Miriam Sallon

Some say that literary critics have lost touch with modern readers—but not us. From Zadie Smith to George Saunders, these critics continue to refresh the form In January of this year, Merve Emre wrote an article in The New Yorker discussing the…

Spring is sprung! Now that we’re firmly out of hibernation season, it’s time to venture out into the tasty streets of London. Here are the best restaurants to try this season. Maresco Loch Broom oysters with gazpacho, dill and ikura (salmon roe) 45…

With the nineteenth season currently airing, we look back at some of our favourite winners to see what they’re up to now MasterChef has been going since 2005, and over the years the show has discovered some amazing talent. But where did they all go?…

These restaurants all have the Michelin stamp of approval without the fine dining price tag While Michelin reviewers officially keep their marking criteria a mystery, there are some tests that have breached the shrouds of secrecy. For example,…

Vaseem Khan is a multi award-winning crime novelist who has written the Baby Ganesh Detective Agency novels and Malabar House series. This year he’ll be chairing the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie…

With Hanukkah under way, here’s a recipe for latkes, a delicious Jewish potato delight perfect for celebrating with family and friends For anyone who doesn’t know what a latke is, in simple terms it’s the Jewish equivalent of a hash brown, but, in my…

Now that the days are getting longer and your creaking bones are warming in the first signs of sunshine, it’s time to start planning for summer! There’s nothing more magical than spending a long, languid evening watching a bit of theatre, Pimms in…

Skip the West End and discover some edgy, theatrical gems—maybe in a pub or under a railway station—in one of London's many alternative theatres Often when we think of London theatre, we think of big razzmatazz productions in the centre of the city,…

It's easy enough to find something festive to take your kids to, but what London theatre shows are going on for the grown-ups? Panto Aladdin and cheesy moral Christmas plays aren’t the only way to enjoy the festive season. London has so many great…

A colour-focused dystopian fantasy and a dramatic sea story are Miriam Sallon's picks for the books you need to read this month Red Side Story by Jasper Fforde Imagine if 1984 were silly. Or rather, imagine if 1984 were silly and it was ok to laugh.…

While Covid-19 will no doubt inspire a whole slew of literature and art in the coming years, we’ve only seen the first few attempts. Most likely because it’s still very fresh, and the consequences—biological, economical and cultural—have yet to be…

Best known for his erotic bildungsroman, Call Me By Your Name, this time André Aciman gives us something more dreamlike, sensuous rather than sensual, and, owing to its slightness, perhaps more perfect, in the way that only shorter stories can be.…

From a collection of magical novellas to the story of the end of the Enlightenment, these are the books you should read this month Maiden, Mother, Crone Maiden,Mother,Croneis acollationof three previouslypublished novellaswith three new shortstories,…

In a recent New Yorker article, Zadie Smith talked about the seeming inevitability of every English author writing a historical novel. She resisted for years, she said, despite having a quiet obsession with a particular Victorian court case, on the…

The Year of the Locust by Terry Hayes (Bantam Press, £22) It’s been ten years since I Am Pilgrim, the 912-page action-crammed tome, hit the shelves, and fans still haven’t got over it. Some claim it redefined the spy-thriller genre, and The Guardian…

While a brilliant idea in its inception, there’s now a sense of jumping on the bandwagon, looking for new ways to sell old stories. But in the case of Julia, Sandra Newman resolves a problem that has beleaguered the seminal 1984 since its…

In a recent New Yorker article, Zadie Smith talked about the seeming inevitability of every English author writing a historical novel. She resisted for years, she said, despite having a quiet obsession with a particular Victorian court case, on the…

Dr Ranj talks to us about masculinity in the modern age and how to talk about it with young boys The idea of masculinity and what it means to be a man is a hot topic right now. With so many differing opinions and expectations, it’s a tricky…

Weeds and pests are “garden heroes” according to the RHS The Royal Horticultural Society is now encouraging gardeners to celebrate weeds rather than considering them pests. The rebranding comes just in time for this year’s Chelsea Flower Show, hosted…

For the first time in Proms history, the festival’s opening and closing concerts will be led by female conductors Finnish composer Dalia Stasevska will be conducting the opening ceremony, and American Marin Alsop will close the festival. On the…