Ralph Steadman: The gonzo marksman
For six decades, the Welsh artist’s savage cartoons have thrilled, angered and shocked readers. He is not done yet.
By
Christmas and New Year special 2016
The last days of Robert Mugabe
Zimbabwe is engulfed, and not only by a political crisis. While its leaders fight, its economy is in meltdown.
By
What two new books on trees taught me about politics
How we think about the natural world matters – which is why the rich metaphors in The Hidden Life of Trees …
By
In a New York winter, it takes a nonagenarian piano player to shut out politics
A strange, embattled year it’s been, but here we still are.
By
Martin Scorsese’s new passion project, Silence, shows the danger of confusing faith with folly
This labour of love from the legendary director is no more a movie than a pile of ingredients is…
By
A date for your diary: Jeremy Irons reads T S Eliot on Radio 4
I can think of no better way to hear out a grim year than listening to Eliot’s poetry. It’s…
By
Different class: how a Palestinian teacher won $1m
Hanan al-Hroub was a poorly paid teacher on the West Bank. Then she won the $1m Global Teacher Prize.
By
Why the story of Alice Bacon still matters for today’s politicians
Rachel Reeves was the second woman to represent Leeds in parliament. Now, she’s written a book about the first.
By
The best television of 2016
Stuck on what to watch over Christmas? Our critic rounds up her picks of the year.
By
How do I know that my father loved me? One night at the ballet was all the proof I needed
“Nutcracker”, he said, looking back over his shoulder and winking at me.
By
What does a good 21st-century immigration policy look like?
Immigration presents us with a moral and political quandary. Can two books help us decide what to do?
By
The NS Poem: Gravity
A new poem by Simon Armitage.
By
The NS Poem: Cane
A new poem by Daljit Nagra.
By
Poem: Apostle
“I hurd the storie & I tolde it back, / god-gifted, to spyce up the craic”
By
The best podcasts of 2016
From relationship horror stories to the solving of a decades-old cold case, it’s been a great year for listening.
By
“Not a Christmas story“: A short story by Ali Smith
“I’d forgotten that Bowie had ever recorded that song, and with Bing Crosby of all people.”
By
In 2016, I’m ending the year by retreating into the past
Linda the landlady has gone, and even a stack of New Scientist magazines doesn’t cheer me up. There’s nothing for it…
By
In the woods, a brush with hope
Hope and terror on a winter walk.
By
Guardians of the galaxy: the unlikely politics of Star Trek
How Star Trek could have averted the global financial crash, eradicated racism and kept Britain out of the Iraq…
By
The best films of 2016
Don’t know what to watch this Christmas? Our film critic rounds up his picks of the year.
By
We all eat mince pies at Christmas – but does anyone actually like them?
The average Briton puts away 27 mince pies in the run up to Christmas. So why are my friends…
By
How two psychologists found the perfect balance between confidence and doubt
The central irrationality inside sport is the dread of looking conspicuously wrong, which is even more powerful than wanting…
By
Dreaming of a white Christmas? Why we’re so in love with snow
Marcus Sedgwick’s Snow doesn’t just tell us the science of the white stuff – it explores its place in our…
By
Syria has been at war for years – yet, in Damascus, life goes on
On a visit to the conflict-riven country I get a glimpse of its hidden treasures and a wide view of the…
By
Is Sebastian Barry suffering from mid-career doubt?
An exciting new guard of Irish writers have set the literary world ablaze. But where does that leave the…
By
Polymath at large: revisiting the travels of Andrew Solomon
Solomon’s gifts are so wide-ranging it can be hard not to believe he comes from an earlier century.
By
Opening the cracks: revisiting the 17th century woman writer Margaret Cavendish
Like the historical fiction of Hillary Mantel and Ali Smith, Danielle Dutton’s Margaret the First investigates, more than anything, what…
By
The best albums of 2016: from David Bowie to Solange
As the end of the year approaches, Kate Mossman rounds up the best new releases.
By
Take a butcher’s at this: a new history of slang
Vulgar Tongues: an Alternative History of English Slang gathers material from a mind-boggling range of sources – but still…
By