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THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW (April 5, 2024): The latest issue features Stephen King’s first novel, “Carrie,” published 50 years ago. The Book Review editors weren’t sure what to do with it, so they handed it to their mystery columnist, Newgate Callendar. He called it “brilliant” but conceded, “Maybe, strictly speaking, it is not a mystery.” Still, he added, “That this is a first novel is amazing. King writes with the kind of surety normally associated only with veteran writers.”
“Carrie” was published in 1974. Margaret Atwood explains its enduring appeal.
By Margaret Atwood
Stephen King’s “Carrie” burst upon an astonished world in 1974. It made King’s career. It has sold millions, made millions, inspired four films and passed from generation to generation. It was, and continues to be, a phenomenon.
“Carrie” was King’s first published novel. He started it as a men’s magazine piece, which was peculiar in itself: What made him think that a bunch of guys intent (as King puts it) on looking at pictures of cheerleaders who had somehow forgotten to put their underpants on would be riveted by an opening scene featuring gobs of menstrual blood? This is, to put it mildly, not the world’s sexiest topic, and especially not for young men. Failing to convince himself, King scrunched up the few pages he’d written and tossed them into the garbage.
As “Carrie” turns 50, George R.R. Martin, Sissy Spacek, Tom Hanks, the Archbishop of Canterbury and others recall the powerful impact the writer’s work has had on their lives.
Tom Hanks
Actor, “The Green Mile”
In the late ’70s the image of Carrie covered in blood at the high school dance was already part of the national narrative — in a fun way. Struggling to afford the rent and the diapers while navigating those first years of a creative journey in the big city, I had not seen the movie nor read the book. Then a copy of “The Stand” was being gobbled up by our gang — read in a fever pitch on every subway ride and first thing in the morning. Once done, the copy was passed along to the next pair of eyes and promptly devoured.
Stanford University Press (April 5, 2024): Jonathan S. Blake and Nils Gilman introduce their new book Children of a Modest Star: Planetary Thinking for an Age of Crises.
A clear-eyed and urgent vision for a new system of political governance to manage planetary issues and their local consequences.
Deadly viruses, climate-changing carbon molecules, and harmful pollutants cross the globe unimpeded by national borders. While the consequences of these flows range across scales, from the planetary to the local, the authority and resources to manage them are concentrated mainly at one level: the nation-state. This profound mismatch between the scale of planetary challenges and the institutions tasked with governing them is leading to cascading systemic failures.
National Geographic Traveller Magazine (April 5, 2024): The latest issue heads to Mexico where we discover this diverse and spirited nation through the communities and craftspeople keeping its culture alive. Plus, explore the remote reaches of Vietnam, dive into the folk traditions of Istria and taste the flavours of Philadelphia.
Also inside this issue:
Vietnam: Discover the country’s remote reaches along the Mekong River and Con Dao islands. Istria: Explore the festivals and folk traditions of Croatia’s unique Adriatic enclave. Antarctica: This barren land of rock, water and ice is home to a surprising amount of wildlife. Egypt: Itineraries to discover the country, from the Nile and the Red Sea to the Sinai Peninsula. Philadelphia: Food in Pennsylvania’s largest city is as much about coming together as it is about flavour. Birmingham: The UK’s historic industrial powerhouse is flaunting its heritage with style. Le Mans & around: Come for the eponymous car race, stay for canoe trips, wine-tasting and more. Fez: Food traditions and culinary innovation come together in the medina of this Moroccan city Tokyo: Accommodation in the Japanese capital is all about character, from traditional ryokan inns to a cosy literary hotel.
Science Magazine – April 4, 2024: The new issue features ‘Lucy At 50’ – Fifty years ago in Ethiopia, paleoanthropologists unearthed the 3.2-million-year-old skeleton known as “Lucy” and transformed our views of humanity’s origins.
