culture

Sebastian Barry's The Newer World: a near-miracle of storytelling review

Sebastian Barry's The Newer World: a near-miracle of storytelling review

Sebastian Barry’s latest novel, *The Newer World*, gives voice to Tennyson Bouguereau, a formerly enslaved man navigating post-Civil War America. Through Tennyson’s recollections, the narrative revives the perennial question: is history better served by novelists or historians? Historians might demur, but as Barry illustrates, fiction can fill

Wim Wenders says film-makers should not avoid political involvement

Wim Wenders says film-makers should not avoid political involvement

Filmmaker Wim Wenders has clarified his earlier comments on the relationship between cinema and politics. Speaking at the Venice film festival, he stated that he does not believe filmmakers should completely avoid political engagement. Earlier in the year, while serving as jury president at the Berlin film festival, Wenders told

The week around the world in 20 images

The week around the world in 20 images

The week witnessed a series of catastrophic events, including the devastating floods along the Nepal-Tibet border, Russian missile attacks on Kyiv, the rapid spread of the Plaskett Fire across California, and the vibrant celebration of the Notting Hill carnival. The following images, captured by top photojournalists, document these moments.

"Why Not Aim to Be the World's Best, Just for Fun?" Art Garfunkel on a Fulfilling, Restless Journey and His Reconciliation with Paul Simon

"Why Not Aim to Be the World's Best, Just for Fun?" Art Garfunkel on a Fulfilling, Restless Journey and His Reconciliation with Paul Simon

As Art Garfunkel is eager to emphasize, “I am a singer – there, use that as the title of your article” – but he was never only a singer. “I’ve been an actor. I am a writer,” he continues. “I’ve walked across countries, taken freighters across oceans. I’ve read

Maurizio Cattelan Defends Serious Art: $6M Banana, Gold Toilet, and Hitler-Pope Pieces Hit Berlin

Maurizio Cattelan Defends Serious Art: $6M Banana, Gold Toilet, and Hitler-Pope Pieces Hit Berlin

Maurizio Cattelan, the art world's playful provocateur, pauses when asked which object in his extensive new Berlin exhibition is most likely to be vandalised, stolen or consumed, then lets out a booming laugh. "There is no need to damage anything," says the lean, thoughtful Italian, explaining

I Credit Iron Maiden for My English A‑Level: The Literature Our Writers Unearthed via Pop Music

I Credit Iron Maiden for My English A‑Level: The Literature Our Writers Unearthed via Pop Music

Penelope Farmer via the Cure I first heard the Cure’s “Charlotte Sometimes” as a teenager, and it felt like emerging from a reverie. The clashing guitars rang out like distant bells while the vague lyrics about getting ready for sleep unearthed a childhood recollection of Penelope Farmer’s eerie

Worldbreaker review – Luke Evans delivers a warm, bear‑hug performance in a thin sci‑fi survival drama

Worldbreaker review – Luke Evans delivers a warm, bear‑hug performance in a thin sci‑fi survival drama

It may be coincidence, but many recent action films now centre on adult men and their daughters—or female stand‑ins—fighting to survive. The men are portrayed as both hardened combatants and protective fathers who train their girls to fight as fiercely as any man, preparing them for a