."

I Want This Apartment

"The total value of all privately owned apartments in Manhattan is estimated to be $102.7 billion, and about seven per cent of those apartments turn over every year."

Morocco's Extraordinary Donkeys

"The donkey I couldn’t forget was coming around a corner in the city of Fez, Morocco, with six color televisions strapped to his back."

Where's Willy?

"On the tail of the world’s most pampered whale."

Shoot the Moon

"White men in suits follow Felipe Lopez everywhere he goes. They are ubiquitous. They rarely miss one of Felipe’s games or tournaments..."

Do We Transcend Before or After We Purchase the Commemorative Eel Cakes?

"Climbing Mount Fuji, where nature, religion, sport, and schlock form the most holy of alliances."

The Congo Sound

"Hervé Halfon owns a record store on the Rue des Plantes, in Montparnasse, just a few Métro stops from the Eiffel Tower but spiritually closer to Avenue Gambela, in Congo..."

Animal Action

"No individual fish can do more than three takes in a day..."