From Philip Ball to Rachael Allen: new books reviewed in short
Also featuring My Friends by Hisham Matar and Veiled Threat by Nadeine Asbal.
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Volodymyr Zelensky’s theatre of nightmares
As people flee the country and losses mount, supporting Ukraine’s war effort takes its toll.
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The end of the Brexit delusions
On 31 January 2020, the United Kingdom left the EU – but four years later, Brexit is still a slogan…
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Jake Humphrey: “I would not have succeeded in TV without failure”
The podcaster and sports broadcaster on what he’s learned from high achievers and why men need mental resilience.
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Labour in power
As it prepares for office, the party should study why it has so often struggled to retain it.
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Nicole Kidman is a doll-like absence in Expats
This Amazon series appears to have been written by a visitor from outer space. Who could care for these cold,…
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The dictator’s best friend
From Mussolini to Mao, autocrats have often turned to writers to tighten their grip on power.
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The future of Xi Jinping Thought
The Chinese leader’s political doctrine seeks nothing less than to remake the world order.
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Empire’s final reckoning
Sathnam Sanghera’s Empireworld captures the complexity of British imperialism’s legacy – but can its injustices yet be undone?
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Thom Yorke’s late style
For all its themes of cronyism and catastrophe, the Smile’s Wall of Eyes suggests that Yorke has found serenity in…
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All of Us Strangers makes the personal universal
This intensely specific film shows a kind of genius for English humdrum understatement about the most wrenching matters.
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50 years of Manon
In this Royal Opera House revival, Kenneth MacMillan’s masterful ballet still has the power to bring audiences to their feet.
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The triumph of King Charles
Robert Hardman’s obsequious biography pays court to a monarch who is enjoying his power over a deferential nation.
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Herbs and flowers flourish in my hilltop garden, except where I want them
My lack of success growing mint and thyme is embarrassing, but I take solace in the plant world’s mysteries and…
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Subscriber of the week: Verity Howorth
Please email zuzanna.lachendro@newstatesman.co.uk if you would like to be featured.
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Radio 4’s Child puts us on the cusp of life
India Rakusen has created a delightful mosaic of trivia about babies and the earliest stages of human life.
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This England: Tyne mouth
This column – which, though named after a line in Shakespeare’s “Richard II”, refers to the whole of Britain –…
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Letter of the week: The value of humanities
Write to letters@newstatesman.co.uk to have your thoughts voiced in the New Statesman magazine.
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Tories pray for electoral salvation. Will St Boris intercede?
Your weekly dose of gossip from around Westminster.
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Why make another Mean Girls?
The musical update of the popular high-school movie is entertaining, but bewildering.
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