The Poems of Seamus Heaney By Rosie Lavan, Bernard O’Donoghue and Matthew Hollis (edd.)
Vermeer: A Life Lost and Found By Andrew Graham-Dixon
A woman stands, oblivious to our gaze, absorbed entirely in her activity – reading, pouring, weighing, holding out her pearls. A window to the left admits a radiance, which falls variously on the common stuff the room contains. The light enters as an absolute blank, but infuses colour as it illuminates the scene.
Katherine Mansfield: A Hidden Life By Gerri Kimber
The rush to tell the story of Katherine Mansfield’s short, fascinating life began as soon as she died. Her husband, John Middleton Murry, a gifted editor, notoriously turned the publication of her writing into an industry.
THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE:The 11.2.25 Issue features Susan Dominus on women taking testosterone; Dan Brooks on the comedian Stavros Halkias; Joshua Leifer on Haredi conscription in Israel; and more.
A mother in Florida filed a lawsuit against an A.I. start-up, alleging its product led to her son’s death. The company’s defense raises a thorny legal question. By Jesse Barron
Sulawesi, Indonesia, blurs the boundaries between myth and ecology. What might it reveal about our past – or destiny? Photographs and Text by Balarama Heller
A new field of science claims to be able to predict aesthetic traits, intelligence, and even moral character in embryos. Is this the next step in human evolution or something more dangerous?
Donald Trump’s sudden decision last week to sanction Russian oil producers suggested the US president has finally lost patience with Vladimir Putin after a series of fruitless talks over ending the war in Ukraine.
Could it break the deadlock? Oil sanctions have the potential to genuinely damage Moscow’s finances, as the Russian president himself admitted last week. It remains to be seen, though, whether economic pressure alone can bend Putin’s arm over a conflict he views as defining to his legacy.
In this week’s big story, Guardian Russia affairs reporter Pjotr Sauer asks whether sanctions could succeed where diplomacy has failed, while Christopher S Chivvis of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace argues that a negotiated settlement remains the likeliest way to bring nearly four years of fighting to a halt.
In the frontline Ukrainian city of Kupiansk, senior reporter Peter Beaumont finds little hope of a quick resolution, with much of the population having left and the remaining soldiers stuck in a war they believe is “going nowhere for either side”.
Five essential reads in this week’s edition
Spotlight | The populist leaders’ economic playbook From Milei to Meloni,are the economics of populism always doomed to failure? This long read from economics editor Heather Stewart tries to bridge the gaps between populist aspiration and fiscal reality
Environment | The deadly migration routes of elephants Human-wildlife conflict has overtaken poaching as a cause of fatalities among elephants – and is deadly for people too. Now some villages are finding new ways to live alongside the mammals, reports Patrick Greenfield
Interview | Is Jimmy Wales the good guy of the internet? The Wikipedia founder stands out from his contemporaries for being driven by more than money. But can the people’s encyclopedia withstand attacks from AI and Elon Musk? ByDavid Shariatmadari
Opinion | Without genuine truth and justice, the war in Gaza cannot end A fragile ceasefire is in place, but what’s needed is an international tribunal for resolution and reparation.That’s the only route to lasting peace, argues Simon Tisdall
Culture | The electrifying genius of Gerhard Richter He has painted everything from a candle to 9/11, walked his naked wife through photographic mist, and turned Titian into a sacred jumble. A new Paris show reveals the German artist in all his contradictory brilliance, says Adrian Searle
The act of destruction is precisely the point: a kind of performance piece meant to display Trump’s arbitrary power over the Presidency, including its physical seat. By Adam Gopnik
Trump and the Presidency That Wouldn’t Shut Up
His posts and rants are omnipresent, ugly, and unhinged. Don’t look to history to make it make sense. By Jill Lepore
Inside the Data Centers That Train A.I. and Drain the Electrical Grid
A data center, which can use as much electricity as Philadelphia, is the new American factory, creating the future and propping up the economy. How long can this last? By Stephen Witt
California tried to use drones to find illegal marijuana operations, but they found building code violations instead.
You Can Thank This Ohio Klansman for Expanding Your Freedom of Speech
Brandenburg v. Ohio established the “imminent lawless action” standard. More than 50 years later, partisans keep trying to apply it selectively. Jacob Sullum
How the Punisher, a Murderous Anti-Hero, Became the Mascot for Increasingly Militarized Police Forces
“He is breaking the very laws…that cops are supposed to uphold.”
News, Views and Reviews For The Intellectually Curious
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