Arts & Books
A prizewinning novelist’s surreal tale of millennial burnout
Kikuko Tsumura's curious tale follows other cult novels about unambitious women stuck in the thankless carousel of contemporary labour—but offers a different ending
An optimistic new book argues that we can all become expert at something
An appreciation of physical craft ranges from surgery to flower-arrangement. But it doesn't untangle the way most of us actually work
The rare feats of Tom Stoppard
Hermione Lee's new authorised biography of the playwright ruminates on the importance of mystery—and introspection
The life of Sybille Bedford—a whirlpool of overlapping affairs
If the novelist had been more productive she would have had less fun
The rich untold history of African Europeans
Olivette Otele's superb book traces the historical links between Africa and Europe
The best television in December 2020—BBC’s Black Narcissus and Netflix’s Bridgerton
Plus meet Lin-Manuel Miranda's politicking father in Siempre, Luis
The librarians who saved books from destruction
Libraries are essential reference points for ideas, facts and truth
The best films to stream this December 2020—Possessor and Mank
Plus a sinister nudist colony and missing hammer propel the drama in Patrick
How the north was made—and unmade
Industrialisation—and its delicine—have forged the psyche of the modern northerner
Liberalism—fighting for a beautiful, world-changing idea
Ian Dunt offers a whirlwind tour of free-thinking
Why it’s vital we fix our broken care system
The pandemic has given fresh visibility to a long-term problem
The best podcasts in December 2020—Wind of Change and You’re Wrong About
Plus Queen Mary Centre for the History of Emotions takes you behind the many sides of anger