November 2016

November 2016 issue

Past issues

Essays

How John Berger taught us to see

©PA/PA Wire/Press Association Images

The passport: little book, big story

The romance delusion

US presidential election: the roots of the rage

Abraj Al-Bait Towers, also known as the Mecca Royal Hotel Clock Tower, in the holy city of Mecca during the annual Hajj pilgrimage, 2011 ©FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Saudi Arabia: running into the sand

Madawi Al-Rasheed

"The former KGB officer had done his homework. He knew Merkel was frightened of dogs" ©DMITRY ASTAKHOV/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Moscow vs Merkiavelli

Matthew Qvortrup

American drinkers reveal their mood to the candidates ©Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images

Donald Trump: how reason got fired

©Meriel Jane Waissman/Getty Images

Will globalisation go into reverse?

Barry Eichengreen

Jeremy Corbyn applauds his recent re-election, in Liverpool ©Leon Neal/Getty Images

Corbyn 2.0: Left, in pieces

Regulars

©Chris Ratcliffe/Getty Images

Brief encounter: Justin Welby

The way we were: American populism—the people and their enemies

If I ruled the world: Eimear McBride

Speed data: Grammar schools

What theatre is on this month?

Michael Coveney

What art is on this month?

Emma Crichton-Miller

What classical music is on this month?

Alexandra Coghlan

What science exhibitions are on this month?

What films are on this month?

What opera is on this month?

Opinions

Britain: narcissist nation

Joris Luyendijk

The lack of female judges is a supreme injustice

Shami Chakrabarti

Interview: Michael Heseltine—Brexit was very scary before. It still is

Former Prime Minister David Cameron ©Philip Toscano/PA Wire/Press Association Images

David Cameron's marks out of No. 10

Apartments in Lincoln Plaza, the latest winner of Building Design's Carbuncle Cup ©SIMON DAWSON/BLOOMBERG

The ugliest buildings in Britain

Devolution beyond the big cities

©Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire/Press Association Images

An Autumn Statement that works for everyone

Prime Minister Theresa May at the Conservative Party's 2016 Conference. May announced plans for a "Great Reform Act" in her speech to the Conference on Sunday ©Nick Ansell/PA Wire/Press Association Images

The true meaning of the Great Repeal Act

Arts & Books

Quaint but appealing: a still from Disney's Winnie-the-Pooh, released in 2011 ©WALT DISNEY PICTURES/UNIMEDIA/CAMERA PRESS

The curse of Winnie-the-Pooh

Books in brief: Nutshell

Books in brief: Television: A Biography

Books in brief: The Rookie

Books in brief: Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?

Books in brief: Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow

Books in brief: The Art of Rivalry

Viviana Mendoza

Books in brief: Peacock and Vine

Books in brief: More Sex, Lies and the Ballot Box

Zadie Smith's "Swing Time"—a successful return to her roots

©Rasmus Juul/Rex/Shutterstock

Mark Thompson is shouting in a hurricane

Sad face: Nick Clegg became a whipping boy for the country's ills ©Ian Gavan/Getty Images

Clegg calls for reason over rage—but is his party listening?

Society and Culture

The Duel: Should it be illegal to pay for sex?

Molly Smith & Joan Smith

DIY investor: A premium bond resurgence

Wine: secrets of blind tasting

Life of the mind: Acknowledging reality

Matters of taste: Vegetables fit for the gods

Wendell Steavenson

"When Bill O' Reilly announces that the slaves who built the White House were 'well-fed and had decent lodgings,' there arises the desire to make him share the 'lived experience' of those slaves" ©Daniel Schwen, Wikimedia Commons

Leith on language: Living with "lived experience"