‘We’re not doing the thing we’re built to do’: Agnes Callard, the philosopher living life according to SocratesWhy did the professor get divorced, remarry, but allow her former husband to remain in the house? In her brilliant new book, Open Socrates, she makes the case for an intellectually honest life Feb 09 25February 09, 2025Article at the Guardian
The big picture: a seemingly innocent winter’s day in MoscowAlexander Gronsky’s photograph of families in the snow hints at something more dubious Feb 02 25February 02, 2025Article at the Guardian
‘Our job is to be truthful not neutral’: Christiane Amanpour on Trump, tech and and fighting for the truthChristiane Amanpour has spent four decades as a celebrated journalist and war reporter. With disinformation rampaging through the media, she talks to Tim Adams about the threat of technocracy, Donald Trump’s second term – and why facts are more important than ever Jan 26 25January 26, 2025Article at the Guardian
Theaster Gates: ‘I’m an artist. It’s my job to wake things up’In the week of Donald Trump’s inauguration, the US artist is in the UK with a show drawing on the legacy of Malcolm X – and an alternative vision for making America great again Jan 25 25January 25, 2025Article at the Guardian
The big picture: Henry Roy’s sleeping girl in Congo-BrazzavilleThe Franco-Haitian artist’s 2002 portrait exemplifies his gift for taking photographs that transcend time and place Jan 12 25January 12, 2025Article at the Guardian
From Charli to Jilly to Moo Deng the hippo: the faces we won’t forget from 2024Some made a splash in politics, social media, sport or the arts. Others took a brave personal stand. Observer writers and critics pick the names on everyone’s lips this year Dec 22 24December 22, 2024Article at the Guardian
Tim Minchin: ‘Maybe scrolling the traumas of the world is not in itself a moral act’The comedian, actor and Matilda songwriter on the benefits of quitting social media and why happiness is like an orgasm Dec 08 24December 08, 2024Article at the Guardian
‘I’m writing a memoir. It’s a pack of lies’: John Banville on a lifetime in books, bereavement, and the Irish love of wordsThe acclaimed novelist thought he had finished with ‘serious’ books. But now, at 78 and still grieving the loss of his wife, he has a new project on the go Nov 30 24November 30, 2024Article at the Guardian
The big picture: Frank Auerbach in communion with his art, 1986Jane Bown’s portrait of the artist, who died last week aged 93, captured the obsessive nature of the painter who saw no divide between his life and work Nov 17 24November 17, 2024Article at the Guardian
It’s a pretty pass when even the Fortean Times warns of the ‘lone nut fraternity’Now conspiracy theories are the mainstream’s forte, there’s only one way a magazine on the paranormal can go: rational I picked up the October issue of the Fortean Times the other day. For half a century, the magazine has been the go-to place for… Sep 28 24September 28, 2024Article at the Guardian
All of London’s seedy poetry is there to see in the setting for TV thriller Slow HorsesIn real life, the address that is the spies’ fictional home reflects the author’s original grimy, multilayered vision of the city There is no blue plaque on the wall of 126 Aldersgate, a narrow four-storey terrace above a fast-food grill, near… Aug 31 24August 31, 2024Article at the Guardian
Nathan Thrall: ‘The scale and brutality of the Israeli response in Gaza hasn’t surprised me, no’The US journalist and author on his Pulitzer prize-winning book about a Palestinian father, the aftermath of 7 October and what it means to be a Jewish critic of Israel Nathan Thrall is an American journalist who has been based in Jerusalem for 20… Aug 04 24August 04, 2024Article at the Guardian
I swear by almighty river: an ancient practice is making a comeback in Britain’s courtsWhen a juror was sworn in on a cupful of water from the Roding he made modern history The barrister Paul Powlesland, who has acted for climate protesters, was called to jury service last week, and made judicial history by taking an oath on the thing… Aug 03 24August 03, 2024Article at the Guardian
The 14 long and wasted years of Tory BritainBefore the Conservatives were elected in 2010, David Cameron set out his vision of a prosperous, secure country that would care for all. On every metric, by every yardstick, his party has failed Some neuroscientists describe it as Life Review. It’s… Jun 30 24June 30, 2024Article at the Guardian
The big picture: Abdulhamid Kircher reflects on his traumatic family history Kircher’s seemingly innocent shot of his father’s girlfriend having her hair dyed in an Istanbul salon belies the truth about the couple’s reason for visiting The New York-based photographer Abdulhamid Kircher, 28, took this picture of his father’s… Jun 30 24June 30, 2024Article at the Guardian
Ex-Tory MP Rory Stewart: ‘I guess my hand will float over Labour, but will probably come down on Lib Dems or the Greens’The former cabinet minister on why politics made him deeply unhappy, the truth about Old Etonians, and who he’ll be voting for Rory Stewart, 51, has been a diplomat, an academic, an adventurer and a politician. He served as a deputy governor in Iraq… Jun 23 24June 23, 2024Article at the Guardian
‘I don’t want to cancel him’: Rose Boyt on confronting the gaze of her father, Lucian FreudThe novelist sat for her father three times – first in a naked portrait when she was 18. Now 65, she has written a memoir based on the diaries she kept at the time. She talks about her chaotic childhood, writing truthfully about her dad, and the… May 12 24May 12, 2024Article at the Guardian
Billy Bragg: ‘There’s nothing like going out there singing your truth. That ain’t changed’The singer-songwriter’s brand of stubborn protest songs with a strain of tenderness has kept him relevant for 40 years. Here he talks about why he’s fighting for trans rights, his late-night tweeting habit and his forthcoming tour – with his son… Apr 28 24April 28, 2024Article at the Guardian
All You Need Is Love: The End of the Beatles by Peter Brown and Steven Gaines review – from best man to muckrakerIn this ‘director’s cut’ of their 1983 book, which Paul McCartney burned, a former Beatles employee and a music writer appear preoccupied with stirring up scandal around the band’s split The biannual Journal of Beatles Studies was launched by… Apr 14 24April 14, 2024Article at the Guardian
‘I don’t think I developed emotionally’: Earl Spencer on the pain of boarding-school abuseThe brother of Diana, princess of Wales, talks about his difficult decision to write about being physically and sexually abused and the resistance he faced from members of his own class It was one thing writing about the abuses of his childhood,… Mar 17 24March 17, 2024Article at the Guardian
