The New Society | culture from the New Statesman

How to write when everything’s in flux

Every story, they say, needs a beginning, a middle and an end; every story needs a setting. What if that isn’t true? Can you write when everything is in flux, when you

Katherine Rundell: In today's world, wonder is political

"We live in a world that deserves unicorns," says Katherine Rundell. If you haven't come across Rundell's work yet, you will soon. She's written over a dozen books, incl

James Marriott: what happens when we stop reading?

A third of British adults who used to read for pleasure don't anymore. And according to the OECD, literacy itself, not just the habit of it, is declining or stagnating a

Salman Rushdie: "I feel a line of connection with 9/11"

Terror has sought Salman Rushdie out time and time again for the past 40 years, ever since the controversial publication of his novel The Satanic Verses and the furious r

RF Kuang is back with her most personal story yet

Historical fantasy, campus satire, industry exposé; five books in, and no one's quite worked out what a "RF Kuang novel" is supposed to look like. That's rather the point

Simon Sebag Montefiore on Israel, Gaza and a Middle East in crisis

From the fall of the Ottoman Empire to the current escalation of the war between Israel, Palestine and their neighbouring countries, the Middle East has been besieged by

This is how Ukrainian artists are fighting back

Charlotte Higgins has spent most of her career interviewing and critiquing artists, authors and poets as the Guardian's chief culture writer. It was unlikely that her wor

Why we must unite working class communities across racial divides

In the summer of 2024, riots tore through British towns, and since then old questions have continued to resurface about who belongs in the country.   Taj Ali has spent

Britain is losing its libraries and its cultural memory

Every year, more libraries across Britain close their doors.   As councils have their funding slashed, these are often the first spaces to go.   What do we lose when

Why is sex political?

To hear more conversations like this search "The Exchange" wherever you get your podcasts. When Amia Srinivasan published The Right to Sex: Feminism in the Twenty-First

Can we separate great art from bad artists?

Throughout history, art, and artists, have caused moral outrage. For a long time we had the liberal notion that we could separate great art from bad artists, but we do s

Odyssey mania is upon us

Christopher Nolan’s film adaptation of Homer’s epic poem is one of the most anticipated films in recent cinema history. But what is it about this story, first told maybe

Was the American revolution really American?

Hot dogs, fireworks, old glory, it’s the 4th July. This year marks the 250th anniversary of the USA’s Declaration of Independence.   What led up to these crucial events

"I thought Jimmy Carter was black" | Tayari Jones interview

Tayari Jones is one of America's most celebrated novelists, twice chosen by Oprah, shortlisted for prizes on both sides of the Atlantic, and read by presidents. Her newe

Will Hockney be remembered as one of the greats?

Andrew Marr and the New Statesman's art critic Michael Prodger join Tanjil Rashid to discuss the life and legacy of David Hockney, who passed away last week. A Bradford

Does travel actually broaden the mind?

“The traveller sees what he sees. The tourist sees what he has come to see.” Andrea Wulf joins us to discuss her new book The Traveller, about George Forster - the forgo

This house believes that Britain’s best days are behind it

There is in Britain today a widespread mood of public despair, a deep premonition of imminent national decline. According to Ipsos, just over half of Britons feel worse o

Can architecture be democratic?

What is the relationship between politics and the built environment? between the spaces inhabited by the public and the policies that govern them?  From parliaments to m

Katja Hoyer: How fascism takes hold of a city

Political instability, democratic decline, the rise of populist movements - politicians and headlines today are quick to diagnose things as modern day Weimar. But what wa

Munya Chawawa: Trump's presidency is based on WWE

Donald Trump’s political style has often been compared to reality TV - but what if the better comparison is professional wrestling? Satirist Munya Chawawa joins Luke O’R