Smithsonian Magazine (April 4, 2024) –The latest issue features ‘Australia’s Underwater Wonderland’ – For divers off the Sunshine Coast, tiny creatures with big personalities put on a spectacular show…
Times Literary Supplement (April 3, 2024): The ‘The Art Issue’ features ‘Miss Lonelyhearts’ – Tom Seymour Evans: Carson McCullers’s unruly life; Violence and Climate Change; Posing for John Singer Sargent and Huckleberry Jim – Mark Twain’s escaped slave wrests control of his story…
The Guardian Weekly (April 5, 2024) – The new issue features ‘Lone Star’ – Have the UN vote and questions about its conduct in Gaza left Israel isolated?; Liz Truss bids for political resurrection; Will IS strike again?; Nick Cave’s devilish change of direction…
Spotlight | IS affiliates could launch new wave of terror on the west
Islamic State has stalled in Iraq and Syria but officials believe it has been planning new attacks on the west for years, reports Jason Burke; while Angelique Chrisafis writes that France’s interior minister has met intelligence services to assess the terrorist threat to the country ahead of this summer’s Olympic Games
Environment | True cost of a city built from scratch
Nusantara is billed as a state-of-the-art capital city that will coexist with nature – but not all residents of Borneo’s Balikpapan Bay are happy, find. By Rebecca Ratcliffe and Richaldo Hariandja
Feature | 49 days later
Liz Truss trashed the economy as Britain’s shortest-serving prime minister. But she is back, launching a new conservative movement and spreading her ideology across the world. You just can’t keep a bad politician down, argues David Runciman
Culture | The devil in the details
In the past nine years, Nick Cave has lost two sons – an experience he explores in a deeply personal new ceramics project. He discusses mercy, forgiveness, making and meaning with Simon Hattenstone
Architecture | A Māori-built environment
A new wave of Indigenous architects are behind a series of stunning buildings embracing tribal identity in Aotearoa New Zealand, Oliver Wainwright discovers
The reawakening of Nature has inspired artists from Botticelli to David Hockney and beyond. Michael Prodger revels in the artistic beauty of the season
Prepare to be a-maze-d
Few can match the twists and turns of Adrian Fisher’s stellar career. Deborah Nicholls-Lee meets the maze designer behind the chilling climax of Saltburn
London Life
Tianna Williams visits a Scottish corner of the capital
Need to Know has all the latest happenings
William Sitwell welcomes back the big business lunch
Richard MacKichan joins the Noisenights crowd
The icing on Nature’s cake
Poet Laureate Simon Armitage celebrates an annual explosion of pink and white blossom with excerpts from his new book
The legacy
Kate Green on how Sir Joseph Banks sowed the seeds of Kew
Leading by example
In the second of two articles, John Goodall puts the spotlight on the superb school buildings of Lancing College, West Sussex
Little April showers
Discover why a thunderous start to the month suggests a good harvest as Lia Leendertz delves into the weather lore of spring
Interiors
Green is the natural choice for a kitchen, as Amelia Thorpe and Arabella Youens discover
A garden from scratch
Caroline Donald marvels at the rapid transformation of the charming seven-acre garden at Charlton Farm in Wiltshire
Kitchen garden cook
Melanie Johnson puts British asparagus — a verdant harbinger of spring — back on the menu
Travel
Camilla Hewitt raises a glass to Cognac
Richard MacKichan explores the Alps in summer
Hetty Lintell falls in love with Mallorca
Pamela Goodman is in awe of the Alhambra
Gen Sir James Everard’s favourite painting
The president of the Army Bene-volent Fund chooses a wonderful depiction of the Battle of Waterloo
Déjà vu all over again
Carla Carlisle attempts to sort the tragedy from the farce in the baffling world of modern politics
Get the London look
Matthew Dennison charts the rise and fall of fashion label Biba
The good stuff
Mesmerising opals are having a moment — Hetty Lintell dives in
The Arts
150 years of the Impressionists
News, Views and Reviews For The Intellectually Curious
National Geographic Traveller Magazine (April 5, 2024): The latest issue 
